Author Archives: asimpleguy

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil… Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.” -Luke 4:1-2, 14 When we think of deserts, weContinue reading “A Time to Grow”

We all have a past. Every one of us carries failures, regrets, and mistakes we wish we could erase or redo. But the reality is—we can’t go back. We can only go forward. Too often I meet people who are stuck because they can’t get over their failures. They live in a cycle of guilt,Continue reading “He’s Doing A New Thing”

And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’)” -Mark 15:34 There are moments in life when God feels silent. Times when we pray, cry out, or even beg, and it seems as if He doesn’tContinue reading “He is Trustworthy and True”

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” —John 15:5 I once read that our daily “quiet time” with God is more than just a good habit—it’s our lifeline. I think this is a challengingContinue reading “He is Our Lifeline”

I’ve been a sports fanatic all my life. And as a fan, I’m always wanting to see my teams achieve perfection. Whether it’s going undefeated or pitching a no-hitter, there’s something in me that longs to see them achieve the impossible. As a kid, I always lead my teams to perfect seasons…at least in myContinue reading “Getting Back Up”

In place of my normal devotion this week, I have decided to share a devotional sent out by our District Supervisor Pastor Steve Mickel. It’s a timely word that I think everyone should hear. Over the past several years, I’ve heard many pastors and leaders longing to go back — back to when the churchContinue reading “The Visible Church”

In last week’s blog, I talked about living with a standing Yes to Jesus—a heart that says, “Lord, whatever You ask, the answer is already yes.” But today I want to explore an important truth that goes alongside that. Saying yes to Jesus doesn’t mean saying yes to everyone and everything. In fact, sometimes your yes toContinue reading “Knowing When to Say No”

This past week, I had two separate conversations with different people—yet both shared a strikingly similar story. At some point in the last few years, they each made a decision to give God a standing “yes”. They told the Lord that no matter what He asked of them, their answer would be yes—before even knowingContinue reading “A Standing “Yes””

This week my wife wrote a devotional for our church that was really good, so I am sharing that here on my blog. Be still and know that I am God. –Psalm 46:10 We’ve talked a lot about this scripture in the last couple of years. As the digital world expands and—in many ways—causes theContinue reading “Know that He is God”

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?” –Psalm 13:1-2 (NIV) In last week’s blog, I reflected on the importance of gratitude—how essential it is to pause and thank GodContinue reading “Bring it All to God”