Walk With Darrell

Part of my youth I lived on a farm in Indiana. Springtime was the time you planted your crops. My dad would rotate his crops in his fields, between corn, soybean, a field of alfalfa (hay), and every now and then he would do oats to mix with grain for feed for our cattle during the winter months. In the spring you would prepare your fields and sow your seed, this is not a quick process as the crops are not ready for harvest until the fall. Sowing time was so important for my d

We all struggle with self-image from time to time. We often tie ourselves into a title that we can’t shake off. That person is a car salesman, IT guy, nurse, divorcee, gossip, liberal, conservative, big mouth, old cranky guy, mean old lady, tall girl, fat guy, etc.… These titles can give us a self-image that can be a view that society has labeled us with. However, Jesus sees beyond the labels right into our hearts. 1 Peter 2:9 “NIV” But you are a chosen people, a royal priest

Hope is desperately needed in our world. People look for different ways to find hope. An older man said, “Choose wisely where you find your hope, as it will shape your life and future”. The world offers all kind of different avenues for hope. Many of the world solutions are miracle solutions that offer people the opportunity to achieve a better life. If you have not seen them just watch late night TV programs that offer all kind of products and solutions to help people have

Sometimes as believers we can hurt and ache in our hearts for things in our life that we worry about that causes us great heartache. It could be something different for each one of us. It could be a loss of a loved one, troubles in your marriage, job issues, health problems, or a child moving away. Our Father in Heaven doesn’t want us to live with fear, loneliness, or worry. He knows that this can be a hinderance to our faith and our Christian walk. These things can bleed ove

When was the last time you talked with a 2-year-old? I have made great strides in communication with little kids. When my granddaughter was 2-year-old she would use one syllable words to mean different things and she is starting to put 2 words together. I understand PaPa, she just says it with difference volumes when she means something different, I must figure out what the different volumes mean. An example of this was when we were going on a family walk. I was walking ahe

I am a planner and I guess I always have been. I have been a goal-oriented person in many areas of my life. I have come to realize that my plans have not always been what God had planned for me. Sometimes the plans we make may be good, but God may want to take us in a different direction. This is where being flexible comes in. If we are living in faith and trust in our Sovereign God, then we should realize that God knows what is best for us. I am sure we can all give exampl

In thinking about fear, it seems like the future can be fearful. I can’t recall being afraid of the past and not really of the present, but the future can be terrifying. It is the unknown or the “what-ifs”. I have one of those personalities that I need to feel like I am in control of my future, and it gives me that comfortable (warm-fuzzy) feeling that everything is under control. However, when the times come when I am not in control and don’t know what the future will br

We often look at our fallacies and think we fall short of what God would want from us. We are in good company. As we look at some of the heroes of the bible they weren’t perfect. Moses told God he was not eloquent in speech. God still used him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Exodus 4:10 (NIV) Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue. Paul h

As part of my daily reading of the bible I read a chapter out of Proverbs every day where the chapter corresponds with the day of the month. So, I will repeat Proverbs each month. One thing I have found is that the wisdom of the Bible is timeless. When I read the wisdom in the bible it is full of insight into the human condition that is just as true today as when it was written. When I apply these truths in my daily walk it will lead me down a Godly path that has been given t

Recently, two of my friends had burial services for their mothers. There are many of us that have had to walk in those shoes. Even when we know our mother is a believer in Jesus it can be an emotional time. It brought back memories of when we said goodbye to my mother. It hurts to say goodbye because we will miss them. At the same time, it is a celebration of our mother’s life here on earth and is now in heaven with Jesus and loved ones that have previously died. We also have

I am in a program to read the bible through in a year. I am several weeks into my program and in the middle of the book of Jeremiah. I have read the bible through a few times and read the New Testament a few more. One of the traps you can run into is reading to accomplish the task of reading and not reading to understand what God’s Word is trying to teach us. I was listening to David Jeremiah, and he explained it well. The reason we read the written Word is to know the Living

As I turn another year older, I was asked by my family what do I want for my birthday. That is always a tough question. I had a friend send me a prayer for guidance. I wish I had come up with this on my own, but I can’t take credit for this prayer. Holy Spirit, You know my heart . You understand my deepest wants and needs , and You know my every intention . You know me better than I know myself. There is nowhere I could run to escape Your presence , and nothing I could hide f

Do events seem crazy and spiraling out of control? God is still in control. God is bigger than any nation, any ruler, any political view. If you find yourself getting worried about the future, remember who holds the future in His hands. Jeremiah 31:35 35 This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name: It pains me to see the divisio

There have been a couple of storms so far this Hurricane season. Have you ever been out on the ocean when the seas were rough? As I have shared before, I served on a Navy Aircraft Carrier and even though it is a large ship I have witnessed waves splashing on the flight deck. The seas were too rough for us to go into port, and we had to head out to sea. In Mark 4:35-41 it tells of Jesus and His disciples in-the-midst of a storm. Part of the story reads. 38 Jesus was in the s

The road to Emmaus is a story of two men who were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Jesus has just been crucified and resurrected. For many followers of Jesus this was a confusing time. Many had this preconceived idea that Jesus was the Messiah who was here to free the Jews from Roman rule. Now Jesus had been killed and they hear His body is missing how could He be the Messiah to free them from Roman rule. They had a lot of questions and were discussing the things of the past

Matthew 7: 7 – 8 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What are you dealing with in your life right now? Do you need strength to make it through the day? Are you in trouble? Are you discouraged? Are you lonely? Do you have an illness? Do you feel trapped in an unhappy life? You get the drift; we all have

We all want to live a successful life. As Christians it can be confusing as we live in a world that views success in such a different way than God defines success. We can easily get caught up in the trap of following the world’s idea of what success is. The world values prestige, money, position, power, pride, materialism, egotism, and your looks have to meet a certain standard. In the world’s eyes if you have these things then you must be successful. If these are important w

Jesus’ resurrection is a hope to all Christians that death is not the end. Paul’s letter to the early Christians of Thessalonica talked about rapture. In 1 Thessalonians 4 Paul talks to early Christians that just like Jesus who is risen those Christians who have died will rise again. Note Paul used the words fallen asleep, this is because it is temporary. This gives me great comfort to know I will see my loved ones again that have died and that I will spend eternity in heaven

Over the few thousand years of mankind there has been many deities worshiped. The Ancient Egyptians worshiped over 1500 deities and Ancient Canaanites worshiped over 500 deities. The Israelites were called the “Nomads of YHWH” Now out of all those gods worshiped in those ancient times, there is only one God that is still around. The same God the “Nomads of YHWH” worshiped. That is our God, our Lord, and Savior. Friday and Saturday of Holy Week, Jesus had His trial, was cruc

Proverbs 1:7 (NIV) 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. What does it mean to live a life that pleases God? In Psalm 128 vs 2-6 says, “All you who fear God, how blessed you are……. Enjoy the blessing! Revel in His goodness. Stand in awe of God. Fearing God is standing in awe of God and His Holiness. Knowing that we are flawed and in need of a savior. God offered every single one of us the same life-changing, grace. When