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
The Battle of the Malovent Stink Bug
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makes me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8
Last summer, I woke up one morning feeling great. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. My husband Jack was grumpy. When I handed him his cup of coffee, he asked me, “How did you sleep?”
“Oh, I slept great,” I replied. “How did you sleep?”
“Terrible.”
About one o’clock in the morning, Jack woke up, as he will often do. So he turned on the light to read. At that point, he noticed a stink bug on top of the blanket, on my side of the bed, making its way to my face.
Being the great defender of hearth and home that he is, Jack launched into action. He reached over to flick the evil stink bug off me. But the wicked critter refused to be flicked away so easily. Instead of letting himself be ejected from the bed, he jumped up and landed back on the covers, closer to my face, and proceeded with his mission of doing whatever it is that bugs do to sleeping women in the middle of the night.
So, Jack rebounded with yet another attack. Once again, the dastardly stink bug refused to leave our bed. So then, my daring husband decided to step up his defense of his wife by swatting at the bug with his book. But this time, the malicious bug was ready, he simply dodged the book and landed up near my face. Before Jack could cut him off, the bugger slipped under the covers to have his way with me.
Refusing to give up in defeat, Jack threw back the covers and launched a full-scale assault against the malevolent stink bug. With both hands he was slapping and hitting the little night stalker, while fully aware that one missed strike could result in injuring me, or worse, waking me up from a very pleasant night’s sleep.
Meanwhile, I was dreaming about chasing a butterfly through a beautiful meadow.
Eventually, Jack realized that the evil little bugger was gone. But where, he did not know. He looked all over the bed but couldn’t find it. Satisfied that it was not on me, he covered me up again and lay down to wonder about two things: 1) where did that stink bug go, and 2) how did she sleep through all that?
He didn’t slip back to sleep until the sun started to come up.
God does protect each one of us in the same way, even when we don’t know that we are in danger—twenty-four-seven whether it be against Satan or malevolent stink bugs.
Thank you for your protection, and your constant watch over us, even when we are totally oblivious of being in danger. Amen.
“Oh, I slept great,” I replied. “How did you sleep?”
“Terrible.”
About one o’clock in the morning, Jack woke up, as he will often do. So he turned on the light to read. At that point, he noticed a stink bug on top of the blanket, on my side of the bed, making its way to my face.
Being the great defender of hearth and home that he is, Jack launched into action. He reached over to flick the evil stink bug off me. But the wicked critter refused to be flicked away so easily. Instead of letting himself be ejected from the bed, he jumped up and landed back on the covers, closer to my face, and proceeded with his mission of doing whatever it is that bugs do to sleeping women in the middle of the night.
So, Jack rebounded with yet another attack. Once again, the dastardly stink bug refused to leave our bed. So then, my daring husband decided to step up his defense of his wife by swatting at the bug with his book. But this time, the malicious bug was ready, he simply dodged the book and landed up near my face. Before Jack could cut him off, the bugger slipped under the covers to have his way with me.
Refusing to give up in defeat, Jack threw back the covers and launched a full-scale assault against the malevolent stink bug. With both hands he was slapping and hitting the little night stalker, while fully aware that one missed strike could result in injuring me, or worse, waking me up from a very pleasant night’s sleep.
Meanwhile, I was dreaming about chasing a butterfly through a beautiful meadow.
Eventually, Jack realized that the evil little bugger was gone. But where, he did not know. He looked all over the bed but couldn’t find it. Satisfied that it was not on me, he covered me up again and lay down to wonder about two things: 1) where did that stink bug go, and 2) how did she sleep through all that?
He didn’t slip back to sleep until the sun started to come up.
God does protect each one of us in the same way, even when we don’t know that we are in danger—twenty-four-seven whether it be against Satan or malevolent stink bugs.
Thank you for your protection, and your constant watch over us, even when we are totally oblivious of being in danger. Amen.
Lauren Carr
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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