Shine Camp and Conferences

08/14/2026

Good Friday morning, friends. What did God say to you this week? What lesson did He teach you? What do you know today that you didn't know? Sometimes it's the smallest thought that has the greatest impact. Have a good weekend friends!

08/13/2026

Yes. Be quiet. Be still... not necessarily physically still, but mentally and emotional quiet. Release the grip of anxious thoughts and take in what's around us. This is an opportunity to hear God.

08/12/2026

Have you ever said "listen to me" to your own children or loved ones? Now imagine God talking about us... His children. I hear His plea, His sorrow, His longing, when I read Psalm 81:13. What do you think?

08/10/2026

Whose voice are you listening to?

The game was tied and the bases were loaded. Will’s team got up to bat. As soon as Will’s teammate hit the ball, every coach from both teams began yelling orders:

“Run here!”
“Throw the ball to first!”
“Run to third!”
“Go home!”

Additionally, parents cheered and shouted, creating an intense, noisy atmosphere that seemed chaotic but remained organized.

I wondered, How do these boys know what to do with everyone screaming directions? They must be trained to focus only on their coach’s voice.

We, too, have many voices shouting at us.

Discerning truth is difficult when we’re bombarded with lies. For example, the devil uses social media, secular magazines, and television to suggest we must look a certain way or be a specific size. And if we’re not, then somehow, we’re defective. He also uses these same resources to imply we’re not smart enough, gifted enough, or good enough. Television suggests that adultery and scandals bring satisfaction and self-fulfillment. Observing the lifestyles of Hollywood celebrities and other prominent individuals may lead to feelings of discontentment with one's own life. The media portrays selfishness as admirable and filthy conversations as the norm. Sin is exalted. If we don’t accept that viewpoint, we may feel something is wrong with us.

It is imperative that we combat these lies with God’s truth. John 16:7–8 tells us that God sent a helper — an advocate and counselor known as the Holy Spirit — to help us discern truth.

The objective is to discern God’s subtle voice. It is important to approach this process in a structured way, developing the ability to detect gentle cues with attentiveness and discipline. John 10:4 tells us, The sheep follow Him because they know His voice.

The truth is found in the Bible. This is the primary tool the Holy Spirit uses to guide us toward truth. Billy Graham once said, “One can approach the Bible with a cold, rationalistic attitude, or one can do so with reverence and the desire to hear God speak.”

Let’s turn off the noise of our culture and turn on time with God. Just as Will and his teammates had to identify their coach’s voice, we must identify ours.

Whose voice have you been listening to?

08/06/2026

Left to itself, the moon is always dark. It produces no light. Yet when it turns toward the sun, it shines brightly because it reflects the light from the sun.

In the same way, we don’t generate spiritual light on our own. When God shines on us, we’re able to reflect His light into a world that often feels shadowed by sin, sorrow, and confusion.
Scripture is honest: our culture can be dark. But Scripture is also clear about our hope: “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). We need His light—steady, holy, and near.

When His light meets our lives, it brings direction, courage, and clarity:
· It guides our steps like a lamp on a foggy path (Psalm 119:105).
· It steadies our hearts and drives out fear (Psalm 27:1).
· It exposes what harms us and calls us into freedom (Acts 26:18).
· It brightens the darkness around us (Psalm 18:28).
· And that Light is Jesus Himself (John 9:5).

Psalm 80 repeats the prayer, “cause Your face to shine upon us,” because restoration begins with God’s presence. Think of a loving parent whose face lights up when a child comes close, ready to listen and follow. In that same way, God welcomes us into guidance—not by shame, but by nearness.

God is our faithful Father. When we turn toward Him in humble obedience, His light doesn’t just reveal—it renews. Even in a dark culture, His presence can eclipse the darkness. Then we can live Matthew 5:16: Let your light shine before men… that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

We shine because God shines on us and in us. A victorious life isn’t a perfect one—it’s a life continually turned toward the Light.

Today, let’s be the moon and face Him. Receive His radiance and reflect it with quiet courage and steady love wherever we go. Then others will observe His light in us.

Where does life feel dark or heavy right now? When are you most able to “shine”? What area of your life most needs God’s light and guidance today?

[email protected]. From, "Shining Through the Psalms," available on Amazon.

07/31/2026

It's release weekend for my book, "Shining Through the Psalms." The link to order through Amazon is in the comments. I'm so excited! Let's journey together! :)

07/23/2026

07/16/2026

COMING THIS AUGUST! In this book you will have 150 Devotions--one for every Psalm. Let's journey together! Invite your friends.

07/15/2026

YOU are the first to see ... a revised devotion for my NEW Psalm Book, coming out this AUGUST!

Do you cry when you’re happy or when you’re sad? Are you crying now? Have you ever been crying on the inside but unable to shed a tear?

Tears flow easily for some. They cry when they’re delighted and they weep when they’re sad. We may shed tears when people surprise us with kindness or overwhelm us with love. Sometimes we cry when the helpless hurt.

Archaeologists have discovered small “tear bottles” which mourners used to collect their tears, then bury them at a gravesite. With this bottle was a note that explained their deep sorrow.

Tears in a bottle is a remembrance. Psalm 56:9 tells us that God chronicles our tears: You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.

Psalm 126:5 tells us, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.”

The word sow may remind you of the farmer who sows seeds months before he reaps a harvest. John Piper sheds light on this: [A] “field needs to be sowed. That is the way life is. I do not feel like it, but I will take my bag of seeds and go out in the fields and do my crying while I do my duty. I will sow in tears. If you do that, the promise of the psalm is that ‘you will reap with shouts of joy.”

Sowing in tears could refer to the hard work associated with any job we do or attitude we have.
• For a farmer, physical exertion is required as he plows through fierce weather.
• The businesswoman may need grace to respond in a Christlike manner to a ferocious group of colleagues.
• Tears may represent a repentant heart, crying over sin.
• Frequently, our tears reflect a broken heart as we pray for those who need to turn their hearts to God.

God is a compassionate Father who weeps with us. When Jesus felt sorrow and compassion at the death of Lazarus, He wept. (John 11:33–35)

And just as a farmer waits for the harvest after sowing seeds, we can trust God to bring a season of reaping after our faithful sowing— even when our obedience is watered with tears. Galatians 6:9 reminds us, Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

If you’re walking through hardship or pain today, take heart. God sees you, and He is with you. Keep praying, and trust Him to strengthen your faith, deepen your trust, and change hearts—yours and others’.

And because your tears and difficulties won’t last forever, "Be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded"(2 Chronicles 15:7).

[email protected]

07/09/2026

I think this statement from a mom of a teen speaks loudly: “If tickets went on sale today for next year's camp, I'd buy them right now." :)