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Your Summer Reading List July 8, 2026 Devotional

by Chris Woodard on July 08, 2026

Your Summer Reading List July 8, 2026 Devotional

3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my accuser.’
Luke 18:3


The second character we meet is the widow. At the time and in the culture of which Jesus was present, widows were one of the most vulnerable people. It was not due to their own inability to navigate the world, rather it was the way in which this culture functioned at this particular time. Therefore, it was up to the community to care, protect, and provide for the widow. In fact this was such a priority for the people of God that James asserts, ‘Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.’ (James 1:27)

Has there been a time in your life, maybe now, where you experienced
the life of a ‘widow’?

Has God placed a ‘widow’ in your life to come alongside?

About the Author
Chris Woodard

Chris began his service at Valley Presbyterian in Church in 2007 as the Director of Student Ministries. In his thirteen years of ministry, he has expanded his role to work with VPC Mission and Outreach, Worship, and Men’s Ministry.

In 2019, Chris was ordained at VPC and currently serves as pastor of Mission and Community Engagement, where he finds passion in helping people identify their true purpose in Jesus Christ through service to others. Chris considers it a true joy and privilege to be part of the community.

Raised in Tucson as part of a wonderful church community at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, he graduated from the University of Arizona with a BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology- "Bear Down!" He completed his seminary work and earned a Master of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary.

Chris is married to his dream girl Brianna and they just gave birth to their first son Max.

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