"Praise the power that hath made and preserv'd us as a nation!" To this little-known lyric of "The Star Spangled Banner," we offer a passionate Amen! The final verse of our national anthem then suggests this be our motto: "In God is our trust." Complete and unwavering...

The motivation for every decision, desire, or deed directed by the Holy Spirit is love. Jesus tells us that every commandment from God hangs on the first two: love God and love your neighbor. The guidance of the Holy Spirit will never deviate from the definition of...

Our first president, George Washington, was the first rose breeder in the United States. He hybridized a rose and named it after his mother, the ‘Mary Washington’ rose. It’s an old garden variety known for its large, fragrant blooms. The rose is one of the oldest...

It’s humbling to remember the way we were before surrendering to our ‘new nature’—and humility is a good thing. When the Holy Spirit moved in and brought the power of God with Him, our old nature was no longer welcome. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old...

You are the only hope…throughout the world and far away upon the sea. (Psalm 65:5) Hope. It sounds like a good place to unfold our chairs and rest our weary souls today—if only for a few beachlike moments! Hope, as with so many worthwhile things, takes some nurturing...

When we see the U.S. flag, it should not induce a feeling of indifference. It should inspire us to think about the magnitude of the price paid for our freedom, and the magnificent God who gave individuals the strength to afford it. Our flag flies still, against the...

    He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans He took such delight in making. Ephesians 1:9 MSG At some point in our lives, we realize our relationships are everything. Possessions are temporal, feelings are...

        Honoring God through prayer is the way our nation puts Him first. The seeds of prosperity are sown through hearts of humility, and as we surrender to God’s will, we secure a harvest of His goodness for generations to come. Having a reverence for God and...

Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. (Ephesians 6:17) When we’re praying for one another there’s no room for judgement, pointing fingers, or defending differences. Praying levels the playing field. We’re all submitting to God’s sovereignty, in the...

The remarkable and miraculous involvement of God in our fight for independence cannot be too gratefully acknowledged—even to this day. Our hearts should be no less sure of why we’re a free and blessed nation than our founders were at its dawn. As for God, His way is...

      Spending time in the presence of the Holy Spirit ushers in a sweet time of communion with our heavenly Father. It clears our mind and opens our heart to the voice of our Savior, who is the beginning of every good thing and the end of every fear and doubt. As the...

  Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift. (Ephesians 4:8) You are unique. You’re fearfully and wonderfully made, with a different set of traits than anyone else and a specific collection of gifts to use for God’s glory. No one else in the...

VISION “I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. —Yet through all the Gloom I can see the rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth...

Immense in mercy and with an incredible love, He embraced us.  (Ephesians 2:5) God gives hugs. He gives them through our people. He gives them in gorgeous sunrises and starlit nights. He gives them in unexpected kindnesses and unearned grace. God’s goodness toward us...

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined….” Matthew 12:25 Jesus wasn’t talking about having differing opinions, different ideas, or disagreements. He was talking about good versus evil. He healed a man from the...

Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights. (James 1:17) God is faithful to put good things in all of our days. It’s up to us to notice them. Being carefree is a great eye-opener. We can’t have a mind filled with anxious...

"Love is the one thing that will benefit the good of every person and every hope our nation aspires to. We cannot hate and hope to survive." (from GOD BLESS AMERICA, Scriptures, Devotions, and Prayers for Our Nation)

Be careful how you act; these are difficult days. (Ephesians 5:15, TLB) These are difficult days. The suffering and trials on a worldwide scope compel us to pray without stopping and might, if we’re not careful, tempt us to change the course of what God has called us...

James Madison vowed to place his confidence in God under every difficulty. He gave honor to "that Almighty Being whose power regulates the destiny of nations." With these words, President Madison issued a blessing on the rising Republic which had seen the conspicuous...

And with the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor. -Conclusion of the Declaration Of Independence, July 4, 1776 There could be no wider...

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” -U.S. Declaration of Independence Jesus gave His life...

Americans are generous and kindhearted people, a people who strive to strengthen and preserve those delicate bonds of affection that unite the human family and give safe harbor to all its members. -Ronald Reagan, fortieth U.S. President, 1989 My book, God Bless...

The tallest structure in our nation’s capital, built by man and pointing to heaven, is inscribed Laus Deo, words that encapsulate the reason our nation exists: Praise be to God. These words face the rising sun. From the Pilgrims’ arrival in 1620 to the vastness of our...

Meditate on this for a moment today: Christ has entered into heaven itself to appear now before God as our Friend (Hebrews 9:24). It’s nearly breathtaking to believe this. We, who have done nothing to deserve His love, are befriended by the Savior of the world. And He...

When I think of the wisdom and scope of His plan, I fall down on my knees and pray. Ephesians 3:14 Precious Lord, take my hand; Lead my on, Let me stand; I am tired, I am weak, I am worn—a lyric written by Thomas A. Dorsey in 1932, as relevant today as it has ever...

A sweet book focusing on the celebration of our risen Savior! For little hearts filled with big purpose by the God who gave us the way, truth, and life. Jesus answered, "I am the way. And I am the truth and life. The only way to the Father is through me." John 14:6...

LIBERTY “God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated without His...

GRACE-MINDED A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body. Proverbs 14:30 God isn’t concerned about a portion of our well-being, He cares about all of it. He’s a God of wholeness and healing. He knows the world we live in is a stressful place and the peace He gives is the...

It's an astounding privilege to be chosen to join God's work on earth. To be given the Holy Spirit as a guide is equally humbling. If we wake up every day in a manner of praise for all God has done, we open our hearts to doing all that can be done—for the glory of our...

When the light of a new day washed over Fort McHenry on the morning of September 14, 1814, the stars and stripes became the symbol of an infant nation in the hands of an eternal God. Francis Scott Key felt compelled to capture the emotion he felt when he witnessed the...

God writes the beginning, middle, and end of our life’s story. The Holy Spirit stands ready to help us live a life marked by trusting God and laying aside anything outside of His will. When we look to our Savior and the way He walked through this world, we see clearly...

WHO ELSE? Who else has held the oceans in His hands? Isaiah 40:12 Who else holds the pages of your life in His hands? Who else holds the hope of your days in His hands? Who else holds you, and everything you need, in His hands? The magnitude and fullness of God is...

Where we are in our life, what we’re doing, and who we’re affecting, is a valuable part of our journey. The Holy Spirit, our constant companion, sees our life from every perspective. Most importantly, from God’s point of view. Even though we don’t make all the right...

The Bible tells me over and over again to praise the Lord, never mind what’s happening. —Elisabeth Elliot It’s challenging to praise and never mind what’s happening when we’re going through tests and trials of every kind. But that’s when God develops the harmony. He’s...

Being known is one of the most beautiful reflections of love. We’re seen and understood perfectly by God because His love for us is flawless. Knowing what is best for us includes knowing who is best for us. We have friends who challenge us and those who comfort us,...

Treat every human interaction as a God-orchestrated opportunity to be a funnel for the unseen blessings of Heaven to pour into this world—through love, giving, kindness, patience, and forgiveness. Look out for others, let your eyes fill with tears of compassion, and...

“I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.”  -President John Adams’ blessing engraved on the mantel in the State Dining Room of the White House, 1800...

Don't criticize and speak evil about each other. If you do, you will be fighting against God's law of loving one another. James 4:11 God initiated a law long before governments were in place on the earth. He created humans in His image, His likeness. Have we forgotten...

I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances.  Philippians 4:12 A simple life is not something we arrive at one day by coincidence. It’s the result of a choice or a change of circumstance. There are things that happen in our lives that move us in...

You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Psalm 139:3 We can’t know what tomorrow looks like or what we’ll face on the journey ahead. What we can know is that God knows. If we get to a point on the path of our life where we need to stop and...

Even if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, I would still be worth nothing at all without love. 1Corinthians 13:2 Everything we do in this world is reduced to nothing if love isn’t our highest goal. We’ll fall short countless...

Within a period of 5 years, I lost a marriage of 30 years and a job of 20 years. I'm here to tell you...don't give up. The years that followed the losses have shaped me in a way nothing else could. God alone knew, being the sculptor of the heart. The length of our...

I’ve gotten into the habit of saying, “I love you, Lord” when I open my eyes in the morning, It’s a quiet, simple, and gentle reminder to my heart that God comes first. Life is more beautiful when we keep Him in that place. I’ve learned how the path gets difficult and...

There might be unwelcome news, difficult discoveries, not-so-lovely conversations, and downright unpleasant moments in the first 24 hours of our work week. But how will we respond? Where will we allow our thoughts to go? We choose: grace and grit or distance and...

I was blessed to meet a whole bunch of kind people at a book signing this week. There's one hope of healing our nation right now, and it's God's 4-point plan. Humility, prayer, love, and repentance. Put more directly, God alone. Apart from Him, there is no way to...

What type of person inspires you? Is it someone you describe as joyful and bubbly, who lifts the energy in a room just by being in it? Is it someone who exudes light from the inside out through their eyes, their smile, or their words? Is it the one who jumps at the...

  Always be someone who notices the sunset. Perceive God’s presence. He’s here and mindful of you. He wants to be involved in your days. He sees you breathe a sigh of relief at the end of each one. Not a single thing in your life is insignificant to Him. If it was, He...

When you're in nature, do you pay attention to the bird song in the trees with its simple repetition and sweet melody? In response to God’s faithful provision, it's likely we’re listening to an offering of praise. Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air, for they...

We can love and not like.   I love being alone. To ponder, pray, and write. I cherish my solitude. I need it. But I don’t like being alone when the 123 year old cottage I live in makes noises at night and I want to hear someone laughing with me at the movie I’m...

Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, quiet me and give me renewed hope and cheer. Psalm 94:19 A quiet spot, a soft chair, and a good nap. Sometimes the sweetest rest is stolen at unplanned times, when our heart is in turmoil and our mind is...