Category Archives: Christian Devotions

Picking Strawberries on the First Wednesday in June

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Doc Arnett

A flush crop of strawberries and a couple of neighbors transform a dull evening into a bright time of simple sharing. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Farming, food, Gardening, Nature, Poetic Contemplations, Poetry, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged childhood memories, Doniphan County KS, Matt Boos, neighbors, ripe berries, sharing, spring, strawberries | Comments Off

A Prayer of Praise and Penitence

Posted on May 26, 2025 by Doc Arnett

A prayer of confession, of praise and penitence, for revival and renewal. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Prayer, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged adoration of God, confession, penitence, praise, renewal, sin | Comments Off

Berry Pickin’

Posted on May 14, 2025 by Doc Arnett

In spite of very strict rules forbidding such, my mom used to wear pants when she’d go blackberry picking back in the Fifties and Sixties. It was, I think, a wonderful application of the concept Jesus taught when he said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

But she did wear a dress over the pants! Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Family, Farming, food, Gardening, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged berry picking, blackberries, family, farm life, Fifties, grace, judgment, Kentucky, mercy, religious rules, Sixties, tradition, west Kentucky, women wearing men's clothing | Comments Off

Irises

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Doc Arnett

Tender moments, quiet conversation, true worship… and irises. Shared beauty. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Family, Gardening, Metaphysical Reflection, Nature, Poetic Contemplations, Prayer, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation, Worship | Tagged art, beauty, flowers, Freed-Hardeman College, garden, gardening, irises, memory, moments, nature, paintings, peace, prayer, wet on wet technique, worship | Comments Off

The Brother We Never Knew

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Doc Arnett

My oldest brother lived only a few hours. For fifty years, he was un-named and lay in a tiny grave marked only by a small metal marker that said, “Arnett-Infant Son.” Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Christian Devotions, Death & Dying, Family, Poetic Contemplations, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged anniversary of death, Arnett, baby grave, Charlie Arnett, family, grief, infant death, life, loss, love, marker, Reuben Arnett, Ruby Arnett, siblings, sorrow, west Kentucky | Comments Off

Black Sabbath-II

Posted on April 19, 2025 by Doc Arnett

A reflection on the hopelessness the disciples experienced on the day after the death of the Messiah… and before his promised resurrection. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Death & Dying, Poetic Contemplations, Poetry, Resurrection/Return, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged after the burial, aloneness, before the resurrection, day of mouring, death of Christ, death of Jesus, despair, faith, grief, heartache, mourning, promise, prophecy | Comments Off

Tornado Warnings

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Doc Arnett

Having three sons and their families living in a small town with a report of “tornado on the ground” sure made my Papa Meter redline! Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Family, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged danger, deserve, faith, John Wesley Bray, mercy, Murray, Murray KY, news, outbreak, storms, tornado, tornado warning, weather | Comments Off

The Two-Legged Turtle

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Doc Arnett

A little farm kid finds something unusual in a tiny pond and learns that good intentions don’t always lead to good results. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Death & Dying, Farming, Nature, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation, suffering | Tagged caring, motivation, motives, nature, painted turtle, pond, racoon, red-eared turtle, travel, turtle, turtles, west Kentucky, wildlife | Comments Off

The Intimate Love of God

Posted on March 31, 2025 by Doc Arnett

Sixty seconds of comfort, encouragement; a reminder of God’s intimate knowledge and love. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Christian Living, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged God has counted, God's knowledge, God's love, we are made of dirt | Comments Off

The Shadow of Abe Lincoln & Jeff Davis

Posted on March 28, 2025 by Doc Arnett

Sorting through our own history should involve careful judgment and deliberate appreciation. Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Devotions, Family, Farming, Relationships, Spiritual Contemplation | Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Civil War, Confederacy, grace, Jefferson Davis, judgment, Kentucky, legacy, mercy, personal history, South, southern, west Kentucky, writing | Comments Off