Christian Devotionals and Scripture Applied to Everyday Life

What does it feel like to be a slave? Most of us have listened with horror and disbelief to history lessons spelling out the indecencies that men have inflicted on one another. In America the mistreatment of African-American people has been a huge blot on our country’s timeline, and those involved experienced much emotional and physical grief. The repercussions of this slavery are still being felt today.

Three generations of Sheridan auctioneers is no small feat. When Grandma Sheridan enrolled Grandpa in auction school forty years ago he may not have realized that one of his sons and grandsons would follow in his steps. But none of these accomplishments happened automatically. They were the result of decisions, planning, and hard work.

Sometimes in the ordinary activities of life we are suddenly confronted with a change in plans. We start out doing the same old, same old, but an unplanned and unpleasant event disrupts our regular routine. Suddenly the smooth path we have been travelling becomes bumpy. How does one cope with such an unexpected turn of events?

Have you ever noticed how expensive purchases regularly develop upgrades? A number of years ago I spent quite a bit of money to buy an iPad. I went above and beyond the average model to make sure it would last for a long time. I have gotten a lot of wear out of that piece of equipment, but recently I wanted to purchase another protective cover for it. I soon became frustrated to find that they no longer make them for my model. After searching on eBay I came to the realization that there really is no good option for me.

“You just don’t understand me!!” I have often expressed this frustration throughout my life. All human beings display different temperaments. They have diverse likes and dislikes, different ways of handling situations, and distinctive feelings about matters. Differing life experiences and influences compound this. All these mold us and determine our responses, making it rare to find someone who can look within our heart and fully understand our needs and struggles. But Jesus, our great High Priest, understands us perfectly.

"Do you hear me now?" These familiar words from a cell phone commercial became a reality to our family this past week. While visiting the state of New York for John-Keith and Naomi’s wedding, we found that in most spots we did not have good cell reception. It is a good discipline to wean oneself of smart phone and computer use once in a while, but there are times when reaching someone immediately is very important.