Spit-Up
This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are…” —1 John 3:1

At 5:30a.m. my alarm, a.k.a. my son, wakes up with the roosters to let me know he is hungry. I pull him from his crib and we sit in the rocking chair so he can have his meal. As he eats I talk with him, pray for him, but mostly we just sit silently.

At the end of the meal, I lift him and place him over my shoulder and gently rub his back so he can burp and get those air bubbles out. There tends to be a lot of air-swallowing in the morning and sometimes he pulls away from my shoulder – I think to look at me in loving appreciation – but instead he spits up and out comes a good portion of his morning meal all over the two of us.

Sometimes, I feel like I do the same thing to God. He has given me the greatest gift: His son who died on the cross for me so I can have eternal life. In fact, God loves us so much that He calls us His children. He wants us to live in step with His desires, a life that is pleasing to Him.

1 John 3:3 says, “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” Because we are children of God, we should want to live a pure life as our example Jesus did. But sometimes, I think we all spit up on God. He nurtures us, cares for us, delights in us and too often we simply pull away and throw it all right back in His face through our sin and disobedience.

When my son spits up on me, my first response is to pull away, because honestly, it isn’t pleasant. My next response is to check on him and see if he is okay. Usually he is looking at me with his big blue eyes as wide as they can be. Then he smiles at me and my heart melts. So I give him a big kiss, clean him off and change his clothes. That is what I believe God does with us. We seek forgiveness and He says, “You are already forgiven, my Son took your sin to the cross.” Then He picks us up in His arms, cleans us off and sends us out to try it again.

Laughing Out Loud
This devotional was written by Leslie Snyder

Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” —Genesis 21: 5-7

Not long ago, our family ventured out to the local mini-golf course. After careful selection of the perfect putter and color of ball for each of us, we headed for the greens. It didn’t take long for me to realize this would be no ordinary game of mini-golf, this was going to be an adventure. You see, we brought along our two-year-old son, Jesse, who has little regard for the etiquette or highly structured rules of mini-golf. Instead, his rules went something like this:

He got to go first, every time, every hole, and he started right next to the hole. Needless to say, he got a hole-in-one every time. We called this “creative scoring.”
Everyone must cheer wildly every time any ball went in any hole.
After another family member took his first putt, Jesse would retrieve the ball, put it next to the hole and hit it in. Then the putter could take it out and finish the turn.
But, my favorite part of the night? Every time he would hit my ball in, he’d yell, “You’re number one, Mama.” Every time.
Laughter became the background music of our night.

Think about Sarah from the Old Testament. Can you imagine the types of laughter she experienced as God fulfilled His promise to Abraham through her? She laughed with disbelief and shock as she heard the prophetic words of God. Laughter, and maybe a little mockery from those around her as those words awaited fulfillment. Later came the laughter of sheer joy that completely overshadowed the pains of childbirth as she held Isaac for the first time. Finally, she experienced the laughter of amazement as she watched Isaac grow, the fulfillment of the promise of God.

I believe God laughs and loves to laugh with us. Deep within us is a need for joy and the expression of that joy. Did you know that laughter relieves stress, lowers blood pressure, supports the immune system, increases pain tolerance and brings mental and physical relaxation? Did you also know that laughter peaks at age four and that children laugh an average of 300 times per day? When is the last time you had a good laugh? If it’s been awhile, take some time to put some laughter into your life and enjoy the fact that God celebrates with you.

Connecting
This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” —Ephesians 5:31-33

Recently, my husband has had to travel quite a bit for work. Generally, the first night he is gone, I usually get through my to-do list and finish up projects I have been meaning to accomplish. By the second night, I am missing him and anticipating his return. Even though we make the effort to speak on the phone at least once a day while he is gone, it is just never the same as having him there.

One night as we spoke on the phone, I suggested we try an exercise from Gary Chapman’s book, The Family You’ve Always Wanted. The husband and wife are supposed to share three things they had done that day and how they felt about each of them. Both my husband and I agreed that it sounded a little cheesy, but we thought we’d try. He proceeded to tell me about how he felt about three things he had done that day and I did the same.

This exercise helped us connect with each other emotionally in a way we oftentimes miss. It’s common for us to share what we did, but that usually feels like checking off a tally. This time, we purposely listened to how we each felt about our day. At the end of the conversation, both of us felt more connected than we had on any of his trips. In fact, we have decided to keep doing this exercise each evening.

Marriage brings two people together in such a tight knit way that it is impossible for one to experience something without the other being affected. While it is a wonderful gift from God, it is also filled with life’s challenges and distractions that take our eyes off of Jesus and off of each other. Sometimes, these distractions leave us feeling disconnected from our loved one.

Marriage calls us to love each other, understand each other’s needs, and help make the other person all he or she can be. This simple exercise reminds us to take time each day to connect with each other and hear about not just what we did, but how we felt about it.

Grasp the Hour
This devotional was written by Jim Burns

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. —Colossians 3:17

Life is a celebration. Don't postpone it. Grasp the hour! Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Here is a list of possibilities to make your day a brighter day.

Seek out a forgotten friend.

Write a love letter.

Share a treasure.

Encourage someone with a kind word.

Keep a promise.

Give to a needy cause.

Forgive an enemy.

Listen.

Apologize if you were wrong.

Try to understand.

Read your Bible.

Pray for your family.

Examine your demands on others.

Appreciate a friend.

Be kind, be gentle.

Laugh a little.

Laugh a little more.

Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth.*

Tears
This devotional was written by Leslie Snyder

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.—Matthew 11:28

Tears communicate. From the day a child is born tears have the powerful ability to communicate hunger, loneliness, pain, anger, and even joy. By the time a child is just a few days old, parents can distinguish not only the cries of their own child but can distinguish the exact type of need associated with that cry. The following story describes one such experience.

The screen door opened hard and slammed against the wall alerting the mother that something was wrong. With sagging shoulders, a slow, methodical pace and a tear-streamed face came the child. The mother scooped up the bundle of tears and quickly surveyed the damage. No bumps, bruises or blood could be seen but the cries of the child increased. It was then the mother recognized the cry. Beyond the pain of the moment was a deeper need being communicated - one that reached the heart of the mother unlike any other cry. It was the cry of one needing love. The mother looked at her child, still crying in a heap on the counter, and placed the child’s wet, sweaty head against her chest and clung tightly to the child. The child’s deep cries communicated something from deep within her soul. After a few minutes the cries lessened and the child became calm. Mom looked intently into the eyes of this precious life, wiped away the tears, kissed her head and went hand in hand with her back out to play.

God is like this! He’s a Father who hears our cries and can understand the difference between our different cries of pain, hurt, anger, frustration, joy and deep need. And, like the mother in the story, He longs to hold us while we cry, not saying anything but showing immeasurable love through his powerful embrace? Jesus invites us to draw near to Him for comfort. “Come to me,” He says…”Come, I will give you rest. You can cry on my shoulder. I will hold you until you let go.”

What do your cries communicate? Maybe you don’t cry or haven’t cried in many years. Just like the mother in the story above, today there is Someone waiting to hold you, to love you while you cry and His name is Jesus. He doesn’t care if you are male or female, young, old, rich, poor, or somewhere in between. He is waiting with open arms. He promises to give you rest. What are you waiting for?

God's Anthem
This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
—Matthew 22:36-40

Over 10,000 athletes from around the world will be competing in the Beijing Olympics. Many of these athletes train as a full-time job, working each day to get their bodies in peak athletic shape. All of them dream that at the end of their days of competition, it will be them standing on the highest podium, wearing a gold medal around their necks.

At the medal ceremonies, the top athletes will stand in awe and reverence while their national anthem plays. The dream they have worked and sacrificed for will come true. Many will have tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces as the emotions of seeing their flags raised and hearing their national anthems –songs of praise - overwhelm them.

As Christians, we are called to live the life of an athlete. Each day, we are to be training and pursuing God and pursuing our faith. In the book of Hebrews, we are told to “run with perseverance.” We are never to give up striving for the crown that awaits us in heaven. Countries choose their national anthems to best represent the essence of the people and the country. For the U.S.A., we sing about the land of the free and the home of the brave. That is where we find our national pride.

So at the end of the day when we finish the race God has set before us, it makes me wonder, what theme would God’s Anthem contain? What does God call us to represent? I think God’s Anthem would be based on the greatest commandments: Love. There are over 600 laws in the Bible. But Jesus says that the greatest commandments, the ones all the laws come back to, are summed up in loving God and loving others.

As Christians, this is our greatest calling in life. God shows us perfect love in sending His Son to die for us. Loving God and others is what He calls us to stand for. Everything comes back to those two commandments. Christians best represent God when their lives reflect these commandments. So, when others look at us, may they sense God’s Anthem being played in and through our lives.

Help Me! I'm Stuck!
This devotional was written by Jim Liebelt

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.—Philippians 2:4

One day, a centipede walked by a tree where a wise old owl was perched. The owl asked the centipede, “You have so many legs! How do you know which one to move next?” The centipede froze in his tracks. He started thinking. He didn’t know which leg to move so he couldn’t move any. He cried to the owl, “Help me! I’m stuck!” The owl said, “My little friend, you are stuck because you are too focused on yourself. When you are focused on what is going on in the world around you, you have no thoughts about how to move. You simply move.” The centipede looked out to the horizon and saw the sun setting. “How beautiful,” the centipede said. Just then, his legs were freed and he began to walk again.

It’s been reported that Dr. Karl Menninger, a famous psychologist, once gave a lecture on mental health. During a question and answer session that followed his lecture, he was asked, “What advice would you give someone who felt a nervous breakdown coming on?” He replied, “Lock up your house, go across the railway tracks, find someone in need and do something to help that person.”

Both the story and anecdote above remind me that when we focus on ourselves – on our problems and circumstances – we can become inwardly paralyzed, preventing us from being everything that God intends for us to be, including serving others effectively. We can freeze in our own tracks.

Following Christ is not primarily an exercise in introspection, but rather of reaching out to others and lovingly serving them in His name. In times when I’ve been in tough situations, or have felt sorry for myself for some reason, I’ve experienced release from my anxiety by changing my focus to others and getting myself involved in serving. Routine self-evaluation is healthy. An obsession with self is not.

Today, if you are feeling paralyzed by the weight of a difficult personal situation, I encourage you to shift your focus from yourself to the Son and find someone you can serve in His name. The weight will seem lighter and you will start moving again.

A Ford Convertible
This devotional was written by Jim Grams

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.—Matthew 6:33

I will never forget the wonderful driving days I had with my 1953 black Ford convertible. I got it a few days before my junior year in college. I rolled onto the campus two days before classes began and I was “cool.” I couldn’t wait for my ex-girlfriend to get a look at my fancy new ride.

A convertible was a “want” I had. In the verse above, Jesus promises us we’ll get what we “need.” Wants and needs are very, very different. Sometimes we want very foolish things and God tells us, “No, you can’t have that!” And sometimes God surprises us by blessing us with our wants. But, He always provides what we need. Jesus tells us to look at the birds and the flowers and see how wonderfully our Heavenly Father takes care of them.

Then, Jesus asks, “Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” I was cutting lawns for $1 an hour that junior year in college. There was a gas war in town and I could fill my tank for $2! Yesterday, it took $69.90 to fill our Hyundai. God met my needs in 1959, and He met them again yesterday. He is always faithful!

I needed a car to drive from Oregon to Missouri for college. I needed a car to go mow the grass across town. I wanted a convertible to impress the girl who had broken my heart the semester before. Sometimes our wants and needs come together. That same girl has now been my wife for almost 48 years! I love it when God surprises us with His blessings. He is a loving Father!

The Law of Love
This devotional was written by Jim Burns

You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
—Matthew 5:43-47

When you choose to follow Jesus Christ you are choosing to do things His way. He wants you to love people with His love, and this kind of love goes so far as to love even our enemies. One of the most influential stories in my life happened during World War I. The story was told by an old colonel in the Austrian Army.

I was commanded to march against a little town on the Tyrol and lay siege to it. We had been meeting stubborn resistance in that part of the country, but we felt sure that we should win because all of the advantages were on our side. My confidence, however, was arrested by a remark from a prisoner we had taken. "You will never take that town," he said, "for they have an invincible leader."

"What does the fellow mean?" I inquired of one of my staff, "And who is this leader of whom he speaks?"

Nobody seemed able to answer my question, and so in case there should be some truth in the report, I doubled preparations.

As we descended through the pass in the Alps, I saw with surprise that the cattle were still grazing in the valley and that women and children-yes, and even men-were working in the fields.

"Either they are not expecting us, or this is a trap to catch us." I thought to myself. As we drew nearer the town we passed people on the road. They smiled and greeted us with a friendly word, and then went on their way.

Finally we reached the town and clattered up the cobble-paved streets-colors flying, horns sounding a challenge, arms in readiness. Women came to the windows or doorways with little babies in their arms. Some of them looked startled and held the babies closer, then went quietly on with their household tasks without panic or confusion. It was impossible to keep strict discipline, and I began to feel rather foolish. My soldiers answered the questions of children, and I saw one old warrior throw a kiss to a little golden-haired tot on a doorstep. "Just the size of Lisa," he muttered. Still no sign of an ambush. We rode straight to the open square which faced the town hall. Here, if anywhere, resistance surely was to be expected.

Just as I had reached the hall and my guard was drawn up at attention, an old white-haired man, who by his insignia I surmised to be the mayor, stepped forth, followed by ten men in simple peasant costume. They were all dignified and unabashed by the armed force before them-the most terrible soldiers of the great and mighty army of Austria.

He walked down the steps straight to my horse's side, and with hand extended, cried, "Welcome, brother!" One of my aides made a gesture as if to strike him down with his sword, but I saw by the face of the old mayor that this was no trick on his part. "Where are your soldiers?" I demanded.

"Soldiers? Why, don't you know we have none?" he replied in wonderment, as though I had asked, "Where are your giants?" or "Where are your dwarfs?"

"But we have come to take this town."

"Well, no one will stop you."

"Are there none here to fight?"

At this question, the old man's face lit up with a rare smile that I will always remember. Often afterward, when engaged in bloody warfare, I would suddenly see that man's smile-and somehow, I came to hate my business. His words were simply:

"No, there is no one here to fight. We have chosen Christ for our Leader, and He taught men another way."*

Love Makes the Difference
This devotional was written by Jim Burns

A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.
—John 13:34,35

As you look at today's Scripture, think of it in this way: The non-Christian world has the right to judge whether there is a God or not a God by the way we Christians love each other.

Yes, the world will know us by our fruit. There is no greater witness of God's love on earth than when Christians love in the same manner as Jesus loves.

Here is how historian Aristides described the Christians to the Roman Emperor Hadrian:

They love one another. They never fail to help widows; they save orphans from those who would hurt them. If they have something, they give freely to the man who has nothing; if they see a stranger, they take him home, and are happy, as though he were a real brother. They don't consider themselves brothers in the usual sense, but brothers instead through the Spirit, in God. *

Aristides was describing the kingdom of God made visible by believers. One of the major duties of every Christian is to make the invisible kingdom of God visible.