Devotions

By: Jack Kale, Pastor Central Pensacola Beach — It’s usually a sign that something’s wrong when we notice a leak. I read about an art exhibit at the Guggenheim where a robotic machine was leaking hydraulic fluid, but the machine was built to scoop up leaking hydraulic fluid, representing a sad, perpetual cycle of mortality. It was titled “Can’t Help Myself.” 

By: Jack Kale, Pastor Central Pensacola Beach — I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t looked up. He was there, soaring the February blue Florida skies, but unless you took a second to avert your gaze from ground level, you would miss it. Sometimes, we need to look up to catch a glimpse of greatness. 

By: Lorraine Eastman, Legacy Pastor — The prophet has fallen into a bad relationship with God, and he does nothing about it; it’s heartbreaking. How often do we do the same thing? We fall into sin and refuse to confess that sin and wonder why we don’t hear from God? God desperately wants to have a conversation with us, but it requires that we have a contrite heart.

By: Jack Kale, Pastor Central Pensacola Beach — Have you ever been stuck like a proverbial yo-yo? Have you been feeling better and then feeling worse without moving forward? It can feel like an unending amusement park ride — up and down, but not getting anywhere. Depression, addiction, marriage issues, and financial problems can manhandle us into a cycle that seems to have no end. It can be scary, frustrating, and monotonous.

By: Lorraine Eastman, Legacy Pastor — The choice to follow Jesus is not a one-time opportunity, but something we choose each day. When we wake up each morning, we can choose to allow all the worries of the day to fill our mind and take over, or we can tell those worries that Jesus is going to be our Rabbi today and we choose to let Him lead instead of them. That’s when we hear his call, “follow me.” 

By: Bryce Masek, Pastor Central Sunrise Mountain — What if, instead of attacking, judging, and canceling the people who are different from us, we became advocates for their well-being and chose to see them as simply different reflections of our same, shared Heavenly Father? That said, it is incredibly hard to do good. It is quite difficult to push through our human tendencies, and it is nearly impossible to champion the needs and concerns of our enemies, and the “least of these” who have nothing to give back in return.

By: Lorraine Eastman, Legacy Pastor — The key ingredient in our work and in our rest is simply Jesus. We know Jesus is there; he is present with us all the time. But I want to challenge you to invite him into your presence. To actually say, “Jesus, I invite you into what I am doing today.” Something amazing is going to happen when we verbally invite Jesus to be a part of what we are going to build today. 

By: Jack Kale, Pastor Central Pensacola Beach — The Apostle Paul was a guy who knew all about facing problems. He was arrested, slandered, beaten, jailed, and shipwrecked as he shared the message of Jesus. Even in prison, he found a way to encourage people to keep trying when they encountered a stumbling block. “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13b-14, NIV).  

By: Jack Kale, Pastor Central Pensacola Beach — Scraping toast also reminds me that people are worth saving. In a world where we seem to be asked to point fingers and villainize others, it’s worth remembering that nobody is perfect. With a little ingenuity, humility, contentment, and hard work, we can realize the value of those burnt toast people in our lives. Maybe we should spend a little more time trying to rescue our burnt toast people instead of trashing them.   

By: Lorraine Eastman, Legacy Pastor — Thankfully, nature is not in control. Jesus is, and he produced a miracle. When we were grafted into God’s special olive tree, our fruit began to be produced by the Holy Spirit, not a branch or a tree. Our fruit is no longer bitter and hard; our fruit is now prized, not because of what we have done, but because of what the Holy Spirit has done through us.