BAPTIST CHURCH
Daily Devotions for a Loud World
I’m Pastor Rich Bitterman, pastor of Cedar Ridge Baptist Church in the Missouri Ozarks. I write short, Scripture-rich devotions for people trying to walk with God in a loud, angry and anxious world.
Some of these articles deal with grief, courage, forgiveness, fear, and the hope of Christ in real life. If one of them helps you, I’d be honored to send you a free devotion each morning.
Start with one of the featured readings below, then subscribe free to receive daily devotions in your inbox.
The Cross Still Offends
By Pastor Rich Bitterman
The bullet tore the air in half.
A folding chair rattled. A Bible dropped. A young man slumped sideways beneath a white event tent, eyes wide with the weight of eternity.
It was supposed to be a conversation. A “prove me wrong” segment. But this time, rebuttal came not with words, but with a rifle.
Charlie Kirk didn’t get to finish his sentence.
I got the news just before prayer meeting. I contemplated this death as I prepared to lead the saints in prayer. But I didn’t feel like praying. Not tonight. My hands were still. My mouth was ready. But my soul was pacing. Angry. Grieving. Tempted.
Tempted to grow quiet.
Tempted to sit this one out.
Tempted to wonder if any of this, faith, boldness, public gospel witness, is still worth it.
Because hatred in this country isn’t simmering anymore. It is boiling.
Europe is trembling. Israel is burning. Rockets lit the sky over Gaza again. And now, here on American soil, the blood of a Christian apologist paints the pavement of a university quad.
What do you do with that?
What do you say when courage gets gunned down in daylight?