“Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.” – Psalm 150:1-2

Hurricane Harvey was a devastating Category 4 hurricane that made landfall on Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. One Houston man who lost his home was Jeremiah Richard. He considers himself blessed despite living in a temporary one-bedroom apartment with his wife Sabrina and their two boys.

Jeremiah and his family were evacuated from their home via helicopter. Flood water had completely enveloped their home.

"We thank God," he said. "We thank God."

That sentiment in the face of adversity touched countless people. A GoFundMe account raised $60,000. Jeremiah says it helped his family and others.

"We got ourselves our vehicles back. We got clothes and things," he said. "And we also helped out other families and donated back to our church. We didn't need all of that money. So we could open our hearts and open our hands and say, 'Here you go,' without question."

God loves gratitude. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for everything in your life.

“If any one would tell you the shortest, surest way to all happiness, and all perfection, he must tell you to make a rule to yourself, to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you.” – William Law

God’s Word: “My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.” – Psalm 63:5

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

“Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.” – Psalm 148:13

While visiting New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Paul Baloche suggested that he and Glenn Packiam, a songwriter and associate pastor at New Life, connect for a writing session. "There really wasn't a place for us to meet except in the nursery," recalls Glenn. So, there they sat in the nursery, with a beautiful view of the mountains but with the very present smell of a church nursery.

Glenn shared with Paul a message that he'd given recently that was drawn from Psalm 65 about rediscovering awe and living in wonder. Then the two worshiped for a while. Glenn read the scripture and almost immediately, the song poured out. Though that was the first time the two had written together, it was the beginning of many writing sessions that would birth numerous new songs for the Church.

Let the name of Jesus always be present in your life. Today in prayer, give praise and thanks to Jesus, the name above all names.

“Your name

Is a strong and mighty tower

Your name

Is a shelter like no other

Your name

Let the nations sing it louder

'Cause nothing has the power to save

But Your name” – Paul Baloche and Glenn Packiam

God’s Word: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” – Psalm 8:9

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

"I will give thanks to you, LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds." – Psalm 9:1

In April 2022, an EF2 tornado hit Aiken County, Georgia.

“It still haunts me right now,” said Andrew Osuna-Perez. “I tried looking out the window. I saw debris flying everywhere. I was pretty much able to see the cone,” he said.

It would only be a matter of seconds before the tornado invaded his home.

“It had so much air in the house, it slung me to the living room. I pretty much see-sawed on my body,” said Osuna-Perez.

The strength of the storm pushed the home off its foundation by more than a foot.

“I was hoping the house would not collapse on me. I was praying, ‘please don’t let the house fall on top of me’,” he said.

He was able to get out with bruises and a dislocated shoulder, but the tornado was on its way to another building with his two-year-old daughter and mother-in-law.

“I was just praying for the best, making sure she was okay,” he said.

Everyone made it, but his home did not.

“I don’t wish this on nobody. We’ve got to figure out what we’re going to do, where we’re going to go. Hopefully, we can get the most help we can,” he said.

They have a long recovery ahead, but after an experience like this, Osuna-Perez is grateful everyone is alive.

“I really do thank God for everything,” he said.

No matter what comes your ways, thank God. Today in prayer, give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His mercies last forever.

“No matter what our circumstances, we can find a reason to be thankful.” –Dr. David Jeremiah

God’s Word: “I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.” – Psalm 86:12

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.” – 2 Corinthians 4:15

Housefires is a music community led by Nate Moore, Ryan Ellis, Kirby Kaple and Blake Wiggins.

The group was formed at Grace Midtown Church in Atlanta, Georgia with the mission of creating a spontaneous space for praise and becoming a safe haven for those who needed an outlet to be vulnerable. Through impromptu “Housefires And Friends” sessions, the group built its community out of many different types of people and spotlighted the stories of its members, whether joyful or mournful. The result is music that connects listeners to God and to the Housefires community at home, in a church or elsewhere.

In April 2023, they released the worship song “I Thank God”. It is a genre-spanning, uproarious song of thankfulness.

Let your thankfulness to God be continual in your life. Today in prayer, thank God for all that He has done for you.

“He picked me up, and turned me around

And placed my feet on solid ground

I thank the Master, I thank the Savior

Because He healed my heart and changed my name

Forever free, I am not the same

I thank the Master, I thank the Savior

I thank God” – Homefires

God’s Word: “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” – 1 Chronicles 16:34

In November of 2002, while in Jacksonville, Florida, to record a new album, John Mark McMillan received word that one of his closest childhood friends had died following a car accident. John Mark was devastated.

"I had pages of dialogue with God in the days that followed, some angry, mostly confused, but also I wrote a lot of songs," he says.

The first song from that season, much of it written the day after the accident, was the song "How He Loves." John Mark says the song was every bit a "tribute to a friend, a cry for understanding, and the worship that resulted from it all."

No matter what happens in this world, know that Jesus loves you. Today in prayer, worship the Lord and know that His love for you endures forever.

“Oh how He loves us

Oh, oh how He loves us

How He loves us

Oh.” – Henry Van Dyke

God’s Word: - “Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” – Psalm 106:1

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2019, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” – Psalm 100:4

On September 8, 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and 800 Spanish settlers founded the city of St. Augustine. As soon as they were ashore, the landing party planted a cross and celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving. Afterward, Menéndez laid out a meal to which he invited as guests the native Seloy tribe. The celebrant of the Mass was St. Augustine’s first pastor, Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales. What exactly the Seloy natives thought of those strange liturgical proceedings we do not know, except that, in his personal chronicle, Father Lopez wrote that “the Indians imitated all they saw done.”

What was the meal that followed? From our knowledge of what the Spaniards had on board their five ships, we can surmise that it was cocido, a stew made from salted pork and garbanzo beans, laced with garlic seasoning, and accompanied by hard sea biscuits and red wine. If the Seloy contributed to the meal from their own food stores, then the menu could have included turkey, venison, gopher tortoise, mullet, drum, sea catfish, maize (corn), beans, and squash.

This Thanksgiving Day, give thanks to the Lord throughout the day!

“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.” – Henry Van Dyke

God’s Word: - “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name.” – Hebrews 13:15

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2019, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

“Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” – Matthew 24:42

In late 1994, Robin Mark watched a recap of the year's news stories, including the horrific Rwandan genocide, and was struck by despair over the state of the world. As he prayed, he felt assurance that God was very much in control. But he also sensed that we are living in a season that would require Christians to be filled with integrity, taking a stand for God as Elijah had. Drawing from the Old Testament, he examined the virtues and attitudes we would need in such days - - Righteousness, Justice, Revival, Unity, Worship and Praise.

The end result was writing the praise song “Days of Elijah”.

"It is in essence a song of hope for the Church and the world in times of great trial," says Robin. "The chorus is the ultimate declaration of hope – Christ's return."

As you see the events of the world unfold, rejoice because Jesus will return! Today in prayer, worship Jesus for our hope is in Him.

“Behold, He comes riding on the clouds

Shining like the sun at the trumpet call

Lift your voice, the year of jubilee

And out of Zion's hill, salvation comes” – Robin Mark 

God’s Word: - “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” – Matthew 24:44

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2019, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” –  Philippians 1:3

In his book Gratitude Works, psychologist and Gratitude expert Robert Emmons begins by drawing an important connection between the practice of gratitude and memory. He also goes on to share how religions tend to help this process through “litanies of remembrance.” The sacraments in particular for the Christian tradition stand out, as Jesus states at the end of the words of institution for the Lord’s Supper: “Do this in remembrance of me.”

Gratitude is about remembering. If there is a crisis of gratitude in contemporary life, as some have claimed, it is because we are collectively forgetful. We have lost a strong sense of gratitude about the freedoms we enjoy, a lack of gratitude toward those who lost their lives in the fight for freedom, and a lack of gratitude for all the material advantages we have. Furthermore, we don’t even realize that we have become forgetful because we can’t ever remember being different.

The machinery in our minds that causes us to forget our benefits operates so seamlessly that we cannot detect its workings. However, grateful people draw on positive memories of being the recipients of benevolence, a giftedness that is neither earned nor deserved. This is why religious traditions are able to so effectively cultivate gratitude—litanies of remembrance encourage gratitude and religions do litanies very well. The scriptures, sayings, and sacraments-of-faith traditions inculcate gratefulness by drawing believers into a remembered relationship ness by drawing believers into a remembered relationship with a Supreme Being and with members of their faith community.

A French proverb states that gratitude is the memory of the heart. The memory of the heart includes the memory of those we are dependent on just as the forgetfulness of dependence is unwillingness or inability to remember the benefits provided by others. Do you want to be a grateful person? Then remember to remember.

Make it a habit to remember the good God has given to you. Today in prayer, thank Jesus for He is good.

“Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.” – Lionel Hampton

God’s Word: “I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers” – Philemon 1:4

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” – Psalm 95:2

The following is how the worship song “Lord Have Mercy” was created. Before the Berlin Wall came down, Steve Merkel spent time in Poland ministering with Catholic believers. It was a season that opened his heart to the beauty of liturgy and the richness of our shared faith. When he returned home, he often led worship at his local charismatic church on Sundays and at Catholic services during the week. Along the way, it became clear to Steve that both streams needed the other. So while working on a liturgical worship album for Integrity Music in the late 90s, Steve was inspired to write a "Kyrie for the Common Man".

"I dropped the bucket down into the well of my life and truly documented the things for which I needed the mercy of the Lord," said Steve. "'Lord Have Mercy' became the musical setting formed from the prayers that came up from that well."

The Lord is merciful, full of compassion. Today in prayer, return to Him and worship Him.

“Lord have mercy

Christ have mercy

Lord have mercy on me

Lord have mercy

Christ have mercy

Lord have mercy on me” – Steve Merkel

God’s Word: “I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.” – Psalm 69:30

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

“I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.” – Psalm 86:12

"Raise a Hallelujah" is a song written by Jonathan David Helser and Melissa Helser in 2018. The song was born out of a spontaneous moment in worship and prayer as the Helsers processed and responded to the news that Jaxon Taylor, the son of Bethel Music chief executive officer Joel Taylor, had contracted Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) which had been caused by an E. coli infection, and was in a life-threatening situation. Joel Taylor, in an interview with Faithwire, shared that Jonathan David Helser had then recorded what was an almost complete song and sent it to him, which he then played over Jaxon, who was lying in a hospital bed, from his phone repeatedly. Over time, Jaxon fully recovered from the sickness.

Give thanks to God in the storm. Today in prayer, worship the Lord knowing that He is Lord of all.

“I'm gonna sing In the middle of the storm

Louder and louder You're gonna hear my praises roar

Up from the ashes Hope will arise

Death is defeated The King is alive.” — Jonathan and Melissa Helser

God’s Word: “I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.” – Psalm 9:1

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2019, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

“I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.” – Psalm 7:17

Mr. Otha Anders, of Ruston, Louisiana, spent 45 years bending down and collecting something most of us ignore—pennies. In October of 2015, the 73-year-old Anders, a supervisor for in-school suspended children, took them to his local bank—in 15 five-gallon jugs—and deposited a grand total of $5,136.14 worth of pennies into his account. The bank's coin machines took five hours to count all the pennies.

But what's truly moving about this story isn't Anders' thriftiness; it's his thankfulness. Each new penny on the ground served as a prompt to give thanks to God. As Anders told reporters:

“I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful. There have been days where I failed to pray and more often than not, a lost or dropped penny would show up to remind me.”

During the Thanksgiving Season, don’t let your thanks to God be constrained to just one day.  Today in prayer, thank the Lord for all His blessings. 

“God, I thank You for all You have given me. I pray for Your continued blessings, provision, and protection.” – Stormie Omartian

God’s Word: “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;” – Psalm 92:1

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

“I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.” – Psalm 145:1

Marty Sampson tells the story behind the praise song “O Praise The Name (Anástasis)”. “One day Dean Ussher, Ben Hastings, and myself were writing and trying to come up with a song that really resonated and we got stuck. We took a break and grabbed a bite to eat at a place called ‘The Trinity’ (ironically). While we were there we began talking about the hymns and their timelessness, and how powerful many of those older songs are. How Great Thou Art, Amazing Grace (among others) were mentioned and we set out to write something which would be (as we say) ‘a tip of the hat’ to those inspirational songs.

We crafted the melody almost line by line, and tried to pay attention to the nuances of what the melody was doing as a whole once the lines were placed together as one stanza. We looked at the clock after what seemed like only minutes, and our time was up. One whole day, one verse melody. Not the greatest output for three competent songwriters!”

It would take two more days and the pressure to come up with a fresh Easter song to finish the song.

We need to disregard the clock when we enter into praising our Lord. Today in prayer, praise Jesus and know that we will be praising Him throughout eternity.

“O praise the Name of the Lord our God

O praise His Name forevermore

For endless days we will sing Your praise

Oh Lord oh Lord our God” – Marty Sampson

God’s Word: Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.” - Psalm 145:2

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

“Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.” - 1 Chronicles 16:9

In 2012, Kenneth Smith was a homeless man in Fort Worth, Texas. Without having anywhere to go, he sat outside an Outback Steakhouse, and that was when his life started to change.

A woman who left the restaurant spotted Kenneth and approached him. She asked if he was okay, and he answered her honestly that he was not okay. The kind-hearted woman then gave him a $100 gift card for Outback Steakhouse just so he could have a warm meal.

After he had a warm meal, Laura, the managing partner for the restaurant, said to him to come back anytime to have warm meals.

“I said, ‘Hey, I don’t ever want you to want for food or go hungry,'” Laura said.

After five months of coming in for some warm meals, Laura offered him a job at the restaurant. From being a homeless man sitting outside the steakhouse, Kenneth now works as a waiter.

However, the Lord’s blessing for Kenneth didn’t just end there. Wanting to help him find a place to stay, Laura posted on a Facebook group and generous strangers went the extra mile to help him get back on his feet again.

Many offered to pay for Kenneth’s six weeks stay at the nearby Extended Stay hotel. Others also gifted him over $2,200 cash, a bicycle for his transportation, clothes, kitchen items, and groceries.

In the recent interview, Kenneth praised God for his goodness and for giving him a new beginning in life.

“I think it’s so much of a good blessing,” Kenneth said. “And it’s wonderful just to have people these days that’ll do things for you. This is a whole new beginning that God has blessed me with.”

There is no end to God’s goodness. Today in prayer, praise the Jesus for He is good.

“The great thing, and the only thing, is to adore and praise God.” — Thomas Merton

God’s Word: “Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.” – Psalm 146:1-2

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING  †

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” – Psalm 19:1

In early 2023, Phil Wickham released the song “This Is Our God.” He said the following: “I love singing this song. When I sing it, it’s like I’m preaching to my own soul to remember and respond to all that Jesus has done for us. What an incredible story we have to tell of how God’s love, grace and faithfulness intersect with our lives in such huge and profound ways,” Wickham shared. “I’m praying…that you would know more of the depth and the width of His vast love for you. That He would bring to mind moments in your story where He was there protecting, providing, restoring and redeeming — maybe you didn’t even realize it until now. That you would worship with your whole heart, and He would increase your faith as you seek to worship and walk beside Him.”

God has not changed, He is the same yesterday, today and forever! Today in prayer, remember the greatness of Jesus and praise Him!

“He bore the cross, beat the grave

Let Heaven and Earth proclaim

This is our God, King Jesus- Phil Wickham

God’s Word: “The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Selah” - Psalm 50:6

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING  †

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."

All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"” – Revelation 7:9-12

In September 2021, Charity Gayle released her new album Endless Praise. The 12-song collection is a labor of love that took two-years in the making. The song “Endless Praise” expresses our hope and anticipation of life with our God in eternal worship. It invites the Congregation to join in singing from the first Chorus to the end.

Gayle shared: "All I can say is God is so so faithful, two years of pouring into this album and God gets ALL of the credit. I'll share more in depth how it all came to be very soon, but for now, the album is available for preorder. Thank You Jesus! 

When I say ALL of the glory belongs to the Lord. This has been a marathon of growth, pursuit, worship, and falling deeper in love with God. I'm so humbled. Honored."

In the busyness of today, pause now, and join the heavenly chorus and give endless praise to Jesus.

“What can we give you but endless praise?

The heavens roar as we shout

Your name is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

You are Lord” - Charity Gayle

God’s Word: “So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’” - John 12:13

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” - 1 Peter 1:3

In Junes 2023, Lydia Owens graduated valedictorian from Woodmont High School in Greenville, South Carolina. She shared her hardships and opened up about her faith in her graduation speech.

“No matter what your future holds, please remember that your life is so much more than how successful you are, even if you accomplish all of your dreams or none of them at all, you are still valuable and you are still good enough because you are made in the image of God,” Owens said.

In the three-minute speech, Lydia spoke on how her decade-long definition of success was redirected two years ago.

“I had that reality check almost two years ago when my mom passed away,” Owens said. “When tragedy struck my life, it wasn’t my grades nor my success that helped me navigate through that loss. When everything else in my life felt uncertain, the only person I could depend on was Jesus.”

Owens said her mom was her biggest inspiration in life.

“She always pushed me to be my best self and always encouraged me in my faith,” Lydia said. “She’s the reason that I have such a strong faith. She was the example of how to be a Godly woman and how to love people intentionally.”

When everything in life feels uncertain, know that Jesus is your living hope. Today in prayer, praise the Lord and let your hope be in Jesus.  

“Our world today so desperately hungers for hope, yet uncounted people have almost given up. There is despair and hopelessness on every hand. Let us be faithful in proclaiming the hope that is in Jesus.” -Billy Graham

God’s Word: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” – Romans 15:13

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” – Ephesians 1:3

In 2021, the Christian family group CAIN was on its first-ever tour. While on the tour bus, the realization of their dreams hit them and they looked at each other and kept saying: “I’m so blessed!”

Then they had some 80 shows canceled for various reasons. Then they would look at each other and say: “I’m so blessed”. But then realized they needed to make an attitude adjustment and to praise Jesus no matter what the situation was. They made a rough song demo and took it to their studio.

The studio saw the promise of the song and they were able to write it soon afterwards.

Taylor Cain Matz of CAIN wrote: “Take your focus and bring it out. Don’t worry about the circumstances, think about the fact that my hearts beating, I’m alive, I’m healthy, I have friends, family and I have Jesus in my heart. That’s what it’s all about. I’m so blessed.”

We have been so blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that you are so blessed.

“I’m so blessed, I’m so blessed

Got this heart beat in my chest

No it doesn’t matter about the rest

If I got You Lord I’m so blessed” - CAIN

God’s Word: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” – Numbers 6:24-26

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.” – Acts 16:25-26

In November 2019, Andrew Stewart was released from prison after serving 36 years. He was wrongfully convicted of murder as a teenager. "I really don't have the words to say, but I just thank God. It's surreal (to be released)," he said.

Stewart, along with Alfred Chestnut and Ransom Watkins, were all just 16-years-old when they were first imprisoned for the murder of Dewitt Duckett, age 14, on November 18, 1983, at Harlem Park Junior High School in Baltimore, Maryland.

Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Charles J. Peters declared all three men innocent and apologized for what happened to them.

“On behalf of the criminal justice system, and I’m sure this means very little to you, I’m going to apologize,” Judge Peters said.

Stewart's mother, Mary Stewart, also praised God.  “This is the first time I've been able to hug my son in about 20-some years. This is wonderful. God bless, God is good all the time, not sometimes, but all the time," she said.

Our God hears our prayers and our praise. Today in prayer, praise the Lord no matter where you are in life.

“O for a heart to praise my God,

A heart from sin set free,

A heart that always feels Thy blood

So freely shed for me.” – Charles Wesley

God’s Word: “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance” – Romans 5:3

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

“And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” – Colossians 1:18

In 1995, Paul Baloche and Lenny LeBlanc wrote the simple praise song “Above All”. It wouldn’t be until six years later that Michael W. Smith heard the tune.

Michael was to perform during the U.S. President George W. Bush's 2001 inaugural prayer service.

He remembers looking for the write songs to play: “"I knew the whole thing was going to be somewhat traditional. I was just trying to find something that leaned a little bit contemporary, but I couldn't find anything. So I started going through all these worship CDs I get in the mail. And then on the third CD I listened to, I ran across 'Above All.' I had never heard it. And I'll never forget going, 'That's what I'm singing in Washington.'"

It soon became a favorite of the President and of churches.  

Paul said:

"I'm humbled and blown away that a simple prayer of worship, started at my little piano, found its way to the President of the United States. The possibility that this song could be an encouragement to him is such an honor."

Are you feeling troubled? Look to the Lord and He will make you dwell in safety. Today in prayer, praise Jesus for when you are with Him, you are safe.

“Above all kingdoms

Above all thrones

Above all wonders the world has ever known

Above all wealth and treasures of the earth

There’s no way to measure what you’re worth” – Lenny Leblanc / Paul Baloche

God’s Word: “"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:9

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

“I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” – Malachi 3:6

The praise song “My God is Still the Same” was inspired by Malachi 3:6: “I, The LORD do not change." Dustin Lolli of Sanctus Real said: “We wrote this song right in the middle of the pandemic when nobody really knew what the future looked like. One of our co-writers asked what we felt we could say to the church at such a difficult moment, and it stirred something in us. 

Our nation and the church seemed so fear-riddled at the time, and I couldn’t help but think about the difficult things people had gone through all throughout history and how even in dark times we could still see the hand of God; and I thought, What has changed? So we wrote the song to remind people and the church that God is here—He hasn’t left—and the same God who did incredible things then, still does incredible things today!” 

During these turbulent times, praise the Lord for He still reigns. Today in prayer, know that Jesus is still the same – yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 

“When did He break His promise?

When did His kindness fail?

Never has, never will

My God is still the same”- Sanctus Real

God’s Word: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” - Hebrews 13:8

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

"‘But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? ‘Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” - Romans 9:20

John Florence Sullivan was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Irish Catholic parents. He took piano lessons at an early age and became a Vaudeville entertainer when he was 20 years old. He took the stage name Fred Allen and became a performer/comedian on Broadway, radio, and television.

Allen’s comedy routines whose style and substance influenced fellow comic talents, including Groucho Marx, Henry Morgan, and Johnny Carson; his fans included President Franklin D. Roosevelt, humorist James Thurber, and novelists William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and Herman Wouk.

One time, one of his scripts for his radio show was given back to Allen with significant changes in bright blue ink by his director. Allen began flipping through the pages impatiently. He bellowed: “Where were you fellows when the paper was blank?”

Who are we to criticize the Author of the universe? Today in prayer, confess any sin of criticism and praise the Lord for He is good.

“The most insanely daring thing that any man can do, the most exceedingly foolish thing any man can do, the most desperately wicked thing that any man can do, is to reply against God, to enter into controversy with God, to criticize God, to condemn God. Yet that is what many people are doing.” - R.A. Torrey

God’s Word: “You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘You did not make me’? Can the pot say to the potter, ‘You know nothing’?” - Isaiah 29:16

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." - Romans 1:21

Psychologists have concluded we are rarely thankful with how much we earn. Remarkably, studies show that most people, regardless of income, answer the question the same way: We need about 10% more to feel comfortable. Ten percent will make a difference, and whether we earn $30,000 per year or $60,000 or $250,000 or a cool million, just 10% more is what we want.

When people are asked the same question over time, Loyola Marymount University Professor Christopher Kaczor reports "when they do get that 10%, which typically happens over the course of a few years, they want just another 10%, and so on, ad infinitum." This reality prompted British psychoanalyst Joan Riviere to make the following observation: "by its very nature [greed] is endless and never assuaged; and by being a form of the impulse to live, it ceases only with death."

We need to be grateful for all the Lord has given us. Today in prayer, confess any sin of ingratitude and be thankful to the Lord.

“Ingratitude is always a kind of weakness. I have never seen that clever men have been ungrateful.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

God's Word: "People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy" - 2 Timothy 3:2

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2023, Devotional E-Mail

DEVOTIONS IN PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING †