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Remember
Grief has a way of making the world feel suddenly quieter. Familiar voices fade, routines lose their rhythm, and loneliness settles in places that once felt full. In grief, memory becomes both a wound and a refuge. We remember what was, and in that remembering we ache. Yet Scripture consistently invites us not away from…
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THE SHEPHERDS’ CANDLE: JOY
Zephaniah 3:14–20 • Isaiah 12:2–6 • Philippians 4:4–7 • Luke 3:7–18 Introduction Today we light the third candle of Advent—the Shepherds’ Candle—the candle of Joy. Its color is different for a reason. Joy is not merely another virtue in the Advent lineup; it is the evidence that the world is already being changed by God’s…
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Broken, But Not Wasted
Scripture “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18 Devotional There are moments in life when we discover that simply existing is not the same as living into our purpose. We move through our days functional, capable, and intact, yet unaware of the deeper work God…
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The Surprising Doorway to Joy
Advent joy is not a sentimental feeling, and Scripture refuses to flatten it into something shallow. The lectionary readings for the third Sunday of Advent—Zephaniah 3, Isaiah 12, Philippians 4, and Luke 3—do not describe easy times. They speak to people under pressure, people who are unsettled, people who need God to step into the…
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When Joy Finds You in the Field
When Joy Finds You in the Field Advent always brings us back to the places where God enters ordinary life. This year, as we reflect on the Shepherds’ Candle—the candle of Joy—we remember that God did not first announce Christ’s birth to rulers, scholars, or people with influence. He came to shepherds working night shift…
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Look at the Fractures
Peace grows when we honestly name where we are fractured. God never heals what we pretend is whole. The world brings disorder; Satan brings distortion. Christ brings clarity. Let Him show you the places where false focus steals your rest and invite Him to reorder your heart.
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Why Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit Is Called the Unforgivable and Eternal Sin
Some passages in Scripture whisper comfort; others stop us in our tracks. Few verses unsettle believers more than Jesus’ words in Matthew 12 and Mark 3—His solemn warning that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit “will not be forgiven,” neither in this age nor the one to come. Many read it and feel a chill. Why…
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Walking Like a Warrior in the Valley
Devotional: Psalm 23 is often read softly, gently, as if David were whispering comfort across the centuries. Yet beneath its peaceful language lies the heartbeat of a warrior—steady, trained, disciplined, and deeply anchored in the presence of God. When David says, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” he speaks not…
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THE INNER COST OF A DISORDERED LIFE
Reflections on Galatians 5:19–21 When Paul lists “the acts of the flesh” in Galatians 5:19–21, he is not merely identifying behaviors that are morally wrong. He is describing a way of life that slowly hollows a person out from the inside. These patterns carry a spiritual, emotional, and mental cost far deeper than most people…
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December 5, 1927 – September 6, 2013
🎂 Happy Birthday, Dad Today we celebrate Robert E. Hargrove—a man who showed us that the greatest gifts aren’t found in stores, but on the banks of the Neches River. Dad gave us something precious: a love of the outdoors and the simple joys of being together. Camp Hargrove was his classroom, and we were…
John Hargrove Seeking Truth and Reality
Texas engineer finding the signal of grace in grief, code, and Scripture
