Devotionals
Proclaiming Jesus by Serving With Joy
“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” — 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)
My strong belief in serving others is a quality I learned from my mother.
When I was young, I remember a time my mother pulled up to a stoplight as I rode in the car with her, and I watched her give to a person standing beside the road. “This is my good deed for the day,” she said. Her example set an expectation to do good daily.
Prepare the Way for Peace
“I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people.” – Psalm 85:8a (NLT)
Many of us are looking back on 2023 as we prepare for 2024. My word for 2023 has been “whole.” When I chose the word, it reflected my desire not to be fragmented or broken but to be complete, to live out the fullness of my calling and the things God purposed me for, trusting that God will provide and care for me.
The Blessing of Leftovers
“After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, ‘Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.’” — John 6:12 (NLT)
The notification on my phone said I had a new message in my “bestie” group chat. The text read, “Shala, this cake is gonna be big. I may need you to come pick up some leftovers!”
This SOS message required only one reply from me: a GIF that said, “I’m in!”
Thank God for leftovers, right?
Pour Out
“As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” — 2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NLT)
On October 4, 2023, my mom passed away in her Kentucky home after three years of being on dialysis. On the heels of what became her last trip to the Philippines, I cherish the two weeks that I got to spend with her, sharing memories that will always be just for us. In this video devotional, I share the charge I gave in her eulogy based on her life of pouring out for others.
His Banner Over Me is Love
“In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.’” Luke 5:12 (NLT)
When I was a kid in Super Church, as our children’s ministry was called, we sang a song that went, “The Lord is mine and I am His; His banner over me is love!”
Maybe you sang this song, too, if you grew up in church. Maybe you still know the hand motions accompanying it and would happily give us a full demonstration — and to that, I say, “Let’s do it!”
But to be honest … I was 40 years old when I had to ask Google what “His banner over me is love” actually means.
Walking With a Rabbi
“Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.” Mark 4:10 (NLT)
This past winter, I found myself walking the streets of northern Italy for 17 days with a group of women from my seminary class. It was an intensive class on women in the early Church and the arts, pondering their lives and documenting evidence of their church leadership.
Lies Women Are Told
“For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged.” — 1 Corinthians 14:31 (NRSV)
If you've been following along with my work for the past year or so, you know that I am studying Women and Theology at Northern Seminary. I've spent countless hours studying Scripture, reading commentaries, and researching the time and culture of the early Church and Jewish law. In this time, God has revealed so many things that I was falsely taught—even with good, God-honoring intentions—about a woman's calling to ministry or leadership and a woman's role as a wife.
Discerning Truth from Lies
“So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.” – 1 John 2:24-25 NLT
A few years back, I had my students do a scavenger hunt for Youth Night. They all went off exploring in teams. Eventually, one of the boys came to me and another youth leader, and told me about a group that told him he was special.