Monthly Archive

There are some days like last night, February 18, and this morning, when I am reminded of what I hate most and love most. The news of Hailey Owens’ abduction in Springfield and the subsequent news of the alleged abductor being a Springfield School District employee shock us to our very roots. We are left as a community in tears, out of breath as we try to contemplate the plight of this little girl. We wince when we begin to allow our brains just for a moment to consider what may have happened.

What we hate…

The overwhelming sense of our community is shock to think that one of us would choose to take the life of a child innocently outside at home after school on a gorgeous afternoon. We hate that one would even consider, much less perpetrate, this kind of crime. We hate that our world is so…

In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts.Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith. You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.  He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low; he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust.  Feet trample it down— the feet of the oppressed, the footsteps of the poor.

Prayer: Father God, in my heart of hearts I desire to live…

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God,   which transcends all understanding,   will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.   Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Prayer: Father God, We have read this passage many times. It’s so hard to rejoice when things seem hopeless. So hard to sense your peace when the future seems bleak. So hard…

Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.  The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Prayer: Father God, when I think of you as thunder I remember those times when the thunder from summer storms would echo through the valley. As a young child it awakened me…

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Ephesians 2:14-18

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we live in a world of conflict. Brother fights against brother, families are in disarray and simple things like going to the  grocery store are uncertain at times…