Scripture: Ephesians 5:20 …always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ… Thought for the Day: This is the core verse for our current worship series, and Sunday morning, I talked about the importance of making gratitude more than the occasional thought. And though it might have seemed strange to some, the key to the sermon was gratitude for those
Prayer for the Week: Our voices join together as we give thanks for All the Saints. Sisters and brothers, from generation to generation, have provided a witness to your magnificent and transformative love. There are so many, O Lord of Life, who have shared stories of the faith; modeled generosity beyond measure; revealed forgiveness
Scripture: Mark 12:13-14 They sent some of the Pharisees and supporters of Herod to trap Jesus in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you’re genuine and you don’t worry about what people think. You don’t show favoritism but teach God’s way as it really is. Does the Law allow people to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay taxes or
Scripture: Mark 12:7-8 But those tenant farmers said to each other, “This is the heir. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” They grabbed him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. Thought for the Day: This is the continuation of the parable that was referenced in yesterday’s devotional. The Landowner sent back three servants to collect his share of the money yearned from
Scripture: Mark 12:1 Jesus spoke to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the winepress, and built a tower. Then he rented it to tenant farmers and took a trip…” Thought for the Day: Like many of you, I love the parables of Jesus. This one, like most, begins in a very casual, dull and uneventful way. One
Scripture: Isaiah 57:14 It will be said: “Survey, survey; build a road! Remove barriers from my people’s road!” Thought for the Day: I have never personally built a road, but it would be my guess that without the proper knowledge or tools such a task would be challenging…maybe impossible. There are many roads associated with faith – the road to God; the road toward reconciliation; the road beyond
Scripture: Judges 13:6 Then the woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and he looked like God’s messenger—very scary! I didn’t ask him where he was from, and he didn’t tell me his name…” Thought for the Day: The story of Samson’s birth is a fascinating story, and it includes a heavenly visitor who spoke to Samson’s mother (an important, yet one
Thoughts: I preached on Sunday, though I felt numb and a bit detached from the worship experience. In the events of this past week, events that seemed to be in competition with one another to see who could be most disruptive and damaging, I found myself doing a Google search for old Far Side Cartoons. At first, the connection was not made. The words “Far Side Cartoons” were
Prayer for the Week: There are signs and wonders and miracles all around us! Faith invites us to connect such happenings to you, O God whose love is powerful and transformative. Yet what keeps us from naming such signs and wonders and miracles is a skewed perception that requires someone standing from a wheelchair or dancing away from crutches. For this reason, we unknowingly disregard the simple, but
Scripture: Acts 12:9 Following the angel, Peter left the prison. However, he didn’t realize the angel had actually done all this. He thought he was seeing a vision. Thought for the Day: This morning, I will be preaching from Acts 12. We will be talking about miracles, and God’s invitation for us to participate. What I like about this verse is the confusion Peter is experiencing. Peter had