Devotional Blog

Arise, Shine, Your Light Has Come

6/30/2022

This week our youth have enjoyed Vacation Bible School, VBS as most of us call it, and it has been great to see the enthusiasm and excitement of the youth. The theme is Adventure Island, and the scripture focus is from Isaiah “Arise, Shine your light has come for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” I can’t help but think of the glorious sunrises that light the sky with color and bring hope for a new day. You can’t help but feel your heart and soul lifted as you experience the glory of the morning sunrise. Perhaps that is the image the prophet Isaiah was reflecting on as he penned this beautiful promise and likened the light of God’s glory coming into our life for a new day and a new chapter of life. Pause for a moment today or in the morning sunrises to come and accept the gift of God’s light in your life for direction and inspiration. God’s glory brings a new day, a new dawn of God’s love in your life.

(scripture of the week)
Arise, shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you (Isaiah 60:1).

(prayer of the week)
Lord, help us to accept the promise of a new day and the glory that only you can bring as we open our lives to you. Amen.

(quote of the week)
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched - they must be felt with the heart--Hellen Keller

Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney at YouTube &
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Check the latest leadership blog by Dr. TJ http://www.drtj.us

Lamp

6/2/2022

Sometimes the journey of life can seem darkened by the storms of life or challenges we face. Other times we simply long for direction and guidance.
The psalmist reminds us that God’s Word gives direction and insight like a lamp along the pathway of life. Take a moment each day and allow God’s Word to light your path and give you strength.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path (Psalm 119.105)

Gracious God, help me to find light in your Word and follow your pathway in life. Nurture my spirit with your guidance and may your Word give true direction in my life. May your light be reflected in my life that others may see your image in me, through your power and to your glory, Amen.

Open your heart to God’s amazing love!–Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)
One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love—Sophocles

Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney at YouTube &
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com/
Check the latest leadership blog by Dr. TJ http://www.drtj.us

Uvalde-Tears and Prayers

5/26/2022

Like so many my heart was broken by the tragic and violent loss of life in Uvalde made even more horrific by the loss of so many young children. My hope is that rather than creating a deeper divide on what solutions can be pursued we will instead unite to work together toward solutions that can make a real difference that other parents don’t have to endure such horrific loss and grief. Amid this, some have diminished the role of prayer. I would like to lift up the power of prayer as a source of comfort and strength to parents and loved ones struggling with loss, as a source of strength to first responders and caregivers, as a source that truly can unite us, and as a way of listening to the Almighty for guidance and encouragement. Whatever else we do, we should all shed tears and pray in whatever way seems best, and perhaps light a candle in the nighttime of our grief, remembering, honoring, hoping, praying . . .

May the peace that transcends all understanding guard your hearts and minds . . . (Philippians 4:6)

Lord, we lift all those who have lost loved ones through violence and pray that your peace and love that transcend all understanding would lift their hearts on eagle’s wings to see above the storm and to provide the comfort that only you can provide. May all of us unite to work toward solutions that can make a difference in our world and working toward peace and justice and understanding. Amen.

Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney at YouTube &
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com/
Check the latest leadership blog by Dr. TJ http://www.drtj.us/

Path Less Taken

5/19/2022

The poet Robert Frost once spoke so eloquently about choosing the path less traveled, and how it wonderfully changed his life. It is a beautiful picture of the choices we have in life, and the paths we may take. The psalmist uses this very same imagery, painting a picture of our journey down the path of life. Choosing the way of truth is not drudgery or boredom; rather it is choosing the path of life, and in the end, we discover that it empowers and sets our hearts free.

(Verse of the week)
I have chosen the way of truth;
I have set my heart on your laws. . .
I run in the path of your commands,
You have set my heart free. (Psalm 119.30-32 selections)

(Prayer of the week)
Heavenly Father, help me to set my heart on your ways, and discover anew the joy of living in your purpose and plan. Let me find strength and power in your Spirit. Help me to allow your Word to take root in my heart and life and bear the fruit of a deep and abiding faith and a life that gives you honor and praise. May I live a blessed life and be a blessing to others, through your power and to your glory. Amen.

Open your heart to God’s amazing love!-Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)
The challenge is to be a light, not a judge; to be a model, not a critic –Stephen R. Covey

Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney at YouTube &
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com/
Check the latest leadership blog by Dr. TJ http://www.drtj.us

Word

5/12/2022

Our thought-world is vitally important. It touches our entire life. God’s Word is like a seed planted in our hearts that bears the fruit of love and peace and strength. As the psalmist focuses on the fundamentals of life in Psalm 119, he shares that he has hidden God’s Word in his heart and rejoices in it as one does great riches. It is like a seed planted that gives strength and power to live a fruitful and fulfilling life. When you plant God’s Word in your heart, it begins to nourish your heart and will take root and grow. You will find a new strength for living and a deep abiding joy. Let your heart be refreshed and strengthened with God’s Word.

(Verse of the week)
How can a young person keep his or her way pure?
By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart;
Do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, O Lord;
teach me your decrees. . .
I rejoice in following your statues
as one rejoices in great riches.
I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word. (Psalm 119.9-16 selections)

(Prayer of the week)
Heavenly Father, help me to find your plan and purpose in your Word, and help me to allow it to take root in my heart and life and bear the fruit of a deep and abiding faith and a life that gives you honor and praise. Fill me with your hope and peace and love and joy that I may live a blessed life and be a blessing to others, through your power and to your glory. Amen.

Open your heart to God’s amazing love!-Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved –Helen Keller

Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney at YouTube &
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com/
Check the latest leadership blog by Dr. TJ http://www.drtj.us

National Day of Prayer

5/5/2022

Today is the National Day of Prayer. Payer is the most underrated power in the universe. But the truth the song writer penned so long ago still rings true today: “What a friend we have in Jesus, what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.” Take time today to join people all over the nation and world to seek God in prayer, and remember the power and privilege of prayer each day. It will make all the difference in all of life.

(verse of the week)
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

(Prayer of the Week)
Gracious Eternal God, thank you for the gift of prayer, that we come before you and share our heart and lives with you. Thank you that we can find strength for the day in your strength, that we can find grace in your grace, and we may know your forgiveness and love each day. Be with us today and be also with the leaders of our world and help us to strive for peace and justice and follow your will and way, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

Open your heart to God’s awesome love—Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)
More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of — Lord Alfred Tennyson

Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney at YouTube &
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com/
Check the latest leadership blog by Dr. TJ http://www.drtj.us

Spring

4/28/2022

Spring is in the air! Spring is such a glorious time! The cold and barrenness of winter gives way to the new life of spring, trees begin to bud, flowers begin to blossom, the air is filled with the songs of birds. Everywhere there is life springing up. It seems so fitting that springtime follows Easter. The Easter miracle is not just a symbol of new life, it is also the power to find love and new life in a risen Lord. Past failures are forgiven, guilt and shame are washed away. Our relationships are made new with God and with others. Power for living is found in God's loving grace, as we open our lives to God's plan and purpose for our lives. Open your heart and life to God's amazing love!

(Verse of the week)
Jesus said--I have come that they might have life, and
have life abundantly! (John 10.10)

(Prayer of the week)
Almighty and Loving God, thank you your great love and the promise of new life found in Jesus. Help me to open my life to new strength and life found in
your amazing love. Thank you for the gift of today. And may my life touch others with love like a candle in the night. Amen.

Blessings –Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)
It is not how much you do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving --Mother Teresa

Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney at YouTube &
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com/
Check the latest leadership blog by Dr. TJ http://www.drtj.us

Earth Day

4/21/2022

This week we celebrate Earth Day, when we appreciate our world and all its benefits and also reflect on how we care for it. In Genesis “the book of beginnings” chapter two God placed people in the garden to work it and take care of it. We are literally commissioned by God to steward the earth like a gardener or farmer would their garden or field of crops. It is never ours; it is only entrusted to us to appreciate and use wisely. How are you doing with God’s commission to steward our world? It is full of bounty and blessing to enjoy, but we should be good stewards of our Creator.

(verse of the week)
The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for He founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters. (Psalm 24.1,2)

(Prayer of the week)
Almighty and Loving God, thank you for the blessing of the universe and all that you created and the special blessing of our world. Help me to be a steward of all that you have blessed us with, and may I also steward each day of my life giving back to you by the way I use my gifts and talents. May your Spirit fill me and make me a new creation empowered by your grace and love. Fill me with your love, and may others see you in all I do, and give you thanks. Amen.

Blessings –Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)
“The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out,
Like shining from shook foil. . .
Oh, morning at the brown brink eastward springs--
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast
And with ah! Bright wings—Gerald Manley Hopkins, “God’s Grandeur”

Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney at YouTube &
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com/
Check the latest leadership blog by Dr. TJ http://www.drtj.us

What’s Good About Good Friday?

4/13/2022

This is Holy Week when we will celebrate Easter, but before Easter we will celebrate Good Friday --a time when we remember the willing suffering and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. You might ask, "What's good about Good Friday?"-- We believe that Christ's willing sacrifice upon the cross paid the penalty for any sins and failures in our life and offers us new life and hope. Good Friday is good because as the old preacher once said, "It's Friday but Sunday’s coming!" Just as the tragedy of the cross became the triumph of the resurrection, we too know that God can take our greatest tragedies and through His eternal power turn them into triumph. On Easter we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord with special exuberance, but the impact of Easter and the resurrection of Christ touches us each and every day of our life. We know that the depth of Christ’s love is without limit, for He suffered all that could be suffered for us. In the cross and resurrection, we find forgiveness for sin and failure, and hope for new life now and through all eternity. Our heart may rest assured that God’s peace is a lasting peace. And as we face trials and tribulation, we can be confident that God can take the most poignant tragedies and turn it into the greatest triumph. Even death does not have the final word, for we know that we will one day be re-united with those who love God along with our Lord in eternity. God has taken the tragedy of the cross and turned it into the triumph of the resurrection. Why? --Because of God's amazing love! This living hope touches our life each day. Whatever you are facing, remember God loves you and God's love is life-changing! Peter reminds us of this hope:

(Verse of the week)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1.3-9)

(Prayer of the week)
Almighty and Loving God, thank you your great love expressed by Jesus on the cross, and thank you for your forgiving grace. Forgive me of wrongs and shortcomings of the past, and fill my life with your peace and hope. May each day I know your incredible love. And may my life touch others with love like a candle in the night. Amen.

Blessings in Christ!—Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)
Believe in God like you believe in the sunrise. Not because you can see it, but because you can see all it touches --C.S. Lewis

Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney at YouTube &
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com/
Check the latest leadership blog by Dr. TJ http://www.drtj.us

Palm Sunday

4/6/2022

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. Palm Sunday is a celebration of the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, where people shouted praise and children laid palm branches along the path. Jesus entered the city willingly even though he knew trouble and adversity and suffering awaited. Jesus did it willingly to show his love for each of us. Easter week reminds us more than anything else of the depth of God’s love –a love so great that Christ was willing to give his own life that we would know forgiveness and new life. This is more than a religious truth, it is the promise of a personal relationship with a risen Lord. In Christ we have the promise of love beyond measure, of forgiveness and new life, and the promise of a future filled with the hope that God has a plan and purpose for our lives. Open your heart anew to the power of God’s life-changing love.

(Verse of the week)
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13.34, 35)

(Prayer of the week)
Almighty and Loving God, thank you for the privilege of opening my heart and life to your love and power. Help me to discover anew your love and learn to trust you for strength. Fill me with your hope and peace and joy, and may I touch others with your love. Amen.

Blessings in Christ—Pastor TJ

(quote of the week)
Do small things with great love—Mother Teresa

Listen to recent sermons by Dr. TJ Jenney at YouTube &
http://inspiresundaymessages.blogspot.com/
Check the latest leadership blog by Dr. TJ http://www.drtj.us