One Stone Was Enough
Fire Starter Devotional — One Stone Was Enough One Stone Was Enough By Pastor Justin Cooper The victory in that valley was never carried by David’s strength. It was carried by a single stone — pulled up out of the brook, dropped into a bag of lamb’s skin, and sent flying at a mark it […]
Look What He Did
Fire Starter Devotional — Look What He Did Look What He Did By Pastor Justin Cooper There is a moment I watch for whenever someone tells the story of how they came to Christ. It is the moment the sentence turns. Some people cannot help but center themselves — how they cleaned up, how they […]
Time to Clean House
Time to Clean House By Pastor Justin Cooper When Jesus came to the temple, He did not straighten the tables. He turned them over. He made a whip of cords and drove out everything that did not belong in His Father’s house, and then He declared what that house was always meant to be. “My […]
The Emptiest Full Room
The Emptiest Full Room By Pastor Justin Cooper The temple was full the day Jesus walked in. Full of noise, full of buying and selling, full of people doing their religious duty at Passover — and empty of God. That is the most sobering thing about the scene in John 2. A house can be […]
All the Way to the Brim
All the Way to the Brim By Pastor Justin Cooper Be honest for a second. Most of us don’t struggle to believe God can do something. We struggle to let go of the backup plan while He does it. We say we’re trusting Him — and then we stay up all night pacing the floor, […]
Take Your Eyes Off the Giant
Take Your Eyes Off the Giant By Pastor Justin Cooper Ever been on a plane when the captain’s voice comes on and says, “Folks, we’re going to hit some turbulence”? Watch what people do. Nobody unbuckles, runs up the aisle, and pounds on the cockpit door yelling, “Let me in — let me fly us […]
When the Giant Starts Talking
When the Giant Starts Talking By Pastor Justin Cooper It usually starts with a phone call, a text, or a look on the doctor’s face. Nothing has actually happened yet — but suddenly your chest is tight, your mind is running, and the whole rest of your day feels like it’s tilting. You haven’t lost […]
The Cup You Can’t Fill
The Cup You Can’t Fill By Pastor Justin Cooper You know the feeling. It’s late, the house is quiet, and you’re still awake doing the math on a problem that won’t add up. The bill that’s bigger than the paycheck. The phone call you’re afraid you’ll get. The marriage that feels like it’s running on […]
The Lie Called Later
The Lie Called Later By Pastor Justin Cooper I have a list somewhere of things I meant to get to. The oil change I put off until the light came on. The phone call I kept meaning to return until it was too late to matter. It is a strange thing about you and me […]
The Inch He’s After
The Inch He’s After By Pastor Justin Cooper A few years back I ignored a small ring of water under the kitchen sink. Just a spot. Barely enough to notice. I told myself I would deal with it later. By the time I finally pulled everything out from that cabinet, the whole shelf had rotted […]