Author Archives: chuckkralikauthor

Not spinach, but the Spirit of God “I pray that out of (God’s) glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” (Ephesians 3:16, NIV) Lessons from Popeye, the Sailor Man I was obsessed, as a kid, with the cartoon character Popeye. This man of the sea captivated myContinue reading “Where Does My Strength Come From?”

Made in the image of God… “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27, NIV) I loved using crayons as a small child. There was something about the way they stood at attention in their yellow and green cardboardContinue reading “Create!”

Exploring the depths of God’s love… “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” (Psalm 42:7, NIV) As a child, I spent most of my summer vacation at the local swimming pool. I loved to wade in the safe and comfortable waters of theContinue reading “Deep Calls to Deep”

Mary, Martha, and the business of busy(ness) “…(Mary) sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.” (Luke 10:39, NIV) It must have been frustrating for Martha, the sight of her sister Mary just sitting there at the feet of Jesus, not doing a thing to help out. I can almost picture Martha rushingContinue reading “Intentional Inefficiency”

The amazing attributes of a God who cares “For this is what the high and exalted One says, – he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly andContinue reading “High and Low”

What an older woman taught me about Jesus Listen to my podcast of this devotion here. “Come near to God and he will come near to you…” (James 4:8, NIV). I dated young. I was but ten years old, a dashing adolescent male in the fourth grade, going about my day-to-day business when I gotContinue reading “Going Steady”

My dad could fix anything, almost. Listen to my podcast of this devotion here. “…having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; (Jesus) has taken it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14, NIV). From my childhood perspective, my dad could fix anything.  A carpenter by tradeContinue reading “Hammer and Nails”

Perspective, wisdom, and the changing nature of faith “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” (1 Corinthians 13:11, NIV) God in far-away places To say that my childhood view ofContinue reading “All Grown Up, Mostly”

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…” (Ephesians 2:1, NIV). There are many expressions used to describe death. The more polite and appropriate ones include “at rest” and “departed”. Among the more insensitive are “pushing up daisies”, “bought the farm”, and “six feet under”. One of the expressions for death IContinue reading “Dead as a Doornail”

“…to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21, NIV). In his bestselling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey offers several best practices of leadership. Principles such as “Be Proactive”, “Begin With the End in Mind”, and “Sharpen the Saw” instruct the reader on how to excel inContinue reading “To Live and To Die”