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This experience has also got me thinking about how God cares for the lost.  In the book of Exodus, as the Israelites wandered through the desert, lost in the wilderness, God guided them each day through his presence.  It says, "And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light..." (Ex 13:21-22). In all their wanderings, and all their disobedience, God never left their side, demonstrating his

As I was hiking, I couldn’t help but think of how we were there a few weeks too early. Yes, we were getting part of the larch experience, but not the peak. There was still so much of the mountainside left to change. I also knew that I wouldn’t get to see the mountain in its prime. I knew that there was more than what I was experiencing now; that the best was still to come. And in that moment, God reminded me that life is full of “not yet” seasons-times when His plan is still

Baking has always been one of the ways I serve others and connect with God. But as I was trimming a cake the other day, setting aside scraps for my family, I realized how often we do the same thing in life — giving the best of ourselves away to work, ministry, or others, while offering only leftovers to those closest to us, to God, and even to ourselves. This devotional explores how faith, balance, and a little flour and sugar can remind us to give God our best — not our scra

On a recent hike on Mt Rainier, I was contemplating how seeing the mountain is a lot like sensing the presence of God. There are times when we acutely perceive his presence. We feel his love in a nearly tangible way. It is like he is all around us, in his glory, impossible to ignore.  We live differently in times like that.  Yet, there are other times when his presence is clouded. We forget his love for us.  In these times, the fact that we can’t see him makes us forget abo

From the vantage point of hindsight, it is always easy to judge the disciples, but how often are we just as blind, prone to suffer from amnesia with respect to God’s provision? He is continually caring for us, getting us through hardship after hardship, and answering our prayers. But then we find ourselves back in the boat of familiar trouble and we forget all that he’s done for us. Rather than trust, our minds flood with worry. In this mindset, we lose sight of who God is.

As I continued to walk, God revealed to me how answered prayers were much like the hike I was on. David prayed in Psalm 69, “But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness” (Psalm 69:13 ESV). Rarely are the answers to our prayers instantaneous, but rather in God’s perfect timing. Often the waiting will feel like an uphill climb.

I am beginning to wonder what would happen if we started to keep our own list of what God has done for us personally and for those close to us?  If we had such a list and, most importantly, regularly returned to it, reciting it from our hearts, how much more would we learn to trust in God? If, during hard times, we recited all of the previous ways that God came through for us, I believe our life path might feel easier.

Here, sitting amidst the fortified walls of an ancient castle, gazing out the windows at the towers and the protective structures across the grounds, God is reminding me of his character. Within his walls the weary find rest, peace and sanctuary. He is our protector when troubles come, our strong fortress, our “refuge and strength” (psalm 46:1). Like the castle walls that are four feet thick, he brings safety.

Way in the upper northwest corner of the country, on the Pacific coast nestled among the rainforest sits a tree that is an anomaly of...