DEVOTIONS

Years ago a church was presented with an opportunity by a local non-profit to use their facility for a daycare.   The daycare would be funded entirely by this non-profit, as it was for low-income families to have affordable childcare so ...

So who are we fooling, really? We can only keep up the charade for so long and the best news is - there is no need to have a charade at all.   Have you ever watched teenagers morph into whatever friend group they are trying to "fit ...

What does a good fight look like?   That is one of the questions I ask a couple to answer before I officiate their marriage. Every couple that I have the honor of officiating at their marriage has to go through "pre-marital ...

It was undeniable the impact He made! After the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, people were passionate about their relationship with God. The teachings of Jesus invited them into a dynamic ongoing relationship with a living God . . . ...

Words matter! Sometimes we use too many! One of my biggest growing edges when I started leading West was to learn to communicate in a "non-Andrea" manner! I write like I talk/preach/teach. Which sometimes is not a bad thing . . .  however, ...

Today instead of reading . . . I invite you to take a few moments to "listen" to something . . .   Music is often a way that God speaks to our souls. Thus I invite you to listen to the following song, "Your Grace is Enough/Here I Am, ...

Brian McLaren writes of a time he had insomnia . . . so instead of lying there unhappy because he couldn't sleep, he decided to enter into a time of "prayer" with God, focusing on gratitude.   His message was powerful and causes me to ...

It's time that the West office finds a new home. Between our visits by Mickey's twentieth cousin once removed (Mickey Mouse) and the fact that the heat rarely gets above 65 unless it is summertime, we really need have to investigate some ...

"You will find stability at the moment when you discover that God is everywhere, that you do not need to seek God elsewhere, that God is here, and if you do not find God here it is useless to go and search elsewhere because it is not God that ...

Have you ever learned a foreign language? It is certainly a "process" and not always an easy one. Rosetta Stone was a brilliant idea . . . teaching people a foreign language at their own pace, etc.   There have been two times in my ...

Religion matters. Many in today's world believe that spirituality is enough . . . but if we move to the meaning of the word "religion" I think we will find it has relevance in our lives, even when it gets messed up because of our human ...

Have you ever felt strongly about a conviction yet failed to act on it out of fear of what others think? Recently I had the honor of speaking about West at the National UMC Worship Conference in a "pre-conference session." I was anxious ...