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Devotions Archive
Stop Changing the Message, and Start Changing the Method
Ministry, Reaching Out To Others Dana Rongione Ministry, Reaching Out To Others Dana Rongione

Stop Changing the Message, and Start Changing the Method

I've been watching birds from my bedroom window long enough to know the regulars. There's the suet ball crew of sparrows, blue tits, and starlings as loyal as a Tuesday morning prayer meeting. Then there's the odd assortment of birds ranging from pigeons to chaffinches, who show up on the driveway every morning like clockwork when the birdseed hits the pavement. They're sweet. They're faithful. And I enjoy studying them from the sliding glass door of my office.

Recently, Jason hung a new seed feeder out by the clothesline post. It's a little farther from the house, but still in a good enough spot to watch from the kitchen window. For a while, absolutely nothing happened. The birds ignored it so completely that I was starting to feel personally offended. We put the same seed in there! What's the problem?!

Then, one cautious little bird swooped in to investigate.

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How To Turn on the Light When Fear Is Swooping
Animals of the Bible, Faith, fear, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Warfare, Anxiety, Rise Up and Build, Trust Dana Rongione Animals of the Bible, Faith, fear, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Warfare, Anxiety, Rise Up and Build, Trust Dana Rongione

How To Turn on the Light When Fear Is Swooping

I have a confession to make: I am afraid of things that don't exist.

Not ghosts or monsters under the bed. I outgrew those...mostly. No, I'm talking about the imaginary monsters I construct out of thin air whenever I face a new deadline, a hard conversation, or an unexpected season of life. I can build something terrifying out of nothing, and sadly, I'm quite good at it.

Turns out, I'm in good company. Not just with other anxious humans, but with ancient settlers who looked up into the twilight sky and panicked over a little bird called the nighthawk.

By name alone, the nighthawk sounds ferocious. Something with hawk in the title ought to have razor-sharp talons, a hooked beak, and zero patience for your nonsense. Early observers watched it swooping through the dusk and slapped the most fearful label they could find on it: Hawk. Done.

The terror only grew worse from there.

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Do You Want To Learn To Fish?
Spiritual Growth Dana Rongione Spiritual Growth Dana Rongione

Do You Want To Learn To Fish?

Welcome back, friends. Today's devotion is a little different—less of a devotion and more of a confession. A holy, Spirit-prompted, middle-of-Bible-study conviction. Bear with me, because I think this one matters.

Last Wednesday night, I was teaching our ladies' Bible study on the life of Gideon. We had reached the tragic, sobering, heartbreaking end. And let me tell you, it is not a pretty ending. Despite an absolutely stunning, God-orchestrated string of victories, Gideon made a golden ephod. Though he denied the title of "king," he set himself up as one. He became the one the people leaned on, rather than pointing them straight to God.

And the devastating result? The moment Gideon died, the Israelites tumbled headlong back into idolatry. Just like that. Because no one had ever taught them to stand on their own two spiritual feet and worship God for themselves, they went right back to what was comfortable.

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Are You Walking Past Your Miracle?
Reaching Out To Others, Spiritual Growth, spiritual housecleaning, Spiritual Warfare Dana Rongione Reaching Out To Others, Spiritual Growth, spiritual housecleaning, Spiritual Warfare Dana Rongione

Are You Walking Past Your Miracle?

Picture this: a room full of lovely ladies, a painting lesson in full swing, and a punch table front and center. My dear ministry partner had worked hard to create not one, but two delightful punch options for our Community Ladies' Luncheon last Saturday. She blended, stirred, and taste-tested with the dedication of a seasoned chef. And the result? One punch turned the most gorgeous shade of coral you've ever seen. It was bright, cheerful, and practically hollering, "Come drink me!" Every woman in the room floated toward it like a bee to a flower.

The other punch? Oh, bless its heart. Somewhere in the blending process, the colors had a disagreement, and what emerged was a murky, grayish concoction that looked—and I say this with all the tenderness I can muster—exactly like dirty mop water. Nobody wanted anything to do with it.

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What Are You Carrying Today?
Spiritual Warfare, surrender, Christian Living, Faith Dana Rongione Spiritual Warfare, surrender, Christian Living, Faith Dana Rongione

What Are You Carrying Today?

Have you ever wondered why God asks us to do things that don't make sense?

Gideon sure did. Here's a guy who was hiding in a winepress, threshing wheat in secret, terrified of the Midianites who had been oppressing Israel for seven years. When the angel of the Lord appeared and called him a "mighty warrior," Gideon probably looked around to see who the angel was really talking to. He came from the weakest clan in Israel and felt completely inadequate for the task ahead.

But God had a plan. After Gideon finally agreed to lead Israel against their enemies, he gathered 32,000 men. A decent army, right? Wrong. God said that was too many. He whittled the army down to just 300 soldiers. And then came the really strange part. Instead of arming these men with swords and shields, God told Gideon to give each man a trumpet, an empty pitcher, and a torch to hide inside the pitcher.

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