Praying as I walk around the whole outside of our church building has become my new way to start most days. Monday it was a special experience. The circle takes about ten minutes, and when I started this practice several weeks ago, I would pray for only two or three of those minutes. But this day my prayers continued, out loud, till I got clear around the building. I was still praying when I finished, and I said, “OK, now it’s time to go inside and listen.”

I want to tell you what I decided as I opened Titus 2 for my study that morning. I can’t stop thinking about Paul’s challenge near the end of the chapter.

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageJuly 1, 2020fog, evil, world, life, wisdom, devotion, racism, pandemic, covid, churchComment

4 WAYS TO FIGHT ANXIETY

Have we ever lived in more anxious times than these?

First the pandemic kept us at home and filled us with fear as we watched the daily rising death toll, reported grimly from every media outlet. Instant homeschooling, isolation from loved ones, improvised home offices, or (worse) lost jobs created tensions that persist.

And then came riots in the streets of neighborhoods nationwide: burning, looting, hatred shouted by both blacks and whites. Even my suburban black friends often don’t feel safe taking a walk or driving through their own neighborhoods. And, if you’re like me, you may wrestle with what to say and how and when to say it in order not to foster controversy.

If any of this creates anxiety for you, you’re not alone. I thought about that last week as my daily Bible reading plan pointed me to 1 Peter 5:5-9. (I knew God had something for me to learn when the devotion I read that morning, unrelated to my reading schedule, “coincidentally” quoted the same verses!)

Here we discover God’s ways for dealing with anxiety, something the persecuted Christians receiving Peter’s lesson needed to hear. We need to ponder it too.

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageJune 17, 2020anxiety, humility, humble, alert, stand, firm, lion, prowl, depression, pain, hurt, fearComment

"I CAN'T BREATHE": A WHITE PASTOR'S RESPONSE TO RACISM

Love.

Healing.

Life.

These are why Jesus came. “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16.) God loves the world. Not one group or ethnicity or skin color in the world, but the whole world.

“By his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Healed of our past. Healed of our failures. Healed of our hatred. Any effort to heal apart from the blood of Christ ultimately fails.

Jesus said he came to give abundant life (John 10:10). We’ll fully realize what he meant when we bow at his feet for eternity. But don’t we believe we’re supposed to experience that life here and now? And can’t we agree that Jesus wants that life for every man, woman, and child on earth today?

Many have asked me to make a statement about the racial unrest in our country sparked by the murder of George Floyd. Here’s my statement: The gospel of Jesus is characterized by love, healing, and life. And I believe our mission is to be ambassadors of that gospel (2 Corinthians 5:20): agents of love, healing, and life in our communities and in our world. My challenge—the church’s challenge—is to find ways to do that.

Jesus is our example. He spent time with the Samaritan woman, even though the Jews of his day viewed Samaritans as half-breed dogs. He healed lepers, even though the people of his day were afraid to get within ten feet of them. Now is the time for the church to make sure it’s not hiding its head in the sand, ignoring a world desperate for the love, health, and life that only Jesus will bring.

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageJune 3, 2020george floyd, racism, pastor, protest, violence, breathe, church, unity, peaceComment

THE THING THAT MIGHT BE KILLING YOU AND EVERYONE AROUND YOU

Most of us have heard more than one sermon about pride, this star among the Seven Deadly Sins. So I was a little surprised to receive such a positive reaction when I preached about pride last Sunday. More than one emailed or texted to say, “I really need to hear this.”

Maybe that’s because sooner or later, pride will be an issue for all of us. Maybe it’s because, as one preacher told me, “Pride is the soil in which all other sin grows.” Maybe some responded because my need to hear this sermon myself was under the surface when I preached it to others.

In any case, I can’t stop thinking about pride, and I want to think some more about it with you as we share this post.

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageMay 27, 2020pride, hindsight, sight, forgiveness, power, church, leadershipComment

HOW TO WIN A FIGHT THAT'S NOT FAIR

I’ve never been a big guy. And when I was a boy, my father, who’s always been short and scrappy himself, told me how to survive.

“Fighting’s not fair,” he advised. “Don’t go seeking a fight, but if you’re challenged by someone bigger than you, do whatever you must to win.” He told about a time when a bully confronted him after school. Dad grabbed a metal trash can, whomped the kid with it, and then ran home.

He wouldn’t have left unhurt that day if he hadn’t realized some uncomplicated truths that parallel the way Christians should think about their spiritual adversary, the devil. When it comes to Satan, it’s not a fair fight, and we need to be ready.

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageMay 20, 2020fight, fair, enemy, boxing, strength, covid, corona, worship, satan, spiritual warfareComment

Love.

Healing.

Life.

Trevor DeVage

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