Lent

Lamentations 3:31–41 // Waiting with hope // Dean Siley Lamentations is not a book we rush toward. It speaks from the ruins—from grief that has not been resolved, from suffering that cannot be quickly explained. And yet, in the middle of this long poem of loss, we hear a quiet, steady insistence: “For the Lord…

Romans 6:1–11 // Alive to God // Josh Hamm We have entered into a “death and life” situation! Not “life and death” – but “death and life”! The difference here is everything according to Paul in Romans 6. Before we knew Jesus it was truly “life and death.” What I mean is, our life always…

Psalm 22:1–24 // Honest suffering before God // Dale Piscura The psalm represents a heartcry from the sufferer to His God. HIs agony and His desperation are expressed without reservation. He experiences a sense of being forsaken. Forsaken-abandoned, forgotten, deserted. The help that has always been sufficient and on time has vanished. His cries are…

John 12:23–26 // Life through surrender // Kristy Klasa I’ve heard it said about self-esteem that some people think too much of themselves, and others think too little of themselves—and both types of people are thinking of themselves too much. I’ve certainly found that to be true. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been…

Isaiah 53:1–6 // The suffering servant // Joe Valenti During my years in youth ministry, I collected a handful of icebreaker questions that could be pulled out when needed. One of the most reliable was, “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?” I’ve heard plenty of answers over the years—strength, speed, invisibility,…

Psalm 118:19–29 // Entering with trust and praise // Joe Valenti At the center of this section of Scripture is verse 22 - \"the stone that the builders rejected has no become the cornerstone.\" What was once thrown to the side and seemingly unusable has now become the most important stone in the lot. This…

Micah 6:6–8 // The kind of life God desires // Gina Flower The book of Micah captures a moment when God confronts the Israelites—not out of anger, but out of a longing for His people to return to Him, to turn their hearts back to the God who saved them. This same desire echoes through…

Ezekiel 36:24–28 // New hearts, new Spirit // Chris Warszawski I remember visiting a friend in the hospital years ago, just before he underwent heart surgery. As we talked and prayed together, his surgeon came into the room to explain the procedure to him and his family. What struck me most in that moment was…

Matthew 11:25–30 // Rest for the weary // Denise Petek “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” What a beautiful invitation—and it comes from Jesus Himself. As I sat down to write this devotional on the day it was due, with another meeting waiting and a…

Psalm 119:33–40 // Asking God for understanding // Tony Scialabba I don’t think the writer of this psalm could have imagined the kinds of distractions we live with every day. We move through a world that is constantly trying to capture our attention. Our digital and media-driven world is not only attempting to shape what…

Luke 24:13–27 // Slow hearts and patient teaching // Josh Hamm This week we are thinking about how we reorient our lives towards God and His work, and the passage we’ll consider today is all about seeing. As you read the story take note when seeing or the eyes are mentioned (and I suggest reading…

Colossians 3:1–17 // Setting the mind on things above // Joe Valenti I don’t often get lost. I have a pretty good sense of direction, and I tend to pay attention to landmarks. Once I’ve been somewhere once or twice, I can usually find my way around without much trouble. But a few years ago,…