- Repetition
Is there one that you seem to repeat over and over?
- Happy the Home
This is a celebration of family as it should be.
- Family Legacy
Think of the struggles your ancestors went through to secure the life you now enjoy.
- Civil Engagement
What might we learn from this conversation about how to interact with someone we view as “other”?
- Dead Works
By the shedding of Jesus’ blood, we are cleansed of the ‘dead works’ and freed to worship the living God.
- A Spiritual Life
A spiritual life is one of collaboration with God.
- Presence
What a gift it is to have people who are willing to sit with us in our pain and celebrate with us in our joy.
- Blind Faith
Read Mark 10:46-52. Bartimaeus may have been blind, but in one important way, he could see better than the people…
Read more: Blind Faith
- Lord, Have Mercy
When we don’t know what to pray, Jesus to intercedes on our behalf.
- All Times and All Places
“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
- From Concept to Reality
Read Job 42:1-6, 10-17. In the closing chapter of his story, Job shows great growth. Both before and during his…
Read more: From Concept to Reality
- True Greatness
True greatness comes in modeling our lives on the One who showed us what servant leadership looks like.
- Gentle Mediation
We all struggle with dealing gently when it comes to the wrongdoing of others.
- Inexplicable
Here, Job is reminded that God is God and Job is not.
- Created Order
When one part of creation is not healthy, it can throw off the whole balance.
- On Wealth
No matter how good we think we are, there is always room to grow.
- Confession
We don’t need to be afraid to confess our sin to God.
- Into God’s Hands
Where, in your life, are you suffering?
- If Only
In this reading, Job has a case of the “if onlys”.
- Leaning into Discomfort
This is one of those passages we would rather avoid than think about.
- Jesus is Here
Jesus is present when we worship God.
- Covenant Prayer
“Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and mind.”
- Why?
Read Job 1:1-2:10. The story of Job challenges the idea that good things happen to good people and bad things…
Read more: Why?
- On Feeling Competetive
How does ego, pride, and insecurity figure into the kingdom of God?
- At All Times, Pray
In this reading, we find the hallmarks of a grace-filled community of faith: prayer, confession, healing, and restoration.
- Steadfast
What signs help you to trust God’s promise of presence?
- Heroic Sacrifice
All of us are called to make small sacrifices for the well-being of the people around us.
- Missing the Point
The disciples’ inability to grasp Jesus’ teaching is almost comical.
- Good Intentions
It takes work and commitment to slow down long enough to consider the source and the motivation of what we say and do.
- The Better Path
The scriptures are meant to be life-giving and nurturing.
- Sabbath Wisdom
Maybe it is because this woman takes time to rest in God and to recharge her spirit that she accomplishes so much.
- Take Up Your Cross
“If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
- On Using Your Words
How intentional are you about the words you choose to speak or write?
- Wisdom and Righteousness
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
- Lady Wisdom
Who have been the wise counsels in your life?
- Worthy
Jesus pushes people to claim their worthiness.
- Faith and Works
Good works are the outflow of our faith.
- On My Side
If it had not been for the Lord on your side, where would you be?
- In Common
We all come from the same Creator and source of life.
- Inner Beauty
Jesus insists it’s what’s inside that matters.
- Hearers and Doers
We, as a culture, have become bad at listening to each other.
- A Prayer for Leaders
When you pray for our local, national, and international leaders, for what do you ask?
- Beloved
Love and belonging is a universal need.
- Hard to Follow
With which teachings of Jesus do you struggle?
- Spiritual Armor
This is an invitation to trust God to equip us for every task.
- Happy Are Those…
We all have times when our souls feel parched and sun-scorched.
- Dwelling Places
Solomon knows that God will not be contained.
- Living Bread
“I am the living bread.”
- Wise Use of Time
How wisely do we spend our time?
- P.R.A.I.S.E.
God’s praise endures forever!
- …and the wisdom to know the difference
What qualities in a leader do you respect?
- Bread of Life
When Jesus says, “I am the bread of life,” what does that mean to you?
- Clothed in Christ
Here, Paul advises kindness, tenderheartedness, forgiveness, and living a life of sacrificial love like Jesus did.
- Out of the Depths
Often, sin feels like a dark hole, a pit, a void.
- Family Dysfunction
The story of David and his son Absalom paints a picture of family dysfunction at its worst.
- Want vs. Need
There are times when what we want is not necessarily what we need.
- Healthy Body of Christ
The express purpose of the gifts each has been given is for building up a healthy, whole body rather than elevating one over another.
- Daily Examen
Before we can open ourselves before God, we must take an honest look at our own hearts.
- Mutual Accountability
What role does trust have in a mutually accountable relationship?
- Non-transactional Love
There are times we may be tempted to think of our relationship with Jesus as transactional.
- Rooted and Grounded
Being rooted and grounded in love is an answer to any prayer.
- Good Guys vs. Bad Guys
As humans, it is our tendency to define the world in terms of “us” and “them”.
- Unrepentant
Unrepentant sin has a way of spiraling.
- Sabbath
How do you balance responding to needs and responsibilities in your life with your need for rest?
- One Body
Through Jesus, we are joined together as members of one body.
- Tough Love
Sin has real consequences in life and God, perhaps the first to practice “tough love”, doesn’t promise to protect us from that.
- Steadfast Love
We are never outside the bounds of God’s love and God’s ability to redeem.
- Speaking Truth to Power
When you see injustice or wrongdoing, how readily to you call it out?
- Chosen
We have been chosen by the One who is the embodiment of love.
- Lift Up Your Heads
Which aspects of nature compel you to offer praise to the Creator?
- Dancing for the Lord
Bringing the ark to Jerusalem, the entire company danced before the Lord with all their might, celebrating God’s presence.
- Fear and Faith
This lesson holds two words against each other: fear and faith.
- Don’t Squander the Gift
No one gives a gift with the expectation that it will be left in the box and hidden away on the top shelf.
- Weighed Down
Negativity has the potential to weigh us down.
- Taking on Giants
Each of us has moments in life when we are called to be brave and daring.
- Small Acts, Big Impact
Read Mark 4:26-34. A prayer by John van de Laar: We may not be able to confront queens, or challenge…
Read more: Small Acts, Big Impact
- Out with the Old
To experience love, acceptance, and belonging in this way is transformative.
- A Prayer for Leaders
May God guide every leader in ways that lead to peace and unity and the common good.
- Looking Inside
In what ways do you find yourself judging others only by what is visible?
- Free-thinkers and Rule-breakers
In the face of opposition, Jesus takes this on as a teaching moment.
- Seen and Unseen
A big part of faith in Jesus is trusting that God is continually at work.
- Whole-Hearted
“I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart.”
- Be Careful What You Wish For
Despite the warnings, Israel persisted in asking for a king and that’s what they were given.
- Righteous Score-Keeping
We can almost imagine a group of Pharisees trailing behind Jesus with little notebooks, giving him a little checkmark every time he breaks the rules.
- Ordinary Clay Pots
“We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives.” ~Eugene Peterson
- Centered on Praise
How might you keep your heart and mind centered on praise and thanksgiving?
- Speak, O Lord
In what situations might God be calling you to be a helper?
- Flesh and Spirit
To truly experience God at work in the world, one must lay oneself open before God.
- Chosen and Loved
By nature, adoption is about being chosen, included, and loved.
- Shalom
Shalom isn’t just about the absence of war or conflict, but about the interconnectedness of creation.
- Here I Am, Lord
What can we learn from Isaiah’s response, “Here am I; send me”?
- Counter-cultural
How might we humbly go about proclaiming the kingdom about which Jesus spoke?
- Rejoice in God’s Works
In every season, the earth gives thanks for God’s presence and provision.
- Language of Hope
There are no prerequisites for receiving the Gospel.
- Anticipation
How can a time of waiting – of anticipation – of hopeful expectation – become a gift?
- Paul’s Prayer
Knowing God more fully allows us to find hope in the mystery of grace.
- He is Exalted
It is God who ordered the universe in the first place and who actively works to bring it back into balance.
- Missing the Point
Once he has ascended, Jesus’ disciples stand there staring at the sky, waiting for him to do something else.
- No Greater Love
Here, Jesus is talking about the sacrificial nature of his love for his friends.
- Leading with Love
Because we have been loved fully by God through Jesus, we, too, can love.