Blogs And Devotionals (Page 22)
E-Note March 17, 2023
March 17, 2023 Dear Peace Members and Friends, Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Most Americans—even those who are not Irish, and even those who don’t go to Church—know that it’s St. Patrick’s Day (unlike say, St. Olaf of Norway or St. Brigitta of Sweden!). This is the day when people celebrate Ireland’s most famous saint by doing “saintly” things—like drinking green beer, eating corned beef and cabbage, or singing, “And when Irish eyes are smiling, sure they’ll steal your heart away!” Of…
3/17/2023 Lenten Daily Devotional
Ephesians 5:8-14 8For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— 9for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. 10Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; 13but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,…
CYF Blast & Family Tip Of The Week March 16, 2023
Dear Peace Families, In Lent we follow Jesus on the 40-day journey to the cross and beyond. During the season, many Christians have traditionally given up something—things like coffee or desserts—sacrificing something they love for 40 days, acknowledging that Jesus sacrificed even more for us. Over the next several weeks, I’ll continue offering suggestions for things we might give up—though there won’t be anything tangible mentioned. This week, I propose giving up the fear of failure. The fear of failure…
3/16/2023 Lenten Daily Devotional
1 Samuel 16:1-13 1The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come…
3/15/2023 Lenten Daily Devotional
John 7:14-31, 37-39 14About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. 15The Jews were astonished at it, saying, “How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?” 16Then Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. 17Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. 18Those who…
E-Note March 14, 2023
Dear Peace Members and Friends, Tomorrow night, we continue Midweek Lenten Worship series with Holden Evening Prayer and the theme, “Lessons from the Desert.” As you remember, “God led the people by the roundabout way of the of the wilderness toward the Red Sea (Genesis 13:18).” Apparently though, there are no short cuts or straight lines out of Egypt. On the way from slavery to freedom one might very well have to follow the roundabout way, what Robert Frost knew as the road less travelled. It is…
3/14/2023 Lenten Daily Devotional
1 Corinthians 10:1-4 1I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. ___________________________________ In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he identifies Christ…
3/13/2023 Lenten Daily Devotional
2 John: 1-13 1The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not only I but also all who know the truth, 2because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: 3Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love. 4I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in the truth, just…
3/11/2023 Lenten Daily Devotional
John 4:5-42 5So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. 7A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8(His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that…
E-Note March 10, 2023
Dear Peace Members and Friends, I look out my window and see the snow coming down—again! I hope that all of you are managing in the continuing winter. And I know one way to help you cope with later-Winter blues: join us for worship on Sunday! It’s the Third Sunday in Lent (10:45am). We’ll read together the famous (and complicated) story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well. I’ll have a message about the life-giving good news of the story entitled, “Say, ‘I Do’.” The Peace…
3/10/2023 Lenten Daily Devotional
Romans 5:1-11 1Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured…
CYF Blast & Family Tip Of The Week March 9, 2023
Dear Peace Families, In Lent we follow Jesus on the 40 day journey to the cross and beyond. During the season, many Christians have traditionally given up something—things like coffee or desserts—sacrificing something they love for 40 days, acknowledging that Jesus sacrificed even more for us. Over the next several weeks, I’ll continue offering suggestions for things we might give up—though there won’t be anything tangible mentioned. This week, I propose giving up uncommunicated expectations. We all have expectations—expectations for…