Archive for November 2021

My Soul, Be Silent

DAILY READING Exodus 14:10-14 FIELD NOTES In this passage of Exodus, the people of Israel are terrified and they cry out to the Lord in anguish. They ask God, why “you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?” (v. 11). They question God and lament the path to destruction that they feel that…

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Rest in the Lord

DAILY READING Psalm 4 FIELD NOTES When I am feeling overwhelmed or upset, the weight of things always seems to be heaviest at night. Perhaps because the world is silent and I can’t distract myself. Or perhaps it is because this is the time when I am able to be the most honest with myself…

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Overcoming the Flood

DAILY READING Psalm 93 FIELD NOTES One of my favorite songs, Louisiana 1927, written by Randy Newman and later recorded by Aaron Neville, was about the historic flooding that devastated Louisiana and Mississippi. It describes the floods, but also the pain of feeling the flood waters rising – “Oh Louisiana, Louisiana/ They’re trying to wash us…

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I Am With You

DAILY READING Psalm 13 FIELD NOTES This passage in Psalms offers a prayer for relief from despair. Here we see David expressing how important it is to continue to trust in God, and not despair, even when we do not understand our situation or feel an immediate answer from God.  It is important to point…

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A Faith That Endures

DAILY READING Hebrews 10:32-39 FIELD NOTES This section of Hebrews discusses an enduring faith in times of persecution. This is a challenging text to discuss because many of us have never experienced a situation that could be considered a “persecution” for our faith. While we do see situations like this happening in contemporary society, such…

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Fear Not

DAILY READING Psalm 3 FIELD NOTES In this psalm, David is crying out to God while fleeing from his rebellious son, Absalom. Absalom had marched into Jerusalem to claim the throne for himself and forced his own father, David, to run for his life. It is worth noting that while David was literally fleeing for…

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A Difficult Parable

DAILY READING Mark 12:1-12 FIELD NOTES The parable Jesus tells in Mark 12:1-12 took little imagination for its hearers to understand. Unlike most of his parables which cloaked his meaning and caused the hearer to think deeply, this parable’s meaning was obvious to the chief priests, scribes and other bystanders. The imagery Jesus used –…

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Bigger Pots, More Soil

DAILY READING Colossians 2:6-15 FIELD NOTES “Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong, and vigorous in the truth you were taught.” (Col. 2:7, NLT) I am not much of a gardener, but I do enjoy having fresh herbs outside my kitchen. Several…

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Spending Wisely

DAILY READING 1 Timothy 6:11-21 FIELD NOTES Have you ever played the game where you are given an imaginary sum of money — like a million dollars — and you have to come up with ways to spend it? Maybe you give some to your favorite charity, or you buy a fancy boat and a…

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