Christian Devotional, Inspirational Personal Testimonies
Date Published: 11-15-2025
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Everyday moments become sacred altars where God meets you.
Do you sometimes wish you could hear from God? Do you feel like you are
too insignificant for Him to care about your daily battles with loneliness,
grief, change, and doubts?
God talks to each of us – from the young husband and father who
accidentally torched his home, to the claustrophobic pastor making her way
through a historic tunnel in Israel, to the mystery author having a close call
with a stink bug.
God can speak to us through that soft voice inside your head; or the
perfect words for your circumstance uttered on Sunday morning; or He can come
to you in a powerful revelation.
Turn your doubts into divine encounters. Discover how God is speaking to
you today through these 101 inspirational faith stories. These stories will
transform your doubts into powerful encounters with God’s grace, guiding
you to find Him in unexpected places.
UNEXPECTED ALTARS is a collection of stories of faith from real people,
just like you, who have experienced God’s grace and presence in their
lives. Their authors pray that this Christian devotional will inspire your
daily spiritual life. Each story is a powerful reminder that God meets us
right where we are—building altars of worship in the ordinary and the
extraordinary. Perfect for daily devotion, small group discussion, or personal
encouragement.
Start your journey to find God in the unexpected! Order UNEXPECTED
ALTARS today!
Excerpt
Achieving Success
“The Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken.”
Psalms 16:8
I will probably never forget that evening over fourteen years ago. I sat on the edge of the bed in our bedroom having been released from my job of over twenty years. I was hurt and dejected for sure. But my wife entered the room and sat next to me. I figured she would be filled with anxiety and question how we were going to move forward as far as finances and family. She simply sat next to me, looked at me, and said the most unlikely thing. She said, “I’m glad this happened. I’m so happy and relieved.” I was shocked. I now was the one wanting to ask questions. First, “Are you crazy? Did you hear what I said? I’m no longer employed.” But she did hear me clearly and was genuine in her words to me.
I was both blindsided and blind. My family had been longing for me to make them a greater priority in my life. I thought that the dedication to my career and long hours away from them was my proof to them that they were just such a priority. But I was very wrong.
My wife said something to me that evening that I truly had to pause and reflect upon in order to believe. She said, “I’m glad this happened. Now we can make career decisions that allow you to spend more time with us as a family”. I explained to her that while that was a very kind and gracious thing to say, it did not provide the financial security or means to provide for our family.
She disagreed. She stated that I had spoken often about beginning a small business at some point. To her, it was no question; that time was now. We talked hours that evening about our family, our goals, and…..our faith in God. My wife reminded me that God is with us every step of our journey.
As I write this today, our small business turns thirteen years old, as our daughters turn eighteen and sixteen respectively. In addition, God added more blessings. My brother in law and best friend are both owners of this business as well. A crossroads decision based on faith, hope, love, and trust in God was made that night, thirteen years ago.
The world measures “success” in dollar signs and material wealth. I believe that God’s measure for us is far from that. We are called to serve, not be served. We are called to fellowship, worship, and spend time with those we love. God promises to provide what we “need” in our lives, not what we “want”. The irony in all of this is that when He opens our eyes to His guidance, we find that what we needed is truly what we wanted all along… Him…. Immanuel, God with us.
Father, your provision for us is amazing. It doesn’t always come in the form we expect, but it is enough. We thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Brian Greenfield
UNEXPECTED ALTARS: MEETING GOD IN EVERYDAY MOMENTS is an anthology
written by multiple authors, edited by JoAnne Alexander, and published by
Lauren Carr for Oakland Community Church, a non-denominational church located
in Charles Town, West Virginia.
All royalties from this devotional book will be donated to the building fund
for Oakland Community Church's new building. Oakland's goal is to design a
biophilic building that takes advantage of the beauty of our Jefferson County
location.
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