Tuesday’s Devotion: That Special Ring

John 10:27 My sheep respond to my voice, and I know who they are. They follow me, and I give them eternal life.

I’m at the nail salon. Someone’s cell phone rings and three other people reach for their phones.  One woman says, “I have the same ring.”  We reach for our phones because we know the sound of their ring.  Some people in my contact list have their own unique ringtone.  When these friends or family members call, I make every effort to answer immediately.  Their calls are a priority.  Jesus uses the metaphor of the Good Shepherd and his sheep.  He says the sheep knows the sound of his voice and respond to it.  He says they will not follow the voice of a stranger.  Perhaps that’s how we know which flock we are in.  Whose voice holds the strongest attraction for us? Only one shepherd can offer eternal life. I hope I never miss that call!

Gracious God, blessed are those who hear your call.  We confess that sometimes we get distracted by other rings.  Forgive us our inattention and keep drawing us towards you. We ask in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Monday’s Devotion: A Walk We ALL Need to Take

2 Timothy 3:15-17 (CEB )  15 Since childhood you have known the holy scriptures that help you to be wise in a way that leads to salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus. Every scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing mistakes, for correcting, and for training character, so that the person who belongs to God can be equipped to do everything that is good.

After several rainy weeks, I walked just under 25 miles this past week.  I could walk on my treadmill when it rains but I really don’t like it.  I told Joe yesterday afternoon as we walked that I like the wind in my face and the change of scenery.  However my outside walks just like my treadmill walks don’t really get anywhere. My phone app shows a map of each walk and while they differ and meander here and there, somehow they always make a circle back home. 

A few years ago I came across the Walk through the Bible study program.  It, like many others is designed to help people gain a deeper understanding of God’s Word.  While I’m in and out of scripture every day, Monday’s are a day of more intense and intentional study.  My partners are the writings of highly regarded pastors, theologians and commentators.  But my best partner is an observant and inquisitive mind.  For example I wondered why the first exorcism Jesus performed according to Mark took place inside the Synagogue. What word might that have for churches today?  When I walk through scriptures, I feel like I really do get somewhere.  I come away a better person because scripture has touched me in a new way and maybe opened up new directions for further exploration.  At any rate I hope others will take up this kind of daily walk, too.

Creator God, Thank you for the richness and instruction of your Living Word.  I pray we will all continue to study and learn that we too may be better equipped to do everything that is good.  And Lord, help us to then actually do what is good.  In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Friday’s Devotion: Lowering Our Center of Gravity

Modified and used 8-27-20

Philippians 3:14 (NLT)  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

I’m reading a very good nonfiction book, Following Atticus by Tom Ryan.  Ryan is a small town Massachusetts newspaper editor.  Overweight and out of shape he decides of all things to climb all forty eight of New Hampshire’s four-thousand-foot peaks.  And to make this more unlikely he’s accompanied by his miniature schnauzer, Atticus M. Finch.  Turns out that Atticus is a natural hiker and loves it even in the winter snow where he wears mukluk booties and a body coat.  Ryan writes when snow covers the trail, Atticus instinctively follows the cairn trail markers.  When they meet heavy winds in the exposed areas above the tree lines, Atticus lowers his center of gravity, ducks his head and presses on toward the summit.  He likes to lead and never turns around to go back until he’s reached the top no matter how tough the going.   

I know that sometimes when I run I find myself lowering my center of gravity.  It gives me more power. When riding horses, having a lower center helps the horse move better. To lower the center of gravity makes extremities become less important. On a spiritual level, when we make God our center of gravity then superfluous things in our lives also become less important.  We become more stable and can better withstand the winds of life that buffet us.  It takes a little visualization and practice to lower one’s center of gravity physically and spiritually but you’ll get the hang of it soon.   

Heavenly Father, we ask that you continue to help us to press on toward the prize.  Show us what is important and give us the strength and guidance to make it through the joyous and tough times.  We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thursday’s Devotion – It Really Isn’t All About Me (or You!)

Philippians 2:3-4  (CEB)  Don’t do anything for selfish purposes but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others.

When Joe and I married we evolved into a real partnership.  We shared the responsibilities of home, family and earning an income.  We were rarely apart and over the years became even closer. When I decided I wanted a horse, we both took lessons, we both bought horses, we trained, rode and showed together.  We worshipped and sang in the choir together and took Lay Speaking classes together.  Then, I received the call to ministry and life began to revolve around me.  I left my job to return to school and then seminary.  I received an appointment which put even more demands on my schedule.  Joe supported me in so many ways. Now where we worship, how we order our days, when we travel and even where we live revolves around me.  I sometimes struggle with that. It bothers Joe a lot less than me. 

I try to get a good walk / run in every morning when the weather is good.  I’m sometimes torn between stopping to speak to people and reaching my goal.  Yesterday morning I decided to put others before my run and to see what happens.  Instead of blowing past my neighbor Pascal walking his dog, I slowed down and strolled with him.  I stopped to chat with a 92 year old neighbor, Evelyn.  Then I saw my next door neighbors’ dog out of their fence.  It took a while to rouse Kyle who works the night shift.  Kyle decided that he and Jake would join me on my walk. I did get almost 5 miles in eventually. Sometimes I am self centered, but I believe our lives are so much better when we find that me/others balance; when we make life about us with God right in the center.

Thank you Lord for the good neighbors I have.  Thank you for the opportunity to spend time with and lift up others.  Help us all to find balance between fulfilling our needs and caring for others.  We ask in the name of the One who gave his all for all. Amen.

Wednesday’s Devotion: When You Can’t Play Catch-up

2 Peter 3:9 (CEB)  The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives.

This past week I watched two TV series that were new to me. For whatever reason, I hadn’t watched them before. One is in its 2^nd season, the other in its first.  I liked them both a lot and now I’m wanting to catch up with the series and watch previous episodes. I hope to find them online or On Demand.  I can at least enjoy them moving forward. I thought how that might relate to finding God.  According to this scripture God is patient and always willing to save the one who turns to him, no matter how late in life. I know there are some people who do not believe in God and do not expect anything after death.  I believe they will get much more than they expected one way or the other! Others believe in God but put off making a decision for salvation until finally their need for God outweighs their resistance to God.  Even though we can come to God late in life, unlike with TV series, there is no catching up.  People miss the blessings a relationship with God brings in this lifetime.  They miss so much.  We rejoice if they come to eternal life, but is that really the more important thing? Or is the more important thing coming into the Kingdom now and becoming part of the body of Christ, carrying on his work in this world?  I vote for the latter. 

God of Heaven, We pray that you would continue to draw all to you.  We pray for those who don’t yet know the joy of being a part of your family and of having Christ as Lord and Savior. Thank you for blessing us with your love and grace.  Thank you for your patience.  In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Tuesdays Devotion: A Winter Surprise

Romans 15:4   For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

It had really been a rainy, dreary week!  I don’t remember the last time I emptied my rain gauge but yesterday it measured 10 inches of rain.  Even when it wasn’t really raining yesterday, the air was thick and wet. My roses and snapdragons have finally stopped blooming.  Everything in the front yard is brown except for one surprise in the flowerbed in front of the carport.  A few days ago I went out and found a yellow daffodil in full bloom.  It actually has three blooms and another bud about ready to open.  I thought about hope and I thought about the trinity.  Even when winter looks drab and dead, we know from the past that soon plants and trees will begin to bloom again.  When things don’t seem to be going well in our lives, perhaps we can look to God’s faithfulness in the past.  As the flowers spring eternal so does hope.  Life is in a cycle.  We can take hope in the thought that whatever the situation, this too shall pass. 

Great is your faithfulness O Lord.  When winter comes and takes away all that seems to be vibrant, we know that soon and very soon signs of beauty will return.  And we know that the world around us is not dead, it is just at rest and in your kairos time things will change once more, according to your will. May this be with our lives, also.  Amen.

Monday’s Devotion: Be Still and Know

Psalm 46:10  He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

It was late fall and I was on yet another Appalachia Service Project trip with our group from Briarcliff UMC.  We had worked hard all day and returned to the center stiff and bone tired. We were the first of our two teams back that day and hurried to get showers and change into clean clothes so the showers would be free when the others returned. We gathered on the long front porch in rocking chairs waiting for our friends and for dinner.  The center leader’s yellow lab, Pax lay beside us.  We all sat there for 20 to 30 minutes with no one saying a word – just complete silence and peace.  Painted on the porch beam overhead were these words. “Be still and know.”

Thomas Merton wrote, “The deepest level of communication is not communication, but communion.  It is wordless, it is beyond words, and it is beyond speech, and it is beyond concept. Not that we discover a new unity.  We discover an older unity . . . We are already one. But we imagine that we are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity.  What we have to be is what we are.”   That day we discovered this unity, with one another as we served a family in need and with God without whom we would have never been able to complete the work that needed to be done on that home.  We rarely achieve moments like that while in our comfort zones.  But when we are willing to step out in faith to accomplish something for the kingdom, God rewards us with unexpected blessings.

Heavenly God, thank you for giving us glimpses of the greater kingdom.  Help us in the middle of our busy days to stop; to be still and know.  In Christ’s name we humbly pray. Amen.