Gail Cartee: Prepare for Battle

VineWords Devotions and More

Have you ever been to a battle reenactment? In October, at Walnut Grove Plantation in Spartanburg, SC reenactors present a Revolutionary War battle that occurred there. Bloody Bill Cunningham, a British Commander, was killed. He had massacred many patriots just weeks before. No one seemed to know he was near Walnut Grove. The children who lived in the big plantation house were playing in the yard when the alarm sounded that the British were coming. People ran to get the … Continue reading →

Glenda Shouse: On the Right Path

VineWords Devotions and More

The path cut through the cornfield was rough in many places, so we watched our steps carefully to avoid tripping. In our spiritual walk the enemy loves to place obstacles in our way and whispers “you will never make it.” But God has a plan for each of us. Psalm 37:23 reminds us that God takes delight in showing us the way, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.” …

Continue reading →

Evelyn Mason Wells: The Fruit of Gentleness

VineWords Devotions and More

Gentleness is sometimes translated as “meekness.” We often think of meekness as weakness, but they are not the same thing. Being gentle or meek is to act with humility, using restrained behavior in our interaction with others. As we talk to other people about our faith, God wants us to do so with kindness. When we take on the nature of Jesus, we take on His gentleness. …

Continue reading →

Charles E. Maldon Jr. : The Trust Factor

VineWords Devotions and More

On that faith-stretching night my wife and I experienced, we had to stop trying to figure it all out and instead trust the Holy Spirit for direction. We learned that we are not the conductor. We are just the instruments selected to participate. …

Continue reading →

Martin Wiles: Never Doubt

VineWords Devotions and More

I had heard some of the students say it the previous year, and now I was hearing it again. In the eighth grade, they had been separated from the Honors class, and now in the ninth grade, they were separated from eighth-graders who were taking the same high school course they were. …

Continue reading →

Irene Wintermyer: Planned Perfectly

VineWords Devotions and More

My desperation for freedom from the tortuous pain motivated me to undergo a major operation. Although the surgery ended favorably, the doctor warned the procedure would only provide relief for five years at most. Almost twenty years later, I am still pain free. …

Continue reading →

Stephanie Pavlantos: The Offering

VineWords Devotions and More

If you had lived in the Garden of Eden, what do you think your offering or gift to God would’ve looked like? Would the offering have been the most beautiful flowers from your flower garden, or vegetables from your vegetable garden, or maybe the most perfect animal you raised? Have you ever thought about why God had a problem with Cain’s offering in Genesis 4? Why did He react one way towards Abel’s gift and the opposite towards Cain’s? What … Continue reading →

Diane Virginia: Freedom Forecaster

VineWords Devotions and More

Although I was experiencing the contrasts between modest and wealthy living, the real message had nothing to do with money. In the spiritual realm, the concept is freedom in Christ….

Continue reading →