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DAILY READING Matthew 4:8-10: 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…

DAILY READING 1 John 4:1: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” FIELD NOTES Tom asked, “God, what do you want me to do today?” Without looking, Tom opened his Bible, pointed his finger at a verse, and read that Judas…

DAILY READING Romans 8:29 FIELD NOTES Lloyd Ogilvie, a former chaplain of the U. S. Senate, tells of a parishioner shaking his hand, saying, “Lloyd, I hope you continue to grow into the image of what God had in mind when God first thought of you.” Later, Lloyd pondered, “What did God have in mind…

DAILY READING Matthew 1:1-7 FIELD NOTES Why are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba mentioned in this genealogy? Since this genealogy lists relationships as “the father of,” Matthew did not need to list any women unless he wanted to make a point, as these four women were the subjects of scandal in Jesus’s family. Tamar prostituted…

DAILY READING Hebrews 11 FIELD NOTES In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana Jones has to find the Holy Grail so that his dying father can drink from the cup and receive healing. At the movie’s climax, to find the grail, Indiana Jones has to go to the place of the lion’s head image and…

DAILY READING 1 Timothy 1:12-20 FIELD NOTES Oftentimes, my mind and activity each day and week are consumed with work, family needs, and my own need to rest.  While none of these are inherently bad ways to spend my time, I often find that I prioritize my own needs and desires far and above considering God’s.  I…

DAILY READING 2 Corinthians 2:12-17 FIELD NOTES Have you ever roasted garlic or onions on the stove or cooked bacon or fish in your house?  As these ingredients heat up, your whole house starts to smell of their pungent fragrance.  It permeates the whole kitchen and travels into nearby rooms.  In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul writes that “[Christ] through [Christians]…

DAILY READING Book of Job FIELD NOTES All of this talk about miracles raises some questions for me.  Job is one of my favorite books of the Bible because in it, Job asks some of the deepest, most challenging questions of God.  In the book, Job who is described as a blameless and righteous man loses everything-…

DAILY READING Acts 15:36-41 FIELD NOTES Yesterday our devotion was about some big, almost unbelievable miracles that happened in 2 Kings and Acts.  Today, what struck me in our readings, specifically in Acts is something smaller, really a minute detail.   Acts 15:36 says, “After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Come, let us return and visit the believers in every…