Thursday, March 31, 2011

Matthew 7:7-11 (The Message)                               M. Doerr
“Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn't a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing. You're at least decent to your own children. So don't you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?”

How many of us go through life afraid of talking to God about ourselves, as if we were being selfish or shallow?  Or maybe we think that God is too busy caring for people worse off than we are, and we don’t want to take attention away from them.  But God is big enough, and loving enough, and cares enough, to celebrate that we would come to him, and then respond, if we are watching and listening for God, in a way that helps us grow stronger, become more grateful, and be more loving.  God loves all of us, will take care of all of us, and in every situation, God calls us to rely on him for what we need.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Please pray for those who grieve.  May they know God's hand holding them as they say goodbye.  Amen

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

As an act of prayer today the challenge is to reach out to another person.  Call them, drop them a note, pay them a visit.  But the goal is to reach out to another person and show kindness.  If you’re up to it why not reach out to several people!

Thank God for brothers and sisters in faith who we sharing a loving relationship.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Praying for others is an act of faith.  We don’t have to know the person or their need for we know God already has that information.  But lifting that person in prayer carries power.

Facebook friends, nextdoor neighbors, Japan

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Sunday is a day of worship!  Celebrate your loving relationship with our God.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

As an act of prayer today the challenge is to reach out to another person.  Call them, drop them a note, pay them a visit.  But the goal is to reach out to another person and show kindness.  If you’re up to it why not reach out to several people!

Thank God for brothers and sisters in faith who we sharing a loving relationship.

Friday, March 25, 2011

What Wondrous Love is This

1. What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, that caused the Lord of bliss
to lay aside his crown for my soul, for my soul,
to lay aside his crown for my soul.

2. To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing,
to God and to the Lamb, I will sing.
To God and to the Lamb, who is the great I AM,
while millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,
while millions join the theme, I will sing!

3. And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
and when from death I'm free, I'll sing on.
And when from death I'm free, I'll sing and joyful be,
and through eternity I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
and through eternity I'll sing on!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Psalm 121 (The Message)

A Pilgrim Song
 1-2 I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains?
   No, my strength comes from God,
      who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.
 
3-4 He won't let you stumble,
      your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
   Not on your life! Israel's
      Guardian will never doze or sleep.
 
5-6 God's your Guardian,
      right at your side to protect you—
   Shielding you from sunstroke,
      sheltering you from moonstroke.
 
7-8 God guards you from every evil,
      he guards your very life.
   He guards you when you leave and when you return,
      he guards you now, he guards you always.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Practice hearing God’s voice in the silence.  Sit for 20-30   minutes and just listen.  Maybe you listen to the silence of your home or the noise of creation, but try to find a good place to listen for the voice of God.  Try not to fill the space with your own thoughts, but listen to God speak through the world around you.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Matthew 7:1-6 (The Message)    

A Simple Guide for Behavior
 1-5 "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.

Judging others can be a bad habit!  It’s a slippery slope as well.  It’s real easy to get caught up in the work of watching someone else’s life and finding fault in every little detail.  But I heard a wise person once say that when we do that we’re finding all of the things about ourselves in them that we don’t like in us.  OUCH!

Judgment is Gods!  Leaving it in his hands takes the burden off of us and leaves us to love others.  It’s way more fun to laugh with and enjoy folks than nitpick over their every mistake or flaw.

Monday, March 21, 2011

1 Peter 3:15-16 (New Revised Standard Version)   M. Doerr

Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.

These are legal and accounting words:  “make your defense” and “make an accounting”.  They sound like we are going to have to protect ourselves from some accusation or another when our faith comes up for discussion.  Life is increasingly this way, however.  Living according to the teachings of Jesus becomes more counter-cultural every day.  I hope this becomes good news for those of us who follow him.  It gives us a wonderful opportunity to share our faith with our neighbors in a meaningful way.  No longer is it about what church someone attends or about convincing or arguing someone into the family of God.  Instead, it is sharing with a friend, or a neighbor, or even a family member the importance of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  “Always be prepared . . . yet do it with gentleness and reverence.”  Speak about your faith with gentleness and show respect (reverence) not just for God but for the one you are sharing with.  Our generosity and welcoming of others will be an important part of God at work in the heart of that person or those people with whom we share.  This is so much more like a friendly conversation than it is like courtroom testimony, isn’t it?

Sunday, March 20, 2011

It's Sunday!  Today is a day of worship...celebrate the God who created you!

and enjoy a little spring along the way

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Praying for others is an act of faith.  We don’t have to know the person or their need for we know God already has that information.  But lifting that person in prayer carries power.

Pray for the Japanese people, Libya and the neighbors in our community we don't know.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Philippians 2  (New International Version)

A prayer for the day….a challenge for our lives!

Imitating Christ’s Humility
 1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
 6 Who, being in very nature God,
   did not consider equality with God something
to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,
   being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
   he humbled himself  by becoming obedient to death—
      even death on a cross!
 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
   and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father.
Amen!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Please pray for the strangers we encounter today in our lives that they will know Jesus and lead lives of service and grace.  God, Help me to be an example of faith to these your children that through us they may know you.  Amen

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

 Matthew 4:1-11 
                                       Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”  4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”  5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
   “‘He will command his angels concerning you,
   and they will lift you up in their hands,
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”  11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.


Ever want to do things you know you shouldn’t?  Ever tempted to take an easier path rather than a healthier path?  I am!  Simple example—I hate exercise!  I know it’s good for me.  I know it makes me feel better and my body needs it, but I would rather curl up on the couch with a good blanket and take a nap or watch a movie.  It seems harmless, but if I give in too often I end up letting the gift God has given me fall into a bad shape. 

Ever tempted to read a good mystery instead of the Bible?  Maybe watch a little TV instead of doing this devotion?  Sleep in on Sunday instead of going to church?  They seem like little things until we realize these “Little” temptations keep us from God.
Who are you choosing today?  God or Temptation?

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

March 15  Practice hearing God’s voice in the silence.  Sit for 20-30  minutes and just listen.  Maybe you listen to the silence of your home or the noise of creation, but try to find a good place to listen for the voice of God.  Try not to fill the space with your own thoughts, but listen to God speak through the world around you.

Monday, March 14, 2011

March 14  Matthew 5:13-16     written by Carolee Finkle

You are the salt of the earth, how can it's saltiness be restored?  It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot."
"You are the light of the world.  A city built on a hill cannot be hid.  No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

This scripture is almost like a sermon in itself.  We must remember to keep our saltiness and let others know that our lives are not always going to be easy, but helping others, showing compassion to people who need us to listen to them in times of need is one of the most important things we can do.  Jesus practiced this every single day as he made the blind to see, healed the lepers, talked to the lady from Samaria etc. etc. etc. He also said to "let the children come to me for of such is the Kingdom of heaven".  We need to let our light shine so that people who really need
to see that light will see it and know that what we say to them is true.
If we talk to God and let him know all of our needs and also all of our sins, he will forgive us and help us if we just keep our faith.  Jesus died on a cross for our sins-----but he also arose from his grave and gave to each of us who believe the hope of Eternal Life with Him.    

Our Father, help us to listen for your
voice and to let our light shine out to
others who need to know your love.
Amen. 

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Sunday is a day of worship!  Celebrate the God that loves you.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

March 12
Praying for others is an act of faith.  We don’t have to know the person or their need for we know God already has that information.  But lifting that person in prayer carries power.

Pray for those in Japan, friends on facebook, those in floodzones this spring

Friday, March 11, 2011

March 11                                   Psalm 1
1Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
3They are like trees planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
4The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.


Thursday, March 10, 2011

March 10   Romans 12  (The Message)
Place Your Life Before God
 1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Does your life look different from culture?  Are you embracing God?  What do you need to change to make God the center of your daily living?

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Lent
This devotional is uniquely designed
to bring us closer to God in a variety of ways.
You will find different styles of devotions throughout this booklet.  Each day is designed to offer a venue for growing closer to God through the scriptures, silence and prayers.

Most of the days are created by me, but I have to give
thanks to Michael Doerr and Carolee Finkle for contributing
their gifts from faith as well.

May this devotional be a blessing to your faith
This Lenten season.  I know it’s been a blessing
Creating for us.

Love, Heather


March 9th
Ash Wednesday!  The beginning of Lent.  It’s a today to begin the journey to the cross and resurrection.  Lent is a time to reflect on our lives, name our sins, cleanse our lives...It’s a time to prepare ourselves for amazing things that happen during Holy Week and Easter.

That sounds all well and good and lofty doesn’t it?  Sounds like a good thing to do.  But it’s not easy.  Self reflection and letting go of our sinful nature have a tendency to be comfortable.  It’s comfortable to  overeat, be lazy, watch TV/read a good mystery, play outside, golf, work late instead of  read scripture, etc. etc.

Lent is a time to spend time with God.  God created you, right?  God loves you, right?  God is present all around you, right?  It’s time to devote a little bit of each day to being in his presence aware of his fingers lovingly molding you.

Welcome

I'm starting this Blog with  Lent 2011 as a place to share a devotional I've compiled.  It's a bit different and definitely challenging to do.  But my hope is that by using it we grow more in love with our Lord each day and make God the center from which our lives flow.

If you want to join me in this journey, Great!  I'm excited to hear/read where God is leading folks in life.