Walk With Darrell

Happiness is a good thing to pursue, but it can be elusive. So how do you find happiness? The Bible says that happiness and joy leads to an enriched life, and it is good for our health. Proverbs 17:22 (NIV) 22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. So where does the believer’s joy and happiness come from? In Galatians 5:22 & 23 it says that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells each believer, and when we allow the Spirit t

Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV) “13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” When you can forgive those that have done things to you in the past you can look to the future with optimism and hope. Has anyone ever said anything that hurt your feelings? People can be

Have you ever been so busy that you became exhausted? There is nothing to be ashamed of in admitting that you need to rest. Even God’s greatest people needed to be restored. Elijah after killing 400 prophets of Baal, it looked like he could take on anything. But exhaustion caught up with Elijah. Extreme exhaustion can break us down and can lead to fear, anxiety and allow to become easily depressed. Elijah needed to be replenished and we are no different. Elijah needed sleep,

Moms always have an eye on their kids, my mom was no different. She was the first to pick me up when I got hurt. I know she heard everything; she could hear the moment fun and games got out of hand and turned into one of us kids crying. She wanted the best for us kids, but she demanded that we behave. You knew you crossed the line when she told you to go to your bedroom and wait until your dad got home from work. My mother was my Sunday School teacher on more than one occas

Today started with my bible devotion on patience. Once the devotion was over, I going to head out to get my morning bike ride. My goal was to get my daily devotion in, go for a bike ride, do my outside chores, go shopping with my wife, and then head out for a family get together. I had it all planned out. God had another plan. He wanted me to have a life application test. This is when my “patience test” started. I headed out for the bike ride and my tire needed air, and then

Do you have one of those activities in life that gives you enjoyment, and then at the same time can be downright frustrating? For me that game is golf. A few years ago, some guys at church started to meet on Thursday afternoons to play golf. It was called “Deacon Training”, and I will try to explain how the name was given. The game of golf is one of those sports you can’t master. So, some holes you do okay, but then some holes not so much. This is where the game gets frust

“Family Legacy” This weekend I am attending a family reunion. Reunions give you a chance to look at how your family has changed over time and then how some things have not changed. I have seen pictures where my grandparents were young attending family get togethers. There is a family legacy that has been developed over the years and it is still alive today. Family legacy is something that is passed on from family. Our family legacy is one that is filled with love. I was luc

Our life is full of relationships. In each relationship it is nurtured by spending time with the other person in the relationship. When we spend time with our spouse, we become better husbands and wives. We build relationships with coworkers by spending time nurturing a good work relationship. We become a better brother or sister in Christ by nurturing our fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We become a better father or mother by nurturing our relationship wit

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV) Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. How many times a day do you run into someone that you could encourage? Next question is how often do you take advantage of that situation? Hopefully, the answer is more often than not. When you think about it we come across so many people in a week. How many of those do we pass on the opportunity to be an encourager. Romans 14:19 (HCSB) 19 So then, we must pursue

During the last supper, Jesus was telling His Disciples that He was going to leave. Although, He was leaving He was going to send them a helper. John 15: 26 – 27 (ERV) 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. As Christians we have the indwelling Holy Spirit. Living the Christian li

Have you ever talked to someone that thought they had led such an awful life that there is no way God would love them? I am sure we all have done things that we are not proud of. Thank God that He loved us so much that He sent Jesus to pay the price of our sins. I think of Paul in 1 Timothy 1:16 where he referred to himself the worst of sinners. 1 Timothy 1:16 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his imm

There is so much uncertainty in the world today. We have face multiple variances of Covid, things like fuel and groceries are more expensive, and we are facing a lot of uncertainties. However, we can live with the Peace of God no matter what we face. On the night Jesus was betrayed, He said to his disciples, “My peace I give to you; not as the world gives to you do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled; neither let it be afraid.”

Traveling in the Rockies it is amazing to see trees growing out of what seems like solid rock. They are able to grow, because their roots are getting enough nourishment to barely survive. They don’t grow as large as the trees that are along the streams where they roots grow deep into the soil and they get plenty of nourishment from the stream. The trees survive brutally cold winters and strong winds. Our Christian life is like the trees, the more nourishment we can get the st

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

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

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