God’s Special Attention—Two2Grow, June 13 “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God” Acts 10:4 NIVDo you want God’s special attention?Do you want to be a channel of blessing to others?The way to reaching these goals is through prayer and giving.I’m sure you’re not surprised by the first one—prayer—but giving is not usually something we think about as a way ...  Read More

Practice Generosity—Two2Grow, June 12 “Generous hands are blessed hands because they give bread to the poor.” Proverbs 22:9 (The Message)One Christmas in my late teens, I was given some money. I was very excited and started planning to buy something I had wanted for a long time—a gas-powered R/C car. But during New Year's, I attended a church event, and during worship I sensed the Holy Spirit tell...  Read More

Guard Your Heart—Two2Grow, June 11 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)The heart in biblical thought isn’t just the blood-pumping organ. It is an image of the center of our being, the headquarters that governs our thoughts, desires, and actions. That is why we are told to guard our hearts!Think of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The serpent...  Read More

Not a Hired Shepherd—Two2Grow, June 10 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. John 10:12–13 NIV A post by Emelie Stenhammar, MDOne night while I was sleeping, I had a dream that r...  Read More

Holy Spirit, You Are Welcome Here—Two2Grow, June 9 “Do not quench the Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 5:19 NIVIn 2023, there was a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Asbury Seminary. Over the course of a couple of weeks, more than 50,000 people flooded the small city of Wilmore, Kentucky, which has a population of only 6,000, because of the strong presence of God. If you want to hear testimonies f...  Read More

Strong Enough to Serve—Two2Grow, June 7 “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8 NIVI had a teacher in Bible school who said that all the exercise he ever got was when he walked between the dinner table and his bathtub.God created our bodies, and we are to take care of our bodies ...  Read More

No Claim on Me—Two2Grow, June 7 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me." — John 14:30 (ESV)“Oh, look at that rat!” my mother cried out the first time she visited us in England. We were sitting at the kitchen table facing the glass doors that looked out onto our small backyard when she spotted a rat running across the lawn with a large Fre...  Read More

Sick for God—Two2Grow, June 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. — Matthew 5:6 NIVHave you ever been really sick?I once was leading a seminar for church leaders in Africa when I drank some contaminated water. I became so sick that I could hardly stand. When we are that sick, the only thing we want is to get well. I didn’t care if someone offered me ...  Read More

Get the Timing Right—Two2Grow, June 5 You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come. John 7:8 NIVTiming is everything!We know from everyday life that if you get the timing wrong, things go wrong. In everything from cooking and driving to gardening and sports, a right action at the wrong time can prove disastrous. Think of planting seeds during a...  Read More

Talk About Privilege—Two2Grow, June 4 Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you wonderful and marvelous things that you know nothing about. Jeremiah 33:3 GNBHave you ever met someone you thought was important—or in some way “out of your league”—and then been surprised that they were willing to give you their phone number?Or sent an email to someone in a position of authority and actually ...  Read More

Fear God, Fear Nothing Else— Two2Grow, June 3 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. Proverbs 14:27 NIVMy spiritual mother is an eighty-year-old Kenyan woman of God. One of her favorite songs has this part in it that she often reminds me of:Fear him, you saints, and you will thenhave nothing else to fear;make serving him your sole delight,your wants ...  Read More

Keep It Safe by Giving It Away—Two2Grow, June 2 “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” 2 Timothy 1:14 NIVWhen I was in junior high school, we went on a family vacation to Italy and visited St. Mark’s Square, famous not just for its spectacular buildings but also for the many pickpockets who prey on tourists. We had been warned,...  Read More