Grace Alive

“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24   The freshness of a new year brings optimism and an appetite for change for many people. New Year’s resolutions are common during this season. People want to look back wistfully, but also with a feeling of…

This season has a very distinctive feel to it. The sparkling lights, the wreaths, the fireside scenes on greeting cards, the brightly decorated wrapping paper. The part that catches my attention the most, however, are the nativity scenes. This tradition was one of my favorites as a kid, unwrapping each character carefully and placing them…

Hi Everyone, I felt impressed to focus on Revelation for our next batch of devotional blogs. Since I’ve presented on the Seven Churches in Revelation 1-3 in previous posts and sermons, I’ll start with Revelation 4 and 5. God bless! Revelation 5:1-5: “And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the…

Hi Everyone, I felt impressed to focus on Revelation for our next batch of devotional blogs. Since I’ve presented on the Seven Churches in Revelation 1-3 in previous posts and sermons, I’ll start with Revelation 4 and 5. God bless! Revelation 4:1-5: “After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven.…

Antonio felt the gentle buzz of the plane’s engine on his seat as he soared over the trees. He was a delivery pilot for a mining operation deep in the Amazon rain forest and this flight was a routine he knew well. He had woken up with a start as the alarm sounded, showered, changed,…

Our hearts were pounding as we swung around each bend of the dusty road. My parents, siblings, and I were on our very first backpacking trip and we had high hopes for this trek. We were going to a place called Elk Flats. It sounded like a promising spot for beginner backpackers. We expected spacious…

“And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Then the serpent said to…

I’m not especially knowledgeable about astronomy, aeronautics, or engineering. But I have to admit that hearing the latest news about space exploration often sends a ripple of excitement through my heart. Stories about lunar landings and spacecraft never fail to grab my attention. But even though I enjoy reading about space tech, I wasn’t prepared…

Frankincense is often remembered this time of year because of its part in the Christmas story of Matthew 2. The wise men from the east brought gifts to honor the Messiah and one of these gifts happened to be frankincense. Matthew 2:18 says, “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother…

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:1, 2)…

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the [e]edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son…

“But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—as I also have received from My Father; and…

“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For…

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1) The Lady-Be-Good bomber plane droned heavily through the dark sky. The crew didn’t know that this night had a harsh surprise in store. It was April 4,…

Jose was in an awful situation. He had been diagnosed with leprosy several years before. Because leprosy targets and disables the “feeling” sensors in the body, Jose’s eyes were getting dried out without him knowing. He didn’t know he needed to blink and the dryness along with glaucoma and cataracts soon robbed him of his…

Death is a subject we often brush aside or try not to think about. But it’s just a sad fact that death is currently an inevitable part of our broken planet. We don’t have to feel helpless in this bleak situation though. The Apostle Paul describes a wonderful future day when Christ will return to…

I was dumbfounded when I watched the mountaineering drama firsthand. The real-life video looked hair-raising from the start. I watched this on YouTube a couple weeks ago and the sight has never left me. There was an ice climber all outfitted with waterproof gear, crampons, ice axe, and helmet and the team above him was…

A book about a reclusive engineer and businessman might seem like a strange bet for a bestseller at first, but this particular book contract promised to be a giant success. If it worked out, it could be a huge publishing success. A relatively unknown novelist by the name of Clifford Irving and his associate Richard…

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6, 7) Along with this text, there are a lot of Bible verses that portray prayer as a…

A highway where cars are banned? I don’t know about you, but when I saw that title on a YouTube video it piqued my interest. It’s one thing to declare that cars are banned from a back alley or road or trail, but a highway? How would people use a highway without a vehicle? Well,…