Devotionals by Chaplain (Col) Stephen W. Leonard, USA, Ret.
The Excellent Value of Memorizing Scripture
Scriptural Basis: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word...I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against God. Psalm 119:9 & 11 Anderson's Applications: These verses are two of the many carved into wooden signs along the »
Real Freedom or Just Bobby McGee?
Scriptural Basis: “Jesus said, If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free…So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:31-32 & 36 Anderso July 4th is America’s holiday; a »
Noxious Anxiety
Scriptural Basis: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew »
Our Mother Who Art in Heaven?
Scriptural Basis: “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:18 Anderson's Applications: In the last half of the 20th Century we began to hear with increasing frequency God called “She, as the feminist movement gained more »
Don't Worry, Be Happy
The Bobby McFerrin song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy, is actually a pretty fair description of the practical world view of many people today, but especially young people. And the wise King Solomon agrees with what we who work with young people, or parent them, observe: Happiness is an all consuming pursuit, wherever or however it can be found! Unfortunately, little thought is dedicated to distinguishing happiness that will last. Once gained for a moment and more easily lost, there is a compulsion to restore it in either familiar or increasingly dangerous ways. Solomon certainly agrees that the joy and vigor of youth is an inherent pleasure, a rich blessing for the young person. As we see in the final chapter of Ecclesiastes (Chapter 12), those of us with some years on us can surely relate to the poets apt description of our deteriorating bodies, and the lack of joy they can produce in us. We sometimes view the young with envy and nostalgia.
Impossible!
Scriptural Basis: “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Anderson's Applications: As a »
Memorial Day: Will We Hide It from the Next Generation?
Scriptural Basis: “We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power and the wonders He has done. Psalm 78:4 Anderson's Applications: “Fourscore and seven years ago is how it begins. How many readers know what I am »
How Boring is Living Forever?
Scriptural Basis: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. I Corinthians 2:9 “The man who does the will of God lives forever. I John 2:17 Anderson's Applications: One of our Board Members at the PAYH just »
Giving Attention to "the Little Things"
Scriptural Basis: “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. Song of Songs 2:15 Anderson's Applications: How often we hear the rebuke, “Don’t major in the minors! The one who says that to another normally means, “Don’t make a mountain »
Boomer Died Today
Scriptural Basis: “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with »
Counting on A Long Life?
Scriptural Basis: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4 Anderson's Applications: This week the news carried the picture of »
