Category Archives: Devo Drops

Thoughts on daily devotional scripture readings

Brain Rot

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Brain rot is the Oxford Word of the Year for 2024.
What does that say about us?

brain rot (n.) Supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.

Brain rot
beat out five other words that were under consideration for the honor:
demure
dynamic pricing
lore
romantasy
slop

The Newport Institute released a report outlining the dangers of this phenomenon. The academic paper concluded with a list of ways to prevent the alarming social trend that is causing our brains to disintegrate.

1. Don’t sit in front of screens all day.
2. Consider unplugging completely.
3. Go outside and take a walk.
4. Get a hobby.
5. Talk to real people face to face.

Does the fact that I had to use the internet to find out this information mean I’ve just succumbed to the prevalent rotting of our collective brains?

Wow.
I think we’re in trouble.

At least “slop” didn’t win.

slop (n.) Art, writing, or other content generated using artificial intelligence, shared and distributed online in an indiscriminate or intrusive way, and characterized as being of low quality, inauthentic, or inaccurate.

Whoo boy.

The Psalmist spoke for God in Psalm 81:11-12.
“My people would not listen to me,
so I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own devices.”

Surely this isn’t referring to our devices. Or is it?

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Romans 12:2

Picture for the Year

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Usually I choose a word for the year.
Or, rather, I wait for a word to choose me.
In a surprising twist,
it’s a picture that has grabbed me.
My word of the year is a picture.
This is my picture of the year.

“He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge.”
Psalm 91:4

This Bible verse always makes me want to sneeze.
The idea of being covered with feathers is not appealing to me.
But this is different.
I’m drawn to this visual representation of safety and security.
I see protection and care and warmth there.
I don’t feel sneeze-y when I look at it.

I don’t know what 2025 will bring,
but I know where I need to be.
Right there, huddled close to my Father’s heart.

I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
Psalm 61:4

2025 Bible Reading Plan

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This week between Christmas and the new year is my favorite week of the year. I like to look back over the notes I’ve made, read some old journal entries, and peruse the list of books I read. It’s a satisfying and somewhat solemn review of things I’ve learned and tried to process. It’s also a time to anticipate new growth in the coming year.

The schoolgirl in me loves a syllabus, a list of assignments, a program to carry out. Without a plan, I tend to wander and waver, making excuses and sliding through the weeks. So here is my 2025 plan. You are welcome to follow along!

I’m going to start 2025 with a read-through of Proverbs. Who doesn’t need wisdom when facing a new year? I will read one chapter a day for 31 days and pick one verse out of each day’s chapter to copy in my notebook, followed by a reflective sentence or two.

In February and March I will take a slow stroll through Ephesians, taking about 20 verses each week. I plan to read Eugene Peterson’s “Practice Resurrection” and “A Week in the Life of Ephesus” by David A. DeSilva during these two months.

Old Testament prophet Jeremiah will be my focus in April and May, reading 5-7 chapters per week. I have “Run with the Horses” on my book pile, which is another Eugene Peterson book, this one on Jeremiah.

In June, I will do a word study on Patience, the fourth fruit of the spirit as listed in Galatians 5. One verse for each day, Monday through Friday.

July and August will take me to Psalms. First, Book IV, which consists of Psalm 90-106. (Did you know the book of Psalms is divided into 5 books?) After that, I’ll soak in the special group of psalms called “The Songs of Ascent” (Psalms 120-134).

I’ll kick off the fall with Paul’s letter to the Romans, taking two chapters in each week (M-F) of September and October.

In November, I’m going to do a character study on Peter by reading four different accounts in the gospels along with his own words from his letters, 1 and 2 Peter.

The year will close with an Advent devotional of some kind.

Too much? Maybe.
Will I stick to it and complete it? Maybe.
Will this give me the nudge I need to keep plugging away
and give me a framework to pick back up if I fall off the plan? Absolutely.

May God bless the reading of His Word in 2025.

Thanksgiving 1948

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Thanksgiving 1948

Grandpa and Grandma
Uncle Franklin and Aunt Ardith
Uncle Morris and Aunt Phyllis
Cousins Candy, Jerry, Jim and Joe

That’s my mother on the far right,
holding my brother.
Dad must have taken the picture.

The men were in suits and ties.
The women sported hair rolls and pin curls.
The children gathered around Grandma.
The turkey was ready to be carved.

Thanksgiving 2024 will look a little different.

I have no lace curtains or flowery wallpaper.
There will be no linen tablecloth.
I will not wear bright red lipstick.

But, hopefully, the children will gather around Nonnie.
And, hopefully, the 18 pound turkey will feed us all.
And, hopefully, we will give thanks for another year
with everyone around the table.

Some things never change.

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord.”
Psalm 92:1

Thankful

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One of my favorite authors is Wendell Berry. Our neighborhood book club just finished Hannah Coulter so I am enchanted all over again with Port William and all my dear fictional friends. They remind me of the good salt-of-the-earth people I grew up around—people who loved the land and who knew how to be neighborly. I’m thankful for Berry’s words in this season, and I’m basking in their beauty.

“You mustn’t wish for another life.
You mustn’t want to be somebody else.
What you must do is this:
Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks.*
I am not all the way capable of so much,
but those are the right instructions.”

Hannah Coulter

“I tremble with gratitude
for my children and their children
who take pleasure in one another.

At our dinners together, the dead
enter and pass among us
in living love and in memory.

And so the young are taught.”

Leavings: Poems

* 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Big Shoulders

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When our four kids were little and we were homeschooling, we took advantage of the November election to teach them about government. We studied the three branches, the political parties and the candidates running for office. We visited the state capitol and met our representative. We wrote letters to the President and the Governor, assuring them of our prayers and asking for their pictures. We learned the Pledge of Allegiance and said it together every morning.

The night before the election, one of the presidential candidates made a stop in a town nearby. We bundled up the kids and stood outside for an hour before finally seeing the top of the hopeful politician’s head. In the distance. For a split second.

But the atmosphere was electric — that political rally rivaled any big sporting event. There was music and a cheering crowd and people holding up signs. We got swept up in the frenzy.

The next morning, as the kids were eating breakfast, our seven year old asked who won the election. When I said that our candidate lost, he put his little head down on the table and started to cry. PB and I looked at each other with wide eyes. Maybe we overdid it. I had to convince the broken-hearted boy that the world was not coming to an end.

It’s easy to get swept up and lose eternal perspective.
But here’s some good news today—
the government is on His shoulders. (Isaiah 9:6)
He’s got big shoulders.
We’re not made to carry such a heavy load.
Our shoulders aren’t strong enough.

Worldly governments will one day come to an end.
But here’s more good news—someday,
“of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.”
Isaiah 9:7

What’s in a Name?

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Mahershalalhashbaz—how would you like to have that name?

The prophet Isaiah and his wife choose this name for their baby boy. It means “Quick-To-The-Plunder-Swift-To-The-Spoil.” The birth of this son was part of a prophecy. Before the little guy could say “Mama” or “Dada,” Assyria was predicted to invade and punish Damascus and Samaria. The army from the north would be Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. (Isaiah 8)

I hope they called him Baz for short.

Names are important. It’s one of the biggest decisions parents make at the birth of a child. PB and I thought long and hard when picking our kids’ names. We gave each one a middle name that had family connections, but also sounded good should they become famous. Katie Sims. Samuel Bradley. Anna Somers. Jacob Daniel. (Not to be confused with Jack Daniels.)

Names in the Bible always mean something.
Nowhere is that more clear than in the first pages of Genesis.

The first ten generations that would become Jesus’ line of ancestry are listed in Genesis 5. Whoo-boy. In what looks like a boring list of weird names, there is a message that’s just too good to miss. Get ready for goosebumps.*

Here’s the list of generations in the family tree:

  1. Adam—means “human” or “man”
  2. Seth—means “appointed”
  3. Enosh—means “mortal”
  4. Kenan—means “sorrow”
  5. Mahalalel—means “the blessed God”
  6. Jared—means “shall come down”
  7. Enoch—means “teaching”
  8. Methuselah—means “his death shall bring”
  9. Lamech—means “the despairing”
  10. Noah—means “relief” or “comfort”

Now string it all together.

Man is appointed to mortal sorrow but the blessed God shall come down teaching. His death shall bring the despairing relief and comfort.

That’s not a coincidence.
That’s Jesus, right there in Genesis 5.
That’s pretty wonderful.

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”
Psalm 119:18

*Thanks to “Bible Bookclub Podcast” for this insight.

Unoffendable

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Please don’t be offended by this blog post.

Did that statement make you cringe or get tense?
Relax.
I’m not going to go there.
There’s enough shrill shouting and sarcastic stabbing going on.

I’m just here to offer a tip.
These days are not the most pleasant.
Election years seem to bring out the worst.

We can join the fray
and punch away
OR
we can cast doubt
and check out
OR
we can be mature Christ-followers
and lead the way by being unoffendable.

If you’re like me, you need some help with this.

I read the book Unoffendable by Brant Hansen every four years.
I’m not telling you what to do.
That would be offensive.
But I’d love it if you read this book.

The dedication page reads like this:
To all those who want grace for themselves
but struggle to extend it to others.

Wait: that’s everybody.

My favorite chapter is “Everyone’s An Idiot But Me.”

We’re all in this together.
Let’s see if we can rise to the challenge.

“Do you do foolish things?
Do you think you are better than others?
Do you plan evil?
If you do, put your hand over your mouth and stop talking!”
Proverbs 30:32

Tuit

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My father-in-law used to carry a couple of these in his pocket.

As a pastor, they often came in handy in conversations like these:
“Pastor, life is so busy, I just haven’t given faith much thought.”
“Son, you shouldn’t put off something this important.”
“I know. I will someday, when I get around to it.”

Then, with a twinkle in his eye,
my father-in-law would reach into his pocket,
pull out a coin-sized wooden disk and hand it to his friend.

“Here. Now you have a round tuit.”

The only thing I regularly carry around in my pocket is lip balm. But Deuteronomy 17:18-20 is making me think I should add another item.

My Bible reading plan has me wading through the laws that Moses laid down for Israel. Right in the middle there is a curious paragraph titled “The King.” It has three points:

  • When you ask for a king, make sure you pick an Israelite. (Which they did in 1 Samuel 9:1)
  • Don’t let your king amass lots of horses, lots of wives and lots of gold. (Oops. According to 1 Kings 10-11, King Solomon broke all three of those rules.)
  • When the king takes the throne, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of the law. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life.

On coronation day, the king had a royal duty to copy the entire law by hand and keep it close at all times. The reigning Sovereign was required by law to read the scriptures every single day. That’s a pretty good law.

Maybe this week I’ll copy a verse or two out of the Bible
and keep it in my back pocket.

That is, if I get around to it.

Begats

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Matthew and Sarah begat Matthew II.

Matthew II and Mary begat Richard.

Richard and Ann begat Adolphus.

Adolphus and Amelia begat Elmer.

Elmer and Ada begat Roger.

Roger and Elinor begat ME!

This is the account of my family line.
These were real people who lived real lives in the real world.

I love Herman’s mustache and Margaret’s no-nonsense look.
I like the twinkle in John’s eyes and Elizabeth’s fancy hat.

If one of these couples had not met and married,
the whole family tree would come tumbling down.

For example, in the mid 1800’s in Cornwall, England, Matthew and Mary took their 9 children to the beach for a Sunday picnic. As it happened, James and Betsy and their 14 children were also at the beach that day. Out of that chance meeting on the rocky shores of Cornwall, four of Matthew and Mary’s kids married four of James and Betsy’s kids.

Just think, if Richard or Ann hadn’t felt like going to the beach that day, Ann would never have fallen for Richard’s wavy hair and Richard wouldn’t have noticed Ann’s dark, mysterious eyes.

Maybe my love for family trees is the reason why I never skip the genealogy chapters in the Bible. Genesis 5:1 says, “This is the written account of Adam’s line.”

Adam begat Seth, who begat Enosh, who begat Kenan, who begat Mahalalel, who begat Jared, who begat Enoch, who begat Methuselah, who begat Lamech who begat Noah. This may seem like a yawner, but there is treasure galore in this chapter.

These were real people who lived real lives in the real world.
This line of begats would one day lead to Jesus—
the snake head-crusher,
the only begotten Son,
the second Adam,
the Messiah.