Looking for a specific topic or Scripture? Try the search feature:

Looking for a specific devotion? Try the archive:

Devotions Archive
Forgotten Sheep, Faithful Shepherd
comfort, Encouragement Dana Rongione comfort, Encouragement Dana Rongione

Forgotten Sheep, Faithful Shepherd

Last Friday, Tess and I walked through a valley of dry bones. Well, it wasn’t really a valley; it was a pasture. As for the dry bones, I wish I were making that part up.

Due to the Welsh Enduro Motorbike race taking place in our little village last weekend, I decided to avoid our usual trails (many of which were used as part of the race route) and explore a trail I had spotted on a few occasions but never tried. As is common with many Welsh trails, the initial path led to a sheep pasture.

Seeing the field empty and knowing how much Tess loves to run and frolic, I decided we would wander around for a while. She could run, sniff, and play off-lead, while I meandered at my own pace. At first, everything was going great.

Read More
When Giants Block Your Promised Land
Comfort, Encouragement, Determination, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Warfare Dana Rongione Comfort, Encouragement, Determination, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Warfare Dana Rongione

When Giants Block Your Promised Land

Have you ever felt utterly deflated when facing an impossible situation? I admit I've felt that way numerous times. I know God is good. I know He can handle every problem. Yet, when negative circumstances surround me and deadlines loom before me, my faith grows weak, and my mind begins to doubt. When that happens, I often open my Bible to Numbers 13.

"And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it" (Numbers 13:30).

What courage! While ten spies spread fear about giants and walled cities, Joshua and Caleb saw the same challenges but reached a dramatically different conclusion. The Bible specifically mentions they had "another spirit" (Numbers 14:24). In modern terms, they had a different attitude, a different perspective.

What about you? What giants are you facing today?

Read More
The Final Word
Hope, Encouragement, Comfort Dana Rongione Hope, Encouragement, Comfort Dana Rongione

The Final Word

I've always been fascinated by book endings. Some conclude with a dramatic flourish, while others drift quietly to their final page. There's something powerful about those last few words that linger after the cover closes. While some readers savor the journey page by page, I find myself eagerly anticipating how the author will tie everything together. After all, conclusions matter. They leave a lasting impression long after the story ends.

Recently, while preparing for a Bible study, I stumbled upon something remarkable about God's conclusions. Amid judgment pronouncements and difficult prophetic warnings, God rarely leaves His people without hope. Even in the darkest passages, a glimmer of promise often appears at the end.

Take the book of Joel, for instance.

Read More
Known by Heart
Life's Journey, Encouragement Dana Rongione Life's Journey, Encouragement Dana Rongione

Known by Heart

Last week, a friend from our home church in South Carolina sent me a message. Her text spoke of a show about a couple renovating a French chateau, uncovering secret passages, and searching for hidden treasure. Then she told me how she thought of me every time she watched a new episode.

From the moment I sat down to watch the first episode of the show, I understood why it would cause her to think of me. The dusty corridors of the ancient chateau. The excitement of discovering forgotten rooms behind paneled walls. The historical research to track down clues about potential treasures. It was exactly the sort of thing that makes my heart race with delight.

As I watched the couple navigate their renovation adventure, something unexpected settled over me like a Welsh mist.

Read More
Beyond Lip Service
attributes of God, God's power, Encouragement Dana Rongione attributes of God, God's power, Encouragement Dana Rongione

Beyond Lip Service

 Sometimes the most powerful messages come from the simplest places, like the children's song we chose for our Holiday Bible Club: "Our God is so big, so strong, and so mighty, there's nothing that He cannot do!"

I believe those words with my whole heart. I truly do! I can recite countless Bible verses about God's unlimited power. I've taught lessons about His omnipotence. I've written devotions about it. But then our three-day Holiday Bible Club happened.

After weeks of glorious Welsh sunshine (a rare treat indeed!), the forecast suddenly changed. The very week we'd planned to host children in our not-so-waterproof tent, the heavens opened. Wind whipped at the tent sides while rain drummed relentlessly overhead. Oh, bother!

"Of all the weeks for the weather to turn," I cried, watching water drip from the tent poles overhead. "We've had beautiful weather for a month, and now this?"

Read More