Wednesday, September 23We’ve been observing the question, how did I end up here. Yesterday we looked at Luke 15 and the prodigal story. We looked at how the younger son had to wrestle with that question when he was in the pig trough, how did I end up here? He came to his senses and went home, embraced by a father that loved him, even though he offended him.Today, I want to keep going with the stor...

Tuesday, September 22This week we are reflecting on the question; how did I end up here? Yesterday we used it as a guiding element of growth and encouragement. It can also be an assessment; do I need to make a course correction in life because I have wandered from my true north? Do I need to reroute because I’ve not been walking faithfully with God or I’ve walked away from the things of God? Where...

Monday, September 21Let me set our time today this week with this question- Have you ever wondered or thought, how did I end up here? How did I get here?It could be anything, it could be driving, getting lost, and before you know it, how did I end up here? It could be your career path, you started in one place and now you are looking back and you are like, how did I end up here?Or relationships or...

Friday, September 18thIn the original passage of Genesis 5, what two names and descriptions stood out?Let’s take a look again at Genesis 5:24, 29- 24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away… 29 He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.” Enoch and Noah, their descripto...

Thursday, September 17Yesterday we engaged with what appears to be something simple in life, life and death, blessing and curses. But my push wasn’t that they exist, my push was, how do we respond to both blessing and curses?Remember, blessing is goodness, life, increase; curse is challenge, hardship, pain, chaos, and yes death. Both are the reality of life, no one can escape blessing and curse, h...

Wednesday, September 16th Read Genesis 5 (yes, I know, it may be a struggle- but what do you notice? What stands out? BTW- don’t worry about pronouncing the names, it doesn’t matter) This is the written account of Adam’s family line. When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind”  when they were created...

Tuesday, September 15Read Genesis 4:25-26- 25 Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” 26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.What do you notice? This has a different feeling, doesn’t it? Reference to God’s p...

Monday, September 14thI understand that everyone’s algo rhythm is different, and I don’t pretend to understand, nor do I care. But I do find it interesting that my algo rhythm has a lot to do with “not” getting older or shall I say, staying younger. Try this cream, this pill, this workout. This will help with losing weight, growing hair, and other … and if that doesn't work, try this shirt or unde...

Friday, September 11thJohn Walton in his commentary shares it this way. “How much more should we be in awe of God’s mercy and compassion. We can never know whether Cain responded with such gratitude to God, though his initial response might suggest not. But it is irrelevant how Cain responded. What is important is how we respond once we are impressed with the power of God’s mercy and grace.”Two ro...

Thursday, September 10thLast thing I want us to pay attention to in this passage, marked by mercy. The interchange between God and Cain continues where God lays out the consequences of Cain’s actions. This wasn’t necessarily a punishment, as much as it was the reality of consequences.Because Cain didn’t tend to what was crouching within, this is the pain that resulted from it. We get this glimpse ...

Wednesday, September 9thRead Genesis 4:6-9- 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attack...

Tuesday, September 8thLet me ask you this question that should get our attention within Genesis 4. Are we ruled over or ruled by? Read that questions again before you jump into the passage.Read Genesis 4:6-9- 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your ...

Monday, September 7Last week I shared the quote from the classic poem by Robert Frost The Road Not Taken, Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.How many times do we truly understand the road we take? How many times, as we look back, do we see that we had options and wish we had a warning, or had greater intention versus simply w...

Well, hi, New Lifers! Bill McCaskill here with a devotional for your week.My talk Sunday was on the Holy Spirit with a particular focus on doing mission WITH the Holy Spirit, both personally and collectively as part of a church body.Most of you know that my my dearly departed wife Kathy and I were involved in “church planting” our entire married life in some capacity and had the privilege to plant...

Well, hi, New Lifers! Bill McCaskill here with a devotional for your week.My talk Sunday was on the Holy Spirit with a particular focus on doing mission WITH the Holy Spirit, both personally and collectively as part of a church body.Most of you know that my my dearly departed wife Kathy and I were involved in “church planting” our entire married life in some capacity and had the privilege to plant...

Well, hi, New Lifers! Bill McCaskill here with a devotional for your week.My talk Sunday was on the Holy Spirit with a particular focus on doing mission WITH the Holy Spirit, both personally and collectively as part of a church body.Most of you know that my my dearly departed wife Kathy and I were involved in “church planting” our entire married life in some capacity and had the privilege to plant...

Well, hi, New Lifers! Bill McCaskill here with a devotional for your week.My talk Sunday was on the Holy Spirit with a particular focus on doing mission WITH the Holy Spirit, both personally and collectively as part of a church body.Most of you know that my my dearly departed wife Kathy and I were involved in “church planting” our entire married life in some capacity and had the privilege to plant...

Well, hi, New Lifers! Bill McCaskill here with a devotional for your week.My talk Sunday was on the Holy Spirit with a particular focus on doing mission WITH the Holy Spirit, both personally and collectively as part of a church body.Most of you know that my my dearly departed wife Kathy and I were involved in “church planting” our entire married life in some capacity and had the privilege to plant...

Friday, August 28thTwo people, two paths, one God. Reminded me of the last stanza in Robert Frost classic poem, The Road Not Taken, Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.One path is the path of perceived rejection. You don’t believe that God is for you, that he is generous, or if you do, it’s because you’ve been good enough or don...

Thursday, August 27thRead Matthew 20:1-15- “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I ...