Prayer for the Week: As the Psalms proclaim, you are the giver of inward peace. O Gentle and Compassionate God, you are the One who mends relationships and heals the fractured places of life. Whether it is confession of our own sinfulness or the sorrowful cry when we have been wounded by others, you are there. Allow your Spirit to spill over us; allow your Spirit to be
Scripture: Leviticus 5:5-6 …at that point, when you have become guilty of sin in one of these ways, you must confess how you have sinned and bring to the LORD as compensation for the sin that was committed a female from the flock, either a sheep or goat, as a purification offering. The priest will then make reconciliation for you, to remove your sin. Thought for the Day:
Scripture: Proverbs 14:12 There is a path that may seem straight to someone, but in the end it is a path to death. Thought for the Day: Staying with Proverbs 14 for one more day – Even the best of us have moved forward confidently only to discover that the path we chose was not the best path. I think of that when it comes to both the
Scripture: Proverbs 14:6 A mocker searches for wisdom and gets none, but knowledge comes quickly to the intelligent. Thought for the Day: Sticking with Proverbs 14, I am struck by the common sense of these words. And if they are so basic and full of common sense, why did the author even need to reference them? I think the answer comes when we take a deep breath and
Scripture: Proverbs 14:4 When there are no oxen, the stall is clean, but when there is a strong bull, there is abundant produce. Thought for the Day: I must confess how much I like this Proverb. We can have a perfectly clean life assuming we don’t include anyone else or bring in anything that is really necessary for life. I like what the author, Brené Brown, writes about
Scripture: Exodus 20:8-10 Remember the Sabbath day and treat it as holy. Six days you may work and do all your tasks, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. Do not do any work on it—not you, your sons or daughters, your male or female servants, your animals, or the immigrant who is living with you. Thought for the Day: The Formula One
Scripture: Acts 13:47 This is what the Lord commanded us: I have made you a light for the Gentiles, so that you could bring salvation to the end of the earth. Thought for the Day: Paul and Barnabas offered these words to the Gentiles, and though the “us” could be Paul and Barnabas or everyone who was there, the point remains the same – we have been made
Prayer for the Week: An invitation was given by Jesus: Come, all who are thirsty. In him, we shall taste the living waters. O Fount of Every Blessing, we cup our hands and draw cool and life-sustaining water to our lips. In the same fashion, we reach into the reservoir of your gifts and draw forth all that will sustain us. Too often we postpone or fail
Scripture: 1st Samuel 1:10 Hannah was very upset and couldn’t stop crying as she prayed to the LORD. Thought for the Day: I came across a number of images and paintings depicting this scene from 1st Samuel. In each case, Hannah was kneeling, and she was looking up toward heaven with her hands clasped in a very holy posture. She looks so reverent and proper. Religious art seems
Scripture: Psalm 107:4-6 Some of the redeemed had wandered into the desert, into the wasteland. They couldn’t find their way to a city or town. They were hungry and thirsty; their lives were slipping away. So they cried out to the LORD in their distress, and God delivered them from their desperate circumstances. Thought for the Day: Last August, Mick Ohman got lost in the Arizona desert. With