Today I Saw a Capybara
Today I saw a capybara. A real capybara in the wild! Well, kind of. It was at a Garden and Home store in Costa Rica, something similar to the Garden section at a Home Depot or Lowes. Does that count as in the wild? It wasn’t the store’s pet, to my knowledge. And the store […]
The Secret of Abiding
What does it mean to abide? If you’ve read John 15, you’ve probably asked this question. Or maybe your translation says “remain” instead of “abide.” What does it mean to “remain” in God? If we look at this question from a theological standpoint, it honestly seems a bit silly–because God is always with us. You […]
Today I Was Happy
Today I was happy. I made a happy face out of playdough with my nephew. Although this is a very normal activity between kids and adults, today it was special. My nephew is about 2.5, and so he’s still in that phase where he’s learning some of the basics of life. Like we might ask […]
Simple Ways to Cultivate Your Devotional Life
This post was written by Rose McCombs Jordan, a tourism director, park host, worship leader, and mentor. Visit beneaththefigtree.org for more information. Meeting God Where You Are In the end of John 1, Nathanael is introduced to us beneath a fig tree. His friend Philip comes running to him, exclaiming “We’ve found the one Moses wrote […]
Simply Christmas Day 5
Day 5: Read Matthew 5 Our Simply Christmas devotional ends where Jesus ministry begins. Matthew 5 opens with the Sermon on the Mount, and for the next two chapters we read a simple, yet revolutionary invitation to live as Jesus did. So let’s once more make it simple, focusing on the words of Jesus that […]
Simply Christmas Day 4
Day 4: Read Matthew 4 While the first three chapters talk about Jesus, in Matthew 4 we begin to hear more from Jesus. As he was tested in the wilderness, he battled every temptation with words from Scripture. After forty days and nights of fasting and relying on God alone to sustain him, the words […]
Simply Christmas Day 3
Day 3: Read Matthew 3 The story of Jesus jumps decades ahead in Matthew 3. Jesus isn’t a baby anymore, or even a toddler. His teenage years are skipped altogether! Instead, the story picks up with his baptism, so we read a spiritual birth immediately after his physical birth. But we tend to talk about […]
Simply Christmas Day 2
Day 2: Read Matthew 2 I love the history and prophecy we read about in Matthew 2. Sometimes these details can get lost in the story. We more commonly focus on the wise men, their gifts, and the star that led them. But part of why Jesus’ birth was so miraculous is because of the […]
Simply Christmas Day 1
A simple look at the arrival of Jesus Matthew 1-5 tells us so much more than the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth! We also trace his family history, read prophecies that were realized, and discover the hope we have still today through the coming of the Messiah. In this 5-day devotional, we’ll look at the arrival […]
Today I Gave Permission
Today I gave permission. I gave 3rd grade art students permission to be creative. I was substitute teaching for an elementary art class, leading them in a Christmas card craft. It was a pop-up tree card, where you would open it to find a Christmas tree protruding from the paper. They were instructed to decorate […]