Archive for September 2020

September 30, 2020 DAILY READING Psalm 144 Song of Solomon 8:5-14 John 11:45-57 FIELD NOTES Have you ever felt like you were in the middle of a war? Maybe you aren’t gun-slinging on the actual front lines of a physical war, but we all find ourselves in spiritual battles. Sickness, suffering, insecurity, doubt– the list…

September 29, 2020 DAILY READING 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Psalm 119:49-46 Deuteronomy 5:22-6:3 FIELD NOTES Each time I left my house to spend the day or weekend away, my mom would say, “Remember your last name!” It may sound like a weird or even prideful statement, but I knew exactly what she meant: ‘remember whom you represent’! Through her…

September 28, 2020 DAILY READING Psalm 119:50 Deuteronomy 5:1-21 1 Peter 2:4-10 FIELD NOTES David and the other psalmists experienced, and vulnerably expressed, the whole span of human emotion. They walked through significant sorrow and pain- but their stories never end there. They return again and again to a steadfast trust in the faithfulness of…

September 26, 2020 DAILY READING Psalm 8 John 14:15-17 FIELD NOTES “One of the words John Wesley used to describe the holiness characteristic of the Christian life was perfection. He did not think that Christians could be free of ignorance or mistakes, but he did think that through the work of Christ made present by the…

September 25, 2020 DAILY READING Psalm 8 2 Timothy 1:12-14 FIELD NOTES How do we know if what we are hearing is “sound teaching?” In Wesleyan theology, we have a useful tool called The Wesleyan Quadrilateral (quad = “four”; laterus = “sides”). This was not a tool that John Wesley himself used or taught, but…

September 24, 2020 DAILY READING Psalm 8 2 Timothy 1:8-12 FIELD NOTES “The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self—all your wishes and precautions—to Christ. But it is far easier than what we are all trying to do instead. For what we are trying to do is to remain…

September 23, 2020 DAILY READING Psalm 104:24-34 John 7:37-39 FIELD NOTES One of the most powerful and enduring biblical images is the image of water. During the first moments of creation, we hear of God’s Spirit sweeping across the formless waters (Genesis 1:2). As the Hebrew people wander through the desert after fleeing Egypt, God…

September 22, 2020 DAILY READING Psalm 104:24-34 Romans 8:26-27 FIELD NOTES Often, in our prayer lives, we seek to fill space. We add flourishes or big 10-cent theological words we heard in a sermon once. We’re pretty sure God likes big words. Or, we think our own words are lacking and so we avoid prayer…

September 21, 2020 DAILY READING Psalm 104:24-34 Romans 8:18-24 FIELD NOTES All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voice and with us sing, O praise ye! Alleluia! O brother sun with golden beam, O sister moon with silver gleam! O praise ye! O praise ye! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!  O brother wind, air, clouds, and rain, by which all creatures…