From Darkness to Light by Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5, NIV). Have you ever accomplished something you never dreamed you would accomplish? That’s how I feel about the Doctor of Ministry degree I just earned from King’s University. After four years of study and writing a mammoth paper, I walked across the graduation platform and was “hooded” as a doctor. My father, whom I never knew, was a medical doctor. I was always proud of his achievement, but did not think it was in the plan for my life to pursue a degree beyond a Master’s….
When Mother’s Day Isn’t Happy by Emily House
There are a lot of emotions surrounding Mother’s Day. For many, it’s a beautiful day—and I love that for them. Truly, I do. My hope for you is that you’re not even reading this. I hope most people saw the title and kept scrolling because they don’t relate. But if you are reading this, it’s likely because you, like me, have a complicated relationship with this day. My tendency is to just hide and let it pass. Don’t be a downer, let the happy people have the day. After all, it’s just one day, right? Not for me—and probably not…
A Fifteen-Minute Miracle by Lane Jordan Burday
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need (Matthew 6:33). I’m sure you have heard or read the verse above. In fact, I’ve read it so much that it can easily pass over what the real thought of the message is. But this is the great truth of this verse: If you and I seek God first, every day and above everything else, God will give you everything you need. How simple! Yet do we seek God first? The fifteen-minute miracle is when we start every day with God….
God is Our Focal Point by Lane Jordan Burday
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). I love to watch ballet performances, especially the Nutcracker, during the Christmas holiday. The professional dancers seem to dance like magic, especially when they make spin after spin after spin on their tiny point ballet shoes. A spinning ballerina can spin without losing her balance or place on the stage because she keeps her eyes fixed on a given point. She can spin without fault as long as she keeps her focus on that one point. As followers of Christ, we need to make…
Music is Medicine by Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley
This week, I attended the symphony at the Meyerson Symphony Center in downtown Dallas. It was a very special performance of Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terizín. During the Holocaust at the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, prisoner Rafael Schäcter, a graduate of the Prague Conservatory, using a smuggled score and a single piano, organized a 150-person Jewish choir to perform Verdi’s Requiem 16 times between 1943 and 1944. Singing the words to the Nazis gave the prisoners the courage to persevere and to defy Nazi brutality. Schächter told choir members, “We will sing to the Nazis what we cannot say to them.”…
Why Bother? By Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley
I used to be the Public Relations Manager at San Antonio International Airport, and that job required planning ribbon cuttings and employee events. Little did I know at the time that God was training me to put events together for His glory and the edification of the body of Christ. On Saturday, May 3rd, Pearls of Promise Ministries will hold its eighth Level-Up Women’s Conference, but overall, it is the 19th women’s event that we have planned. Eight events were at my college alma mater, Texas Lutheran, co-planned with my college friend and fellow athlete, Mary Ann Springer Moore, it…
Mary In-Between by Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley
This is the day between Good Friday and Easter—the day when Jesus’s disciples and followers may have wondered Was what He said true? Will Jesus actually rise from the dead? It was difficult to know whether to be joyous or mournful. Faith would tell you to be joyous. Doubt mourns. We also must ponder what the in-between time was like for Jesus’s mother, Mary. She had just watched her son die a cruel, undeserved death. Would she see him again? She was warned about the emotional pain this day would bring. In Luke 2:35, when Simeon blessed Jesus and his…
Remembering God’s Mercy at Passover by Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever (Psalm 136:1). Tonight at sundown, I will give up leavened bread and eat Matzah for a week when the observance of Passover (Pesach) begins. I will do this for several reasons. As a woman with a fully Jewish paternal grandmother, I believe I am required to do it. Exodus 12:14 says, “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.” The Hebrew word for lasting, olam also means forever and permanent. There is no grey area for…
The Presence of God by Lane Jordan Burday
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10). Nothing on earth is as important as being in the Presence of God. In fact, the Bible says that Hell is the absence of God! But many of us don’t realize how important it is to focus our lives, minds, and souls on God. He must be the most important person in your life, above everything you have and everyone in your life, because…
Stewarding Our Gifts by Lisa Burkhardt Worley
We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. (Romans 12:6, NIV) God has graciously given us all gifts and abilities but are we utilizing and managing them well? I always tell everyone I am a content creator. I create content for our documentaries, TV shows, blogs, books, or curriculum. However, being gifted in an area can have its downfalls. There is a lot of content that can be produced, and I cannot do it all. I must stay close to my Heavenly Father, so I know, definitively, what projects to take on. We are responsible for…
Jesus is Jewish by Lane Jordan Burday
You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end. (Luke 1: 30-33) For some people today, realizing that Jesus—the God of Christianity—is Jewish is hard for them to understand. Think of all the Christians through the years who have been antisemitic, saying that the Jews killed Jesus when in truth, the Roman gentiles did….
Slaying the Giants by Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley
I’ve been watching the new Prime Video Series House of David and I am fascinated with all of the special effects, especially how they have humanized Goliath, the giant that the future King David slew with a slingshot and stone. While the episode featuring the confrontation between David and Goliath has not been released, we know from the biblical account that David had no fear of Goliath and he believed that God would give him the victory over the giant that was threatening Israel. David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I…
Are You Blue? By Lane Jordan Burday
Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. (Psalm 62:8) I’m sure everyone who has ever lived has gone through days or even longer feeling blue or depressed with times of discouragement. We can even go through the Bible and see many of the great saints who experienced these emotions: Elijah when he was running from Ahab and Jezreel; Moses when he tried to govern the newly freed Israelites; David as he was on the run from King Saul; Leah, who knew she was unloved by her husband, Jacob; Joseph when he was sent to jail…
What About Mary? By Lisa Burkhardt Worley
Are you a Mary or a Martha? Do you spend a lot of time communicating with God or are you always on the go—a doer—taking care of tasks? The story of Mary and Martha unfolds in Luke 10:38-42: As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has…
Do We Really Pray? By Lane Jordan Burday
All the time that Peter was under heavy guard in the jailhouse, the church prayed for him most strenuously. (Acts 12:5, MSG) How have you and I prayed when we were under enormous pressure and hurting? Did we pray strenuously? Pastor Daniel Floyd preached a sermon at our church on Sunday, and I was blown away. His words made me ask myself, Do I really pray, or do I think I pray? In the verse above, Peter is under heavy guard (around 16 guards! I guess preaching the gospel is pretty dangerous for the population), and so the church is…
What Horses Represent by Lisa Burkhardt Worley
Today is my 39th wedding anniversary, and we are celebrating the occasion at a beautiful location in Colorado Springs, Colorado, The Broadmoor Hotel. There are fresh flowers everywhere (I love fresh flowers). And the walls are lined with photos of some of the famous people who have stayed here. I feel like a princess, just like I did on my wedding day. But as I write this devotion, I am aware of a horse lamp on the table. The horse is the same color and in an identical pose to the one on our mantle at home. The horse statue…
A Reminder by Lisa Burkhardt Worley
We can sometimes feel alone, even when surrounded by a room full of people. I felt that way at a service last night, even though adults and children were all around me. It is because my spouse, family, and closest friends were not sitting next to me. However, this week, the Lord has reminded me of Joshua 1:9 more than once. It says, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. When feeling overwhelmed or isolated, we should remind ourselves of that verse….
Even One Penny is Important by Lane Jordan Burday
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she …put in everything.” Mark 12:43-44 I just heard that it costs three pennies to make one! Because it costs more to make one than it is worth, the government is considering not making more pennies. But a penny, added up, can mean a lot! In 1987, Mike Hayes, a freshman at the University of Illinois, found a unique way to finance his education. He convinced a popular…
Dig Deeper by Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley
Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ (Matthew 4:4) This past week at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention was a whirlwind, and I am still reflecting on the many blessings we received. Our team always pray for divine appointments at NRB. We also pay attention to patterns, and for the past two years, the LORD has connected us with an outreach that pairs Orthodox Jews and Christians to support Israel. It’s called Israel 365. Last year at the “Breakfast to Honor Israel,” we sat…
In Good Times and Bad by Lisa Burkhardt Worley
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this:God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future (Ecclesiastes 7:14). It has been an excellent stretch. This week, our POP Talk team is attending the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. Our TV show is a finalist for an award, and our new documentary to fight Holocaust denial, Their Blood Cries Out, was selected for the NRB TV Showcase and is up for an award. Today, I am praising God for these blessings. But why is it that when we…