Author Archives: Paul Devine

Yesterday I was sitting in front of the Eucharist for adoration and I was praying for all of you.  I had a lot of names and a lot of times I don’t get through it all so I have set up a a rotation.  I start at the beginning on some days and then switch up and start at the end and go back on other days.  That way, I make it through everyone at least a few times a week. I don’t finish a lot of times though, because I get caught up on one or two and really dive into prayer for those people.  I don’t

Phase 10, the game of all games.  Welll. . . maybe not.  It is actually super long and by the end I really just want to claw my eyes out . . . unless I am winning. . . of course.  We definitely do a lot of work here.  BUT, that does not mean that we do not have some fun on the side.  We have plenty of time to relax and enjoy some of God’s gifts to us. This is what this blog is about.  I feel that I am way to serious on this site and you never get to hear about all the random crazy awesome

Whew, I know I have said this before but I’ll say it again: wow, we need prayer.  Not prayers from other people (although we need that too), but we need prayer for ourselves.  This seems like such an over-used statement.  I would normally think “DUH, we need prayer!  Why do we need to keep saying this!?”  BECAUSE I ALWAYS FORGET.  Well . . . maybe not forget to think about it, but I forget to do it.  I get wrapped up in the business of life and, all of a sudden, a week has gone by and I haven’t

Boy, am I tired or what . . .  I just finished a Men’s retreat for one of the local churches down here in Georgia.  I am just plain old weary.  We have been moving since they got here at 8:00 Friday night.  I am finally sitting down to rest. We pushed these guys.  We pushed them to the max.  I am betting that they are going to fall like a rock right when they reach their room.  I think I pushed myself to the max as well.  There were some incredible things that happened over the weekend. 

What is worship?  It is choosing something continually over other things.  It is offering up your whole body and self to something.  I dunno what it is in your specific case but it has to be something.   You cannot live without giving yourself to something.  You can offer it up to material things: money, sex, food.  You can offer it up to material ideas: advancement in technology, rituals and traditions, human rights, work, praise of others.  You can get even really abstract and begin to worship

Sometimes we missionaries struggle to find things to talk about.  Why?  Why do we sit here in front of the computer and sometimes wonder what we can say to everybody?  Everybody has done it at least once.  At least once we have all said to ourselves that we need to write a blog . . . then we sit down and just stare at the computer.  Why is that?  Isn’t God doing incredible things everyday?  Isn’t he moving all the time? How come I don’t care to open up my eyes? I haven’t really thought to

I am so grateful.  This past week we had over 50 youth ministers here for a retreat. It was a great time.  Sometimes, it can get really hard just ministering to high school teenagers who might or might not reject what you have to say.  It was rejuvenating to visit and talk with peers.  Others who believe the same thing that I do.  Others who are going through the same things that I am.  I had a wonderful time. But something struck me on both nights of the retreat.  At the end of the night

Are you willing to be a nobody? Two weeks ago, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I loved him.  After 4 days of wrestling with him and finally being pinned to the ground I said yes.  I thought the hard questions were over.  Shouldn’t the love question be it? Shouldn’t that be the only thing that matters?   Nope.  It is certainly the most important but it is important because it allows so much more to happen.  The love question starts everything else.  It is the spark that ignites a bomb.

This is an honest but pure blog.  So please don’t judge.  Ever since I was a kid I would perpetually ask my mom “What if” questions.  I would be in the car with her and I would ask her all sorts of them!! What if the sky was green? What if fire hydrants squirted ice cream out? What if dogs had a fifth leg? What if Dad was a pirate? What if there was a skeleton in the trunk of our car? What if I was an alien, (this might have been real)? What if we had wheels instead of feet? . . . . . . . Over

SOOOOOOOOOOOO, I’m going to start a silent retreat on Friday night.  An 8 DAY silent retreat. . . . hmmmmm. . . . don’t know how I feel about this.  I am excited, I am anxious, I am restless, I am confused. . . and a million other possibilities. I spent four days on the Appalachian Trail by myself, two summers ago.  BUT, that was nothing compared to this.  On the trail I was exhausted from hiking everyday and didn’t really think or pray much.  Here, I am going to have nothing to do but think