Caring Hands Thrift Shop

08/11/2026

08/11/2026

Read 2 Timothy 2:1-13 - Unchained By God

Bulgarian lifeguard Yane Petkov won a world record for swimming with his hands and feet tied together. He swam 3,380 meters through the water but added something to intensify the challenge—he wrapped his body in a sack.

The patience and strength required to keep moving despite being so “tied up” amazes me. The apostle Paul also displayed rugged resistance to obstacles as he served God in the days of the early church. Despite facing fatigue, hunger, sleeplessness, and beatings, Paul continued to preach and write letters of encouragement and instruction to his fellow believers.

Paul penned his last letter to Timothy when he was isolated in a Roman prison, awaiting ex*****on. Although shackles restricted his body, he noted that the good news could not be “chained” (2 Timothy 2:9). “Therefore,” Paul said, “I endure everything” to give others the chance to hear and accept the truth about Jesus Christ (v. 10).

God can help us endure any kind of difficulty that stands in the way of serving Him. Physical limitations such as illness, injuries, and disabilities require care and attention, but they can’t ultimately surpass God’s power, which is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Let’s give God the glory when He works through us to do things we cannot do on our own.

Jennifer Benson Schuldt

What’s your greatest area of struggle as you consider serving God? How does He want to help you cope with the frustration that comes from your limitations?

Dear God, I lay down my pride and ask for Your help to bring glory to Your name.

08/10/2026

We’re clearing the shelves of clear glassware 🥛 this week with clearly great savings! 🤑 Thru Saturday, 8/15.

08/10/2026

Read 2 Kings 6:9-17 - God Watching Over Us

The angels were there all along, but no one alive had seen them. They adorned the walls of the Old North Church in Boston, looking down from on high, but they’d been covered with layers of paint more than a century ago. Church records indicated a contract with a member of the congregation to paint them in 1730 when the church was undergoing construction. A recent restoration project that commenced in 2017 led to the discovery of the angels.

Scripture speaks of supernatural beings—real, not painted—that were present when others were not aware. On one occasion, the prophet Elisha was surrounded by the army of the king of Aram. When his servant saw the hostile forces, he cried out, “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:15). “ ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them’ ” (v. 16). Elisha prayed for his servant’s eyes to be opened, and “he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (v. 17).

Angels are “ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14), messengers of God sent to help us. We may or may not see them, but they’re there because God has more ways of watching over us than we can imagine. And that should cause us to praise Him, like the angels do.

James Banks

How does it help you to know God watches over you? How can you thank Him for His goodness today?

Thank You for watching over me today, dear Father. Please help me to walk closely with You.

08/09/2026

Read Romans 12:3-8 - Sharing Our Spiritual Gifts

“You’re good at playing the guitar,” I said to a new friend at church. “Thanks,” he said. “That’s my ministry.” There was that word again. Ministry. I didn’t know what that was or how someone “got” a ministry. But my friend was simply using the musical ability he’d been given to serve others. When I later discovered that one of my gifts was exhortation, or encouragement, I was a bit disappointed. It felt too plain. But soon I realized that as the care leader of our small group, I delighted in writing encouraging notes or calling our members. I’d been using one of my spiritual gifts without even knowing it.

As believers in Jesus, we’re each given spiritual gifts to serve in the church (1 Corinthians 12:6). Sometimes we don’t know what they are, so we simply serve where there’s need. The Holy Spirit will do the rest (vv. 4-6, 8-11).

Just as our human body has many parts with different functions, in Christ, “we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us” (Romans 12:5-6). Teaching, encouraging, giving, and showing mercy are just some of the spiritual gifts mentioned in the passage from the book of Romans (vv. 6-8). Whatever spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit entrusts us with, let’s use them to serve others in the church—the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27).

Nancy Gavilanes

What’s one of your spiritual gifts? How can you use it to bless others?

Dear God, please help me use my spiritual gifts to serve others.

08/08/2026

Read Matthew 26:20-30 - The Holy Grail

For centuries, people have been fascinated by the Holy Grail—the cup Jesus drank from at the Last Supper. The legends surrounding King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table detail their obsession over the search for the cup. They believed it had magical powers. In film, Indiana Jones and his father, Henry, fulfilled Henry’s lifelong pursuit of the Grail.

While this makes for fascinating storytelling, the truth is much more straightforward. The cup itself has no special powers. The real power is found in what it represents. Matthew describes the scene in the upper room the night before Jesus went to the cross: “Then [Jesus] took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’ ” (26:27-28). The cup is a picture of the blood that Jesus would shed on our behalf.

John the Baptist introduced Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Hebrews 9:22 tells us, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” And Paul wrote that Christ himself is “our Passover lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. How thankful we are for the shed blood of our Savior, the Lamb!

Bill Crowder

What does it mean for you to celebrate Communion? How do you express your thanks for the sacrifice Jesus made for you?

Loving Father, left to myself I would be forever lost. Thank You for the provision of Your Son and His willingness to go to the cross in my place.