Unlocked Archives: October 2023
October 21, 2023
READ: PSALM 148 I love getting out in nature and exploring all that God has made. And I’ve always enjoyed traveling and getting to see places and things that are new to me. Over the years, I’ve been able to go to several national parks and see a wide variety of God’s stunning creations. From [...]
October 20, 2023
READ: MARK 2:1-12; LUKE 5:17-26; JOHN 15:12-15 I was reading through Mark 2 last night, and I was struck by all that a group of friends chose to do in order to bring one man to see Jesus. Mark 2:3-4 says four men carried a paralyzed man to Jesus. “Since they could not get him [...]
October 19, 2023
READ: GENESIS 22:1-18; EXODUS 12:12-13, 21-23; 1 JOHN 2:1-2 The story of Abraham taking his son Isaac up to the mountain Moriah to be sacrificed has always been a difficult one for me to read. Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? And then why does God instead provide a different sacrifice to [...]
October 18, 2023
READ: JOHN 10:27-30; ROMANS 8:31-39 My favorite baseball team made it to the playoffs one fall, and I was excited to watch the first playoff game with my brother and sister. We were preparing food ahead of time so we wouldn’t have to worry about it during the game, but as I was working in [...]
October 17, 2023
READ: MATTHEW 28:1-10; LUKE 24:1-12; JOHN 20:1-18 Elena didn’t have time to walk all the way around the quarry. She had dinner plans with friends. Ever since Rosa had said the mines would re-open, the town had been chaos. Finally, after weeks of debating whether Rosa had actually found the gold nugget, then a few [...]
October 16, 2023
READ: MATTHEW 1:18-25; LUKE 1:26-38 As Rosa walked toward town to meet up with her fiancé Antonio, she was passing by the old mines when something shiny caught her eye amidst the rocks and tumbleweeds. She was leaning down to look when suddenly a voice from above rumbled, “Go and take this gold. It is [...]
October 15, 2023
READ: MATTHEW 5:13-16; PHILIPPIANS 2:13; COLOSSIANS 4:2-6 You’re groggy this morning, and you walk barefoot to the kitchen in that foggy, sleepy state. Once you arrive in the kitchen, you mindlessly and wordlessly prepare your oatmeal. Soon you sit down at the table and have the first taste of your handiwork. Ugh. So bland. You [...]
October 14, 2023
READ: PROVERBS 18:24; ISAIAH 43:1-2; JOHN 15:15 Do you have a younger sibling? Do they sometimes follow you everywhere and mimic your every move? This can get pretty annoying, but did you know Jesus is kind of like that? He doesn’t annoy you or mimic you, but He is with you wherever you go. Proverbs [...]
October 13, 2023
READ: PSALM 139; ISAIAH 41:10, 13 My life has taken me Down twisting and turning paths Like a pretzel I have never had it easy My path has never been a straight line Through every question and every fear Through every change in my course I have felt You with me I have leaned on [...]
October 12, 2023
READ: LUKE 11:1-13; HEBREWS 4:14-16; JAMES 5:13-16 Have you ever wanted to help someone who was struggling, but you didn’t know what to do? There is always something you can do, even when you feel like you have nothing to give. When you have nothing else, you can still do the most important thing, and [...]