Walk With Darrell

Tomorrow we are packing up camp to move on down the road in the RV. I am normally a morning devotion and prayer person, but today I want to wrap up my day with prayer and thanksgiving. I need it big time today. I want to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me areas that I drifted off course today. All of us have emotions and I would be fibbing if I said it isn’t a daily battle for me to keep my emotions in check. My goal is to be led by the Holy Spirit all day, but is doesn’t se

In life we have times when we reach the mountain top, and the view can be breathtaking. We can’t stay on the mountain top forever; we must also go through the valleys. The valleys can be filled with struggles, bad news on health issues, family issues, job issues. Things that challenge our faith. These can be times that we feel God has left us. The disciples had to deal with the valleys also. They had lived an incredible experience of living with Christ for three years watchin

In the Navy there were two great feelings that were tough to beat. One was the thrill of getting underway and the other was getting ready to pull into port. We referred to it as “Channel Fever”. I can remember one time when we were getting ready to pull into San Diego, we couldn’t because there was a storm in the Pacific, and it was too rough for our ship to go into the ship channel. Once the storm passed what a great feeling of relief to have the storm clouds move on and t

God’s Beauty and Peace in Nature Do you need a break from the politics and chaos that is in the news? If you are like me, it is refreshing to get away from the craziness and refresh myself. One of the ways for me to do this is get outdoors and see God’s beauty in Nature. Being in the outdoors gives me an inner peace and appreciation of what God created. Getting to the outdoors can be different things to different people. It might be sitting on your patio early in the morning

“Pulled in Two Directions” Have you ever been pulled in two different directions? You are caught between wanting to please man and it brings conflict with pleasing God. It is easy to get caught being pulled in two different directions. We all want to be liked by others, so it is easy to do things for man’s approval. That in itself isn’t necessarily bad, but it can reroute our ultimate goal of pleasing God and bringing him glory. We are headed for trouble when our desire to p

We all probably have had times in our lives when we faced storms that seemed daunting. This can be very frightening. Many people in our country are going through a storm right now. I have had to face some big storms in my life. The storms came in many directions, the loss of a loved one; a serious health issue in the family; uncertainty in a job; or a child that has gone wayward. These are big storms in anyone’s life that can cause us to worry and be very frightening. There i

“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

Numbers don’t Matter I learned a valuable lesson one Sunday while teaching a Sunday School class. I only had two people show up for class and my wife wasn’t even there as she was working as a nurse in the hospital that day. To be honest I was a little discouraged. However, the Lord put an older couple in my class that both had fathers who had been pastors. I still reflect on their words they shared with me to this day that their fathers shared with them. They said Darrell, “w

Do you stay awake worrying about your kids? I can remember when my boys had jobs during college working in a restaurant. Working in a restaurant can get your children home well after midnight. Then later in life I had a son who went into the military and now he is really out past bedtime. If you allow it, this can lead to some restless nights of sleep for a parent that worries about their safety and wonders where their children are at. Here is how I handled this phase of my

How far can we go without food, water, or oxygen? Depending on your health we can go a few days without food and maybe three days without water. We need oxygen after a couple of minutes. Some athletes can go longer. Now the question is how long can we go without refueling our faith? Jesus spent time praying to the Father even after having a busy day to get recharged. We need to get our soul fuel and get spiritually recharged on a regular basis. When was the last time you h

“Celebrate Independence Day” Americans across our country are celebrating July 4 Independence Day. July 4, also known as Independence Day, marks the anniversary of the Second Continental Congress adopting the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Congress, made up of delegates from the United States’ original 13 colonies, unanimously approved the document that declared independence from Great Britain. Here in the United States, we celebrate freedom. As Christians

“Is your relationship Intellectual?” Over the years I have met numerous people who used the title of “Christian”. In further conversation you realize their mother attends church, but they haven’t opened a bible since going to Vacation Bible School as a kid and never put their faith and trust in Jesus. We need to make sure our relationship with God is as Lord and Savior and not just intellectual knowledge of God. In our country there are many people that know the story of Jesu

Has your heart ever been full of happiness and proud of a child and then ached for them? This is the time of year when kids head off to college and for many this is the first time being away from mom and dad. I have a few friends that are facing this right now for the first time and it can be tough. I have been there a few times with my boys. As a parent you want your kids to succeed so much, and you want the best for them. I have dropped a child off at college before and y

Be a Blessing to Someone Today You can be a blessing to someone today. One of the things I used to say to my Sunday School Class, “lets show God’s Love outside of the four walls of our Sunday School class”. As Christians we have been blessed by God in many ways. We need to take that Love we received from God and show it to the world. The bible is filled with stories of God’s Love shown to mankind. It also shows man showing God’s Love to others. One example is the story of th

We are given the chance to help those in need. If we look around us and open our eyes, it is easy to see there are a lot of people in need. When we see someone in need do we get tightfisted with our money and put our head down and pass on by, or do we see how we can help? Jesus always called people to give generously and not be judgmental. In Luke Jesus said, if you have a banquet to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. Jesus promises that you will be blesse

One of my favorite pastors is Charles Stanley. A couple of years ago he had a great devotion for us to never take our own revenge. It spoke to my heart, and I wanted to share it with you. Why do we have such a hard time extending forgiveness to others? Perhaps one reason is that it doesn’t seem right. Justice demands that there be repayment or punishment for wrongdoing. However, we are not the ones who have the authority to retaliate. To do so amounts to trying to take contro

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” I am not sure who first came up with this in history, or what world event was taking place that caused them to say it. It sure sounds like it could be used in today’s times with the evil that is showing its face in the world. As a Christian it is important to take a stand against evil. I am not saying stand there and shake our fist, although that might feel good. However, we can respond rather t

People have all kinds of ideas for the meaning of life. John Lennon sang, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” I have known people who have had their life and self-worth tied up in their jobs and professions. The problem is that when your job or profession falls apart then they struggle with their self-worth. God did not intend for us to have a meaning of life that does not include Jesus Christ. He did intend for our meaning and purpose of life

2 Corinthians 13:11 11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. We all have days where it is tough to be happy with a joyful heart. Have you ever had the day when you feel like a grumpy Christian? When we are like this, it is a struggle to be a witness for the Lord. It affects our whole day. The question is, how do we get out of this funk we are in

Have you ever been caught in the middle of having to make a tough choice? You find yourself torn between following God’s teachings and principles as one path and choosing a path that you know is opposite of what God desires but popular with the world. Following God might make you a target for scorn from the world that denies God’s authority. The world’s culture might accuse you of being intolerant or narrow-mindedness if you follow God’s principles. Each one of us might be fa