Posts with the category “devotional”

By Christy Hubbard: I’ve always admired the way Paul wrote to Philippi with such a thankful heart when he was imprisoned. He had a joy that I cannot imagine feeling if I were in his shoes, or shall I say shackles.   Read More

By Guest Author | Anita Harrison: How often do we use Scripture to “fix” things? I do. And even though I know better, it’s really easy to find a verse to make it fit my situation, or maybe someone else’s situation. The thing is that we often miss the rest of the story when we focus on one verse. And by the “rest of the story,”   Read More

By Christy Hubbard: If you’re like me, you may catch yourself complaining without even realizing it. Here’s a little confession. I was praying while driving one morning; and in the middle of my prayer, I honked and threw my hands up at a driver in front of me. My flesh took over before I knew it.  Read More

By Guest Author | Ashley Piner: Handwritten notes have always held a special place in my heart. I cherish cards, treasuring the unique handwriting and signatures of loved ones. My husband and I often leave little notes for each other, and I write messages for our kids, whether tucked into their lunchboxes or written on our storm door.  Read More

By Elliotte Pearson: I was reading through Philippians last week in preparation for the upcoming series at church, and I read verse 6 of chapter 1, which says, “For I am confident of this very thing, That He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Read More

By Whitney Bailey: A whole tree. A broken tree. A processed tree. A garden tree. A redemption tree. A final tree. Whether we have realized it or not, as believers, our entire faith begins and ends with trees.  Read More

By Mike Adkins: Holy Spirit, grow in us the fruit of joy despite adversity. - Philippians 1:12-13 The Apostle Paul is in a Roman prison when he pens the letter to the church in the city of Philippi. He helped plant this church on his second missionary journey in Acts, chapter sixteen.  Read More

By Miranda Braden: Paul asks if our hearts are tender and compassionate. He urges us to work together with one mind and one purpose, reminding us not to be selfish, but humble, thinking of others as better than ourselves.  Read More

By Guest Author | Rebecca Alfred: Pain is NOT optional. I don’t like pain. I’ve been running and hiding from it for the majority of my life and attempt to avoid it at all costs. Life is hard on this side of Heaven.   Read More

By Joy Kimbril: When I raise my hands to worship God, it costs me something. When I kneel in surrender during worship, it costs me something. When I choose God’s way instead of my own as an act of worship, it costs me something.  Read More

By Guest Author | Megan Wamer: Saying goodbye to anyone, anything, or any period of life often brings great pain. It might be a season of a job or a season of raising children, but no matter the season, it is just that—a season.   Read More

By Pastor Nikki Bailey: Leaving a legacy is more than material possessions; it is a way of spiritually giving from generation to generation. Legacy goes beyond and gives far more than you could ever imagine, impacting the lives of many that come close every day.   Read More

By Pastor Scott Conner: So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. (Nehemiah 6:15-16, ESV)  Read More

By Mary Beth Dunn: Over the last few weeks, we have been journeying through a study about the Tabernacle. I have found this topic in the Bible to be incredibly interesting as I've studied it over the last few years, and this message series has really stirred up new faith and joy in my heart. One idea that has stuck out to me is the intentionality of God when it comes to the Tabernacle.  Read More

By Pastor Tyler Braden: When I sat down to write this devotion, I began thinking about worship and researching Scripture on the subject. We’ve been in a series at church called The Glory, and we’ve been looking closely at the Tabernacle. As I thought about what to write, I was reminded of a story I read recently.  Read More

By Theresa Golden: If you've ever read The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, then you are familiar with the different ways that people show and feel love.   Read More

By Rachael Wynne: As we have journeyed through the layers of the Tabernacle, there has been a lot of personal reflection of what stepping into the presence of God looks like. There are several steps that help lead us into God’s presence, and we see these steps reflected all throughout The Word.   Read More

By Elliotte Pearson (Elder): Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105. Such a great scripture. The Word of God is a light; it brings illumination to everything.   Read More

By Steve Miller: I’ve been spending the last couple of weeks challenged by the idea of convenient worship. Pastor Aaron brought it up in a message not too long ago, and I have been completely floored. In Romans 12:1, Paul asks us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice which is holy and pleasing to God.   Read More

By Guest Author | Heather Hamilton: We are weeks into our “The Glory” series here at Opendoor Church, and it has been a good one! Diving into Exodus, we’ve been studying the Tabernacle and have seen that God created the pattern of the Tabernacle to reflect Heaven on Earth and create a space that He was able to dwell with His people.   Read More

By Miranda Braden: Rahab had heard about God. She had heard that He was planning to give the land of Jericho, where she lived, to the Israelites. She told the spies in Joshua 2, “We are all afraid of you.  Read More

By Pastor Gina Robinson: Growing up, I remember that anytime I was visiting either of my grandmother's homes, the first question they would ask would be “Are you hungry or thirsty ?” The memory of my grandparents serving, loving, and fulfilling a need was what I remember the most in those visits.  Read More

By Jake Haggard: I do not like to be dependent on anyone. From a young age, my family treated independence as something to be praised.   Read More

By Guest Author | Pate Leigh: “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.” - Exodus 25: 8-9 NIV   Read More

By Meghen Haggard: I love to hear my kids pray. A few weeks ago, I was driving in the car with my four-year-old and he said, “Mom, did you know that Jesus lives inside of our whole entire body?”  Read More

By Guest Author| Megan Wamer: Recently, during a home inspection, we were told we had to cut down some trees that had roots growing too close to the foundation of our home. This did not completely surprise us as we could already see our sidewalk had cracked open within a few feet from the house.  Read More

By Pastor Mike Adkins: When it comes to sacrifice, I believe most of us are willing to yield to its demands. Maybe it’s forgoing a meal for a day or two or watching less tv in the evening. Maybe it’s cutting a personal budget item that we can afford but don’t necessarily need.   Read More

By Whitney Bailey: In full transparency, I’m sitting in my comfy chair drinking coffee while working on this devotional when I should be packing for a long family weekend away. But isn’t that how God reaches in?   Read More

By Guest Author | Ashley Piner: Growing up, my middle and high school youth group participated in an event called Bible Bowl, which was like the Super Bowl of Bible trivia. Our youth leaders would provide us with specific Bible verses and passages of Scripture that we needed to memorize and be ready to answer questions about.  Read More

By Christy Hubbard: We are going through The Glory series at Opendoor Church and have been learning about the Tabernacle. I find it fascinating how intentional and specific God was with His instructions surrounding the construction of the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle.  Read More

By Joy Kimbril: Worship is a lifestyle.” One of the worship leaders I served under after college made this statement and it resonated with me.   Read More

By Guest Author | Rachel Edwards: As we started this new series, Pastor Mike shared a sermon about the Tabernacle called "Yes, It Is A Religion!" If you weren't able to hear it, I'd encourage you to go back and watch it on the Opendoor App!  Read More

By Pastor Nikki Bailey: One-on-One’s happen weekly with the Education Team at Opendoor. It’s a time when calendars are blocked for two employees to communicate, collaborate, listen, and assist each other in areas of need.   Read More

By Mary Beth Dunn: Have you ever wondered why people raise their hands, clap, shout, and sing in church? If you’re anything like me, there have been moments in my life when I’ve asked the question, “what are we doing and why?”  Read More

By Steve Miller: “To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.  Read More

By Miranda Braden: “Spiritual life is neither an art nor a science. To arrive at union with God, all one needs is a heart resolutely determined to apply itself to nothing but Him, do nothing but for His sake, and to love Him only.” - The Practice of the Presence of God  Read More

By Jake Haggard: When I was growing up, I often listened to old-timey preachers sharing their incredible testimonies of feeling the call of God on their lives and answering it. Every testimony felt like it could have been pulled straight out of a movie.   Read More

By Guest Author | Anita Harrison: Music has always been a part of my life. My dad directed the choir at the small country church I grew up in, and my parents made sure I had piano lessons when I was young so that our church could have a consistent person to play the piano.  Read More

By Pastor Gina Robinson: ust recently, I had an encounter with someone who was grieving their tomorrow. It was a special memory, but now the day hits differently because of the absence of a loved one. Have you ever done that very thing?  Read More

By Guest Author | Pate Leigh: Two weeks ago, I opened my AMC app (a movie theater app) to look for a kid’s movie to go see with my daughter. We had some free time together, and I decided we should go on a date.   Read More