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I am a Wordle fanatic! I play it almost everyday. I’ve played it over 260 times and I’ve been successful 98% of the time.

For those of you who’ve been stranded on a desert island for the last couple years and don’t know what Wordle is, it’s a daily word puzzle published in the NY Times where you have 6 tries to guess the 5-letter word of the day. It’s also incredibly addicting!

Finding the right word on Wordle can be challenging, but trying to find the right words to tell someone about Jesus can be a lot harder (and even a little scary!).

You want to share the Good News, but you don’t want to offend or turn someone off. It can be scary to put yourself out there, so most of us take the safe route and just keep quiet.

The truth is, witnessing doesn’t have to be hard. You don’t have to be able to spout off proof texts or explain Daniel and Revelation. Just tell what Jesus has done for you and the “reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV). It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just tell them about your best Friend.

And, besides, you don’t have to worry about coming up with the right words yourself. The Bible promises “God will give you the right words at the right time.” (Matthew 10:19 NLT). I experience this every time I write a devotional. He’ll do the same for you if you’ll just ask.

If I miss playing Wordle once in a while it’s not the end of the world, but if I don’t tell someone about my hope in Jesus that could have eternal consequences. Witnessing doesn’t have to be a puzzle we figure out as we go, not if we prepare now, “to give an answer to anyone who asks…”.(ibid).

Yesterday was an extremely busy day at the Urgent Care Center where I work. Colds, flu, COVID. UTI’s, gout, cellulitis, lacerations. These were just a few of the conditions I dealt with. As the lone provider, I didn’t even have time to stop for lunch and ended up staying late to finish my charts.

It’s on days like yesterday I miss my colleagues at the Walk-in Clinic in Wenatchee. I miss the support and companionship of my fellow providers and the amazing group of MA’s and nurses I worked with there. We made an incredible team, supporting and encouraging each other, making each other laugh and sharing the burden on busy days. No matter what battles we faced, we fought together.

The fact of the matter is, we all need each other. Our veterans know this is true. Without the support and encouragement of their fellow warriors, both during the fight and after the battle, none would make it through. There is a special bond which forms between those who have fought together. That is one of the reasons we celebrate these amazing men and women on Veteran’s Day.

We all need to learn a lesson from our veterans. We are in a battle, a great controversy between good and evil. Overwhelming forces are arrayed against us. To survive we must stand shoulder-to-shoulder together and faithfully follow the directions of our Leader. If we try to fight alone we are doomed to fail, but together we can prevail. “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12 NIV).

No matter what your profession or your situation, having people you can count on to support and listen to you can make all the difference. That’s why Paul cautioned us against “giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,” (Hebrews 10:25).

If you’ve had a busy week you may be tempted to sleep in and skip out on church, but I encourage you, don’t do it. In this battle called life we need the support of our fellow soldiers in Christ, that “we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds…” (vs. 24, 25).

So, get up, take a shower, and head to church. It’s where you belong. You need to be with other believers and they need you too. Let’s not give up meeting together, but, instead, support each other more and more, “…encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (vs. 25). We’re all in this together and together we shall stand!

God bless and have a Happy Sabbath!

When my kids were young they loved to imitate their daddy.

Once I got upset with myself and angrily kicked a wall, shouting, “Stupid!” Moments later, I heard my little daughter kick the wall too and shout, “‘Tupid!” Needless to say, my wife had a few words for me later about the example I was setting for our children.

Thankfully, our Heavenly Father sets a much better example for us to follow. We can’t go wrong imitating Him. His love and mercy have no bounds and, if we choose to imitate Him, neither will ours.

Ephesians 5:1 says, “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.” (NLT). Then verse 2 calls us to, “Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.”

Too often “Christians” are better known for their intolerance, insensitivity, and selfishness than their Christ-likeness. A few years ago, a survey found the number one thing people thought when they heard the word “Christian” was “anti-gay” – and it didn’t get better after that! “Loving” didn’t even make the list!

Imagine how different our world would be if Christians actually imitated Christ, if they lived lives filled with love. Conflict would end, marriages would flourish, rifts would be repaired, the hungry would be fed, and the destitute would find a place called “home.”

Someday soon Jesus will come to take us to a place like that, to Heaven, where “…there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain” and where “the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all.” (Revelation 21:4, Isaiah 11:6).

Until then it’s up to us to bring a little bit of heaven into the world around us, to be imitators of Christ, living lives filled with love in a world filled with hate. We are to be beacons of hope, shining in the darkness, showing the world a better way, pointing them to a God who loves them with an everlasting love.

We cannot do this on our own, however. My children became imitators of me, for better or worse, by spending time with me. It is the same with us and God. It is only as we daily spend time with God, studying His Word and talking with Him, that we will become like Him and be able to love as He loves.

2 Corinthians 3:18 describes it this way, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (NIV)

The world is in desperate need of “imitations”, people who imitate God’s love in their everyday lives. Today, determine to spend every moment in His presence, contemplating His glory, “being transformed into His image“, so you can truly be “imitators of God”, living “a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.”

May God guide you as you imitate Him today!

(This was originally posted in 2018).

One of my favorite memories from childhood was a backpacking trip we took in the Adirondacks of New York. I don’t remember who all went with us, but I know my dad, my sister JoAnn, a friend Ed DiJoseph (Big Ed), and several others were there.

When we started out the weather was beautiful, but it quickly took a turn for the worse. Rain came down in buckets and the trail turned into muck. It was a struggle just to take another step.
At one point JoAnn’s foot sank into the mud and when she pulled it out her shoe stayed in the hole.

The rest of us weren’t doing much better. Ed fell once and slid past us down the hill, before crashing into a mudhole. By the end of the trail we were all covered in muck and exhausted from struggling through the mud for hours. In other words, we all had a blast!

It’s not as much fun, however, when day after day we find ourselves slogging through the muck of past mistakes and disappointed hopes and dreams. Sometimes it’s a struggle to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. At times,it can be tempting to just give up and wallow in our misery.

King David felt this way sometimes. Trapped in the mire of his own sins and mistakes, he sometimes was driven to the point of despair but, instead of giving up, he looked up, and God came through for him. He wrote that God, “lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.” (Psalm 40:2 NLT).

God will do the same for you. No matter how deep the mess you’ve gotten yourself into, no matter how stuck you feel right now, help is just a prayer away.

Slogging through the muck on a hiking trip can be kind of fun, but in everyday life, not so much. Before you take another step, reach out to Jesus. Call to Him today and He will lift you out of the muck and mire and set your feet on solid ground. He did it for David and He’ll do it for you. All you have to do is ask.

Some days are darker than others. Have you noticed that? One day you can feel on top of the world and the next you’re down in the dumps. Today was like that for me. For some reason I was just in a mood. There was nothing especially wrong, just everything seemed gray.

Some of it was probably the weather, which was gray and raining. The end of Daylight Savings probably didn’t help either. When it starts getting dark at 4 o’clock it’s hard to be chipper. I’m also still getting over being sick. Whatever the reason, I just felt kinda blue.

Depression is a serious problem in our crazy world. It not only destroys marriages, relationships and careers, it can also be devastating to your health. Dean Ornish, one of the pioneers of lifestyle medicine, speaking at the conference I just attended, reported that people who are lonely or depressed are 3-6 times more likely to die prematurely than those who feel connected with others.

Even the Apostle Paul felt this need for connection. When he first came to Macedonia he faced incredible opposition. He, and those with him, “were harassed at every turn – conflicts on the outside, fears within.” (2 Corinthians 7:5 NIV).

But God didn’t abandon them to their depression and fears. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul reported, “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him.” (vs. 6-7).

One of the best ways for you to help someone who is struggling with depression is to just be there for them. We all need each other. It’s been that way from the very beginning. That’s why God created Eve, because He knew “It is not good for…man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18).

If you know someone who is feeling depressed, let them know they’re not alone. We’ve all been there. Reach out to them, in person or even online, and let them know you’re in this with them. Remind them they have a Heavenly Father who “is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18).

Today, let’s make a point to “encourage one another and build each other up.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Be a friend to someone who needs one today. After all, tomorrow you just might be the one who could use a friend. If we will each just be there for someone else, then we’ll never be alone.

At the Lifestyle Medicine Conference I attended this last week, I took a resistance training workshop. In it we learned the importance of resistance exercises for our overall health and how to prescribe resistance training to our patients. We even got to do a little weight lifting with the past winner of California’s Strongest Man Competition, Dr. Andrew Mock.

When talking about heart health, everyone thinks of aerobic exercise, such as walking or running. This form of exercise is important, but recent research has found that resistance training is also essential for good heart health.

Resistance training is also good for our spiritual health. Just as muscles grow when stress is put on them, so our faith will grow as we face trials in our walk with Christ. When our faith is stressed, pushed to the limit, it becomes stronger and better prepared to face whatever comes next.

This is why James said, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4 NLT).

Resistance training takes hard work. It’s not always enjoyable, but, when it comes to your health, it’s worth it. The same goes for our Christian walk. God uses trials to help your faith grow stronger each day. Trials are resistance training for your soul.

So, don’t give up when trials come your way. Don’t throw in the towel when you face resistance in your walk with Christ. Instead, let the trials make you stronger in your faith, till you are “mature and complete, not lacking anything.” If you do, someday soon, you’ll hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant…Enter in the joy of your lord.” (Matthew 25:21 NKJV). May that day come soon!

Sorry about not getting a post out the last few days, but I’ve been under the weather. I was diagnosed with Strep throat 9 days ago, started antibiotics, and, since I was feeling better, flew to my Lifestyle Medicine Conference last Saturday.

The first day went well, but then this bug hit with a vengeance. I ended up staying in my hotel room most of Tuesday, watching the conference online. Thankfully, I was able to catch an early flight home Wednesday and spent the last couple days just moping around the house, recovering. It was definitely not how I’d planned for this week to go.

Life doesn’t always go as we plan. It doesn’t always go as God plans either. People blame God all the time when their plans go amuck, but it was never God’s plan for people to get sick, for marriages to fail, for nations to go to war, or for people to die. No, God’s plans for you are “plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT).

The one we should be blaming when our plans go astray and bad things happen is the one who caused all this mess in the first place. Revelation calls him “This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world”. (Revelation 12:9).

Satan has it out for us and he will do anything he can to discourage us or take our eyes off Jesus. Thankfully, he’s fighting a losing battle, because someday soon God’s plans will prevail. On that day, God will seize “the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and [bind] him in chains for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:2).

No longer will Satan be able to mess with God’s plans for us. No longer will he be able to bring sickness and mayhem and death, for on that day God “will wipe every tear from [our] eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:4).

So, this next week, when things don’t go quite as you planned, don’t waste your time blaming God. Instead, choose to trust Him who “causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28). Put your hope in Him and remember, the best is yet to come!

My Bible study this morning was focused on Jonah. We all know his story, how God told him to head to NIneveh to warn the people there of coming judgment, but he was afraid, so he headed to Tarshish instead, only to end up in the belly of a whale.

It’s a cute story, one I’ve heard many times before, but for some reason it hit home this morning. I realized I’m no better than Jonah. How many times has God told me, “Get up and go to…Nineveh”, but instead I “got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord”?

What am I talking about? Everyday I walk the streets of Nineveh, surrounded by people who’ve lost their way, have made terrible choices, have turned from God. Everyday God says to me, “Go to them. Tell them about me. Warn them.” And what do I do? I hop the first boat to Tarshish. I head in the opposite direction, change the course of the conversation, or just don’t say a thing, letting them wander on their aimless way, lost and heading in the wrong direction. I’m no better than Jonah!

I don’t want to be a Jonah anymore. I’m not going to wait for God to send a whale to swallow me up and get me headed in the right direction. With God’s help I’m jumping ship, getting off this boat to Tarshish, and heading to where He wants me to be, which is wherever I find myself today. I’m going to ask Him to give me the courage to share Him with those I meet, to “Shout it aloud,…not hold back. Raise [my] voice like a trumpet.” (Isaiah 58:1 NIV).

I don’t have to travel far to find my Nineveh. Its streets lead through my workplace, through the place where I shop, my neighborhood, and, sometimes, through my own home. Anywhere there are people who have lost their way is my Nineveh, the place where God has called me to work.

How about you? Where is your Nineveh? Who is God calling you to warn, to tell of His soon coming, of His love and forgiveness? Will you accept the call or are you headed for Tarshish instead? If so, just be warned, you might find yourself caught in a storm – or maybe even in the belly of a whale. I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll head to Nineveh instead.

I’ve been traveling most of the day, going from a pleasant fall day in College Place, WA to a cold and snowy evening in Denver. I’m here for the 2023 Lifestyle Medicine Conference, something I’ve been looking forward to all year.

The plane ride was fine, with just a little turbulence coming into Denver, but getting to my hotel was a pain! I’d rented a car and had to wait for almost an hour in the cold for the shuttle to take me to the rental agency. Once I got there I found out there were a couple mandatory charges which hadn’t been mentioned when I’d reserved the car online. These would have more than doubled the cost, so I canceled the rental.

I caught the shuttle back to the airport, then waited another 20 minutes for the hotel shuttle. By then my teeth were chattering and I was freezing. Finally I arrived at my hotel, 2-½ hours later than I should have, cold, discouraged, and frustrated.

As I turned the doorknob for my room, I wondered what awaited me on the other side. When I opened the door and saw the room I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally something had gone right. The room is beautiful, spacious, and, most importantly, warm. The bed is soft and the whole room has a comfortable feel. It feels so good to be finally at my journey’s end.

We all are on a journey, one which is often fraught with setbacks, discouraging circumstances, and unexpected challenges. It would be so easy to give up, turn back, or just throw up our hands and quit.

But we do not journey alone. God promises He will send “an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.” (Exodus 23:20 NIV). No matter how hard the journey or what setbacks you face along the way, God is with you.

I wouldn’t want to have another trip like I had today, but I thank God for leading me safely here to a place where I can rest. He will do the same for you. Put your trust in Him and He will bring you safely to your journey’s end, a place far better than the nicest hotel room, a place you can truly call Home.

‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” Isaiah 43:18 NIV.

It’s a funny thing – I have trouble remembering names, faces, and sometimes even what I ate this morning. If Ana asks me to pick up more than 3 things at the store I must make a list. I tell her, “If it’s not on the list, it doesn’t exist.”

If Ana asks me to do something I’ve learned to do it right away, because otherwise I’ll forget. When working on the house, I spend half my time looking for some tool I’ve misplaced. I’m pretty good with numbers, but don’t expect me to recall your name. Basically, I have the memory of a dead elephant!

Unfortunately, there is one thing I’m very good at remembering – the past, specifically my past mistakes. I recall with ease my errors in judgment, my screw-ups, my embarrassing moments. As David lamented, “I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” Psalm 51:3.

It’s not that I don’t believe I’m forgiven. I know, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. It’s more that I have trouble forgiving myself. I haven’t learned to let go and let God.

The good news is God has a terrible memory, at least when it comes to the sins we’ve asked forgiveness for. He declares in Isaiah 43:25, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”

This morning, if your past mistakes are clouding your future, if the memory of your sin is darkening your way, lift your eyes to Jesus. His arms are open wide and His offers forgiveness, peace and love to all who come to Him. He will help you “forget the former things” and no longer “dwell on the past.”

Jesus says to you today, “See, I am doing a new thing!” Isaiah 43:19. The past is over and done, but the future is bright! It’s time to follow Pumbaa’s advice and “…put your behind in the past!”

This morning take Jesus’ hand and walk together with Him into a brighter tomorrow. It’s going to be great!