Lenten Devotional

Day 11 – March 15, 2025 My Story of Trusting God’s Plan – by Matthew Stegherr After graduating from college, I realized that the path I had spent years preparing for wasn’t the one God had in mind for me. Despite earning my degree, I quickly understood that my future was not in the field I had studied. So, I returned to the food and beverage industry, which had supported me through college. During this time, I was not attending church or living the faithful life I knew I should. Yet, I found myself constantly asking God to bless my life according to my plan and timing. I wanted God to give me a high-paying job in Atlanta, introduce me to the

Day 10 – March 14, 2025 In the wilderness Jesus likely felt tired, lonely, hungry, and beaten down. In His most vulnerable state, Satan tried to take advantage and tempt Jesus to use his power to seek relief. But Jesus had a choice and decided to resist fleeting satisfaction for a higher purpose. After dismissing Satan, Angels showed up to minister to him.  Carolyn and I are empty nesters and we no longer have constant focus on meeting the needs of our kids, going to their events, etc.  Parenting is helpful in keeping perspective and directing focus.  Now that they are gone, where do we find meaning and satisfaction? My wilderness tends to be the same wilderness I have struggled

Day 9 – March 13, 2025 We all face wilderness seasons. Times of dryness, hardship, and uncertainty where the path ahead seems obscured by a thick fog. It might be a period of grief, a struggle with illness, a career setback, or simply a time of feeling lost and disconnected. Like the Israelites wandering in the desert, we can feel adrift, wondering if we’ll ever reach the promised land of hope and fulfillment. For me, February 5th was always my wilderness. It’s the day I lost my biological mother and started down an unpredictable future path. It was always a day of sorrow and sadness. A day of what I was living without instead of focusing on what I was living

Day 8 – March 12, 2025   But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.  They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired. – Isaiah 40: 31 (CEV)    One way to encounter wilderness is to find one’s self in a confusing, isolating, unexpected scenario for which you have few resources or methods of navigation.  That is a perfect description of my Lenten season back in 2014.    My aging grandmother had fallen and broken every bone on one side of her body, leaving her non-weight-bearing for months. She was not quite herself after multiple surgeries and would forget that she was not able to just get up and

Day 7 – March 11, 2025 There are times in life when we hit a surprisingly sharp curve.   In 2017 an ominous mammogram led to an immediate ultrasound.   Although both tests had been conducted at the end of what had been a normal Tuesday, I was told the doctor would be in touch with me very soon.  The immediacy of the situation heightened my anxiety.   The following morning, I was told a biopsy was scheduled for me the next day.  The news hit hard and fast.  The curve had taken me “off road” and I was landing in the wilderness.  Fear was like a wild stalking beast ready to consume me.  This multi-headed monster was growling all

Day 6 – March 10, 2025 Reflections of September Hurricane  – by Donna Reed Payne Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck, I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.  I am weary with my crying; my throat is dry; my eyes fail while I wait for God.  Psalm 69:1-3 Hurricanes are unstoppable storms that bring widespread devastation from destructive high winds, water surges, tornadoes, flooding, and residual mold.  In my mind, my wilderness was like a hurricane. When I arrived home from one of my summer pilgrimages to Bellingham, Washington I found myself facing a multitude of storm surges. Before