Tuesday, June 5, 2018 | Reflections
I’ve never been a gardener. But don’t say my mother never tried to cultivate a love of the dirt and growth and soil and plants. She tried her hardest. She lived in the garden and hoped her daughter would similarly follow suit. Yet, I’ve heard her repeat over to me,...
Monday, June 4, 2018 | Reflections
I am no expert on Islam, but I have Yemini neighbors who bring me food every Ramadan, and every Hajj, and sometimes we talk about God. They were the first to offer whatever I needed after my husband died. They are righteous and holy people, and we have been neighbors...
Monday, June 4, 2018 | Reflections
The psalms are often a profound source of comfort. Phrases such as, “The Lord is my shepherd…” and, “Open my lips, O Lord…” instill a familiar sense of serenity and peace. However, the psalmist can also bring hard-to-hear news. Such is the case today....
Monday, June 4, 2018 | Reflections
The post Faith is Enough appeared first on d365 Daily Devotionals. This post appeared here first: Faith is Enough [D365 Daily Devotions]
Sunday, June 3, 2018 | Reflections
Professing Christianity means professing a living God. We believe in a God who is still active, still revealing Godself to us. The Holy Spirit is still speaking and, as a beloved hymn reminds us, “God is working his purpose out.” Samuel lives in a time when a word...
Sunday, June 3, 2018 | Reflections
The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath. — Mark 2:27 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath...
Saturday, June 2, 2018 | Reflections
Time and again, the gospels show us Jesus teaching the disciples. And we repeatedly see the disciples failing to understand Jesus’ lesson, followed by the disciples questioning Jesus about the teaching. Sometimes, Jesus gives an explanation (as he does in today’s...
Saturday, June 2, 2018 | Reflections
Mark 11:27-33 We see it on the news quite frequently. Someone is walking or driving somewhere and is stopped and asked personal questions, like “Who are you?” “What are you doing here?” It is an uncomfortable situation and one that quite often...
Friday, June 1, 2018 | Reflections
by Kristin Fontaine In reading for the daily office for today, I found verse 15 of Psalm 31 speaking to me. My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. ~Psalm 31:15 I noticed how the psalmist made a...
Friday, June 1, 2018 | Reflections
One of the cardinal rules of cooking is that small details make a big difference. Heat the olive oil too quickly, and it becomes bitter. Leave the brownies in the oven a moment too long, and they lose their gooey perfection. Open the oven while the soufflé is baking,...
Thursday, May 31, 2018 | Reflections
And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord. – Luke 1:45 Imagine being the woman called upon by God to bear the Messiah – to birth him and to raise him – to be his mother. What kind of woman must you...
Thursday, May 31, 2018 | Reflections
It is easy to look at small towns and ask, “What could God possibly be up to there?” It’s also tempting to look at our broken, foolish selves and wonder, “What could God want with me?” Maybe you’re dreading the rest of today and are already worried about tomorrow,...
Wednesday, May 30, 2018 | Reflections
While New Testament scholars are doubtful about the historical veracity of this particular story, what is almost certainly true is the capricious cruelty and darkness that marked the reign of Herod Antipas. Multiple historical records describe Herod as an especially...
Wednesday, May 30, 2018 | Reflections
I have a hunch we are steeped in enchantment, unawares. That just beyond the scrim of our distracted, worried, pre-frontal-cortex-bound lives, are goings on (vivid and undeterred by our inability to see) that we would not want to miss—if only we knew we had choice in...
Tuesday, May 29, 2018 | Reflections
My first significant relationship was with the son of a prominent businessman. Over the twelve years we shared together, I witnessed firsthand how limited he was by the long shadow cast by his father. When we visited his hometown, he was almost always seen as his...
