Devotional 9-27-14

Begun with folded hands.
An admission of powerlessness.
There is nothing I can do,
O God,
Without you.
Whatever I bring to you,
Heartache, joy, concern
Confession,
All is taken from my hands
And given to you
I fold my empty hands
And admit my lack of control.

Head bowed.
You are God, and I am not.
Thank you for this truth.
Too often I try to play God,
Taking blame, taking credit,
Taking responsibility
For what belongs in the hands
Of the divine.
Lay your hand on my head
And remind me.
You are God and I am not.

Eyes closed.
A temporary, voluntary blindness.
Closing my eyes to how I look at the world.
Seeking the clear vision of God.
Seeing with the clear vision of God.
Hoping to see the world
As you sees it.
Trusting, as one without vision
Would trust.
That you will lead the way
Even when I cannot see the path.

Our Father, who lives in heaven,
We praise your wonderful name.
Holy, powerful, loving God.
We place our trust in you,
And ask that your will be done.
Here in your kingdom on earth.
Thank you that you provide all we need
Daily grace abundant.
We place our sins at your feet
And ask for forgiveness.
Daily grace abundant.
We place our anger and selfishness
at your feet
And ask for power to bring
Daily grace abundant.
Light our paths through dark valleys,
And inhabit our worship,
So that you will be praised
And we will be blessed by your joy.
Amen.

Kim Matthews

Devotional 9-19-14

Happy is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors.  (Proverbs 8:34)

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:25)

A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
--Isaac Watts

Last year I bought a basket of New Guinea Impatiens. I loved the unusual light lavender color of the blooms. I kept the plants alive over the winter and put them back outside this spring. The greenery did fine but the blooms didn't return. May, June, July--no blooms. I didn't give up; kept watering them and in August was rewarded with more of the delicate lavender flowers. Now, as many of my summer flowers are starting to look a little tired and puny, these New Guinea Impatiens are adding beauty to my yard, indeed, to my life.

I think there's a moral here. Sometimes we just have to wait. Hope and wait. God does not desert us during the times of waiting. We need to discipline ourselves to wait and be patient.
 
Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you;
    therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the LORD is a God of justice;
    blessed are all those who wait for him. --Isaiah 30-18

Anita Gardner Farrell

Devotional 9-12-14

“My Fathers World”

One of my husband and my favorite things to do is to hike. Hiking is good for you--body, mind, and soul. It is hard to walk through the woods and not think of God. Fields of wild flowers, breath taking vistas, awesome rock formations, birds singing in the trees lift our hearts. Perfectly formed spider webs glistening in the morning sun, mushrooms that look more like flowers, and frogs smaller than my thumb nail touch our very souls. The lyrics to “This is My Fathers World” by Maltbie D. Babcock are said to be inspired by his love of hiking.

“This Is My Fathers World”

“This is my Fathers world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Fathers world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hands the wonders wrought.
 
This is my Fathers world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, declare their makers praise.
This is my Fathers world, He shines on all thats fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere.”

Burned into the wall of the cabin we often rent is an Indian saying:

“In order to Honor Him
I must honor
His works in nature”

This truly is our Fathers world. It is only on loan to us. We honor Him by appreciating and caring for His world--the rocks, the trees, the skies, the seas and all that dwell there in.

Margaret Williams

Devotional 9-4-14

Pray without ceasing?

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Pray without ceasing?  What on earth does that mean?  It's hard enough to find time to pray; I'm supposed to pray ALL THE TIME?!  I've heard people say that they "pray without ceasing," but I never really believe them.

So what does it mean to you?

A woman told me a story once about a visit she made to the hospital.  She was sitting in the waiting room, with other members of her family.  I'm sure you've had those times, trying to be patient while you are waiting for news about your loved one who is ill or injured.  While they waited, one of the family members asked this woman to pray.  Later, they told her that she hadn't done it right.  She needed to use more eloquent words - more elaborate syntax.  It was a long time before she would pray in public again.

Do we have preconceived notions about what prayer is?  Must it be "just right?"  Is prayer only those times when you talk to God, in sentences and paragraphs -- explaining to God your needs and wants, and hoping God provides?

Or is it more than that?  Different than that?  Don't misunderstand me.  I do believe we need intentional, quiet times of prayer, when we talk to God, but I don't think it's the only way we pray.

When I make a card for a friend, thinking of that friend as I do it, it feels like prayer to me.  When I knit a blanket for my son who is starting college, each stitch feels like a prayer, even though my thoughts are wandering.  When I walk in the park and take pictures of the splendor that is God, it's prayer.  When I drive the car, planning a devotional, it's prayer.

For me, sometimes the best, most productive prayer is those times when I'm not speaking to God. Sometimes, I hear God best when I listen.  And that is prayer.  I wish I could say that I did it without ceasing, but I think we could all open our minds and our hearts more often to hear God speak.

Kim Matthews

Devotional 8-29-14

Recognition

My granddaughter, Ruby, and I were reading the book Matching by Istar Schwager. Of course, the object was to find items on a page that were identical or related.  As we flew through the pages, we reached one with the following rhyme: Remember this rule while you play this game: Things that match are not always the same. Now, what goes together?  What are their names?

Ruby looked at me and quickly pointed to the foot and sock, key and keyhole, and mitten and hand. The last set of pictures showed a round magnifying glass, silverware, and a bowl of macaroni and cheese. Without batting an eye, she pointed to all three pictures.  She had never done that before, and I guess the look on my face told her she was mistaken. She then pointed to the silverware and bowl, and I smiled.

I started to move to the next page, but my curiosity got the best of me.  I asked, “Ruby, why did you also point to the first picture when you were matching the silverware and bowl?”

She answered without a moment’s hesitation, “You cook macaroni and cheese in a pan and eat it with the fork and spoon.”

As I studied the page, I could see that her answer made sense. The magnifying glass did look like a pan! I grabbed my magnifying glass from beside my laptop, and for the next half hour we played with her new found toy.

In Philippians 3: 4-14, Paul describes his life before Jesus Christ claimed him.  From a Jewish perspective, he was perfect. He was circumcised, he belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, he was a Pharisee, he persecuted Christians and worked to destroy the church, and he kept the Jewish law without fail. He was flying through life like Ruby flying though her book.  Suddenly he was thrown by something he’d never encountered.  Sacrifice.  Not hard work. Not constant study.  Not tradition. It was the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for all of us – even a Christian persecutor – that made life worth living.

Ruby didn’t recognize the magnifying glass because she had never seen one, but learning to use it brought her joy. For much of his life, Paul didn’t recognize his life for the garbage it was – his words, not mine – but he left it behind because it didn’t bring him joy.  What about you? Are you caught up in hard work, constant study, and tradition, or do you get up each morning joyful and grateful for the sacrifice Jesus made for you simply because you belong to Him? Recognize the joy! You shouldn’t need Ruby’s magnifying glass to find it!

Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank you for helping me to recognize the sacrifice you made for me, the never ending love you give to me, and the simple joy you bring to my life each day. In your name I pray. Amen
 
Becky Warren

Devotional 8-22-14

ace and Peace to all

Please read the 12th Chapter of Paul's Letter to Roman.  Use this reading as a guide to living our everyday life. We are a living offering to our Father God. (vs.1).  As children of God we are always growing in maturity. Let God be our guide and not our humankind. (vs. 2).  Remember that each one of us has been given a gift, that is a part of the body of Christ, and that we need to loving accept each other and their gift.  For without the whole, the body cannot function as God intends. (vs. 3-8).  Most of all, LOVE everyone and care for them; your friends, co-workers, those you don't even know, make them a friend and if they don't know Christ bring them to him.  Don't judge for God will do that.  Feed those in need and be generous, even be generous to your enemy, for this will stop evil. (vs. 9-21)

With love to all,

Fred Herr

Devotional 8-15-14

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

A dear neighbor of mine sent me an e-mail that began with this verse from Jeremiah. The e-mail describes life as a train ride that begins at birth when we board the train to meet our parents, and we believe that they travel at our side until they step down from the train, leaving us on this journey alone. As time goes by, other people will board the train; some will be significant such as siblings, friends, children, and even the love of our life. Many will leave a permanent vacuum when they step down.  Others will go unnoticed so that we do not realize they have vacated their seats! This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, and farewells.

Success consists of having a good relationship with all passengers….requiring that we give the best of ourselves. The mystery is we do not know at which station we ourselves will step down. So we must live in the best way—love, forgive, and offer the best of who we are.  It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life.

The remainder of the e-mail consisted of my sweet neighbor wishing me well on my journey and thanking me for being one of the passengers on her train. If only all of us could be the kind of passenger that she is.  She is always there.  She even planted my flowers this year!

I have had some major health problems this year.  To be honest, I have thought that I might have to get off the train at times.  I wondered about the memories I would leave behind.  As Jeremiah said, God has a plan for me and I feel that He has “Touched Me” and I hope to live life in the best way as I continue my train ride. Come join my neighbor and me to make the best memories on our ride!

Carol Brown