Month: February 2016

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PWTE Daily Devotion

Standing Tall

Lutherstadt-Wittenberg, Germany

How tall are we standing in a broken world?

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“But dedicate your lives to Christ as Lord.
Always be ready to defend your confidence in God
when anyone asks you to explain it.
However, make your defense with gentleness and respect.” 
1 Peter 3:15 God’s Word to the Nations

Lutherstadt-Wittenberg, Germany
Lutherstadt-Wittenberg, Germany

It took almost twenty years to build the Castle Church in Wittenberg. It was completed only eight years before When Luther posted his 95 theses on the church door, the church was only eight years old. This round tower was not a part of the original building. A band near the top strikes the reformation theme, “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott,” which you know better as “a mighty fortress is our God.”

For centuries this tower has proclaimed that God is a mighty fortress. Through wars and tragedies, it has stood proclaiming the might of God, even during atheistic Communist rule.

What about our lives? Are they similar to this tower? Do they continue to proclaim the love of God in Christ no matter our life circumstances?

The reality is that we don’t always stand tall, but we do stand under the cross.

May people see Jesus and his compassion for sinful humanity in you and me. He is our mighty fortress.  On this fact we stand tall.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner

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PWTE Daily Devotion

A Bridge to Nowhere

Willamette Valley, Oregon

Repentance is a gift that brings joy.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

This picture of a crumpled can tells a story of Ash Wednesday.

Willamette Valley, Oregon
Willamette Valley, Oregon

I love covered bridges, and Oregon has plenty of them. This picture was taken inside of the Crawfordsville Bridge (circa 1932) over the Calapooia River. It was difficult to take pictures here as state highway 228 runs within feet of the bridge. Travelers no longer cross this bridge.  It is actually a bridge to nowhere.

Sin has taken amazing creations and disconnected them from God. And hidden in the corners of these creations resides garbage.

“‘That is why I will judge each of you by what you have done, people of Israel,’ declares the Almighty LORD. Change the way you think and act. Turn away from all the rebellious things that you have done so that you will not fall into sin.'”
Ezekiel 18:30 God’s Word to the Nations

Jesus didn’t fall into sin, instead our sin fell on him.

Repentance is an act of faith which trusts in the absolute forgiveness of God. Our repentance never ends with despair but with joy, knowing that even before we sit in sackcloth and ashes, even before we impose ashes on our foreheads, we are forgiven.

Repentance is not a bridge to nowhere. It’s a bridge, built with God’s own hands, that carries us back to him.

Copyright Douglas P Brauer

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PWTE Daily Devotion

You Are Your Age

Anchorage Alaska

Christ’s love redeems our life stories.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,  and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.”  
Luke 2:36-37 English Standard Version

I like things that are shiny. And this old Ford F-1 pickup is nice and shiny. Someone dedicated a great deal of time and money to make this old pickup look new.

Anchorage Alaska
Anchorage Alaska

Yet it’s still old. It looks nothing like a new Ford F-150. It probably doesn’t have the horsepower or get the same kind of mileage as a new pickup. I doubt that it’s factory equipped with GPS or possesses hybrid motor.

No matter how cherry it looks, it is old, but that’s what makes this pickup special. What makes it special is its age.

Anna had a history. A history filled with pain and tears. A history filled with passion. Anna’s history is what makes her story important. This broken women is given the eyes of faith to see the Savior.

No matter your age, you have a story. It, too, is not only a story of brokenness and pain but of forgiveness and life.

I can’t help but think that the red paint of the pickup is much like the blood of Christ. No matter our age, his sacrifice makes us shine.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner