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DAILY READING Psalm 72:12-14 FIELD NOTES Psalm 72 describes the reign of an ideal king and may have been originally used at a coronation or at the annual commemoration of a coronation. What are some characteristics of an ideal leader that this psalm describes? He or she employs justice and righteousness; and is a defender…

DAILY READING Matthew 22:15-22 FIELD NOTES In today’s reading, Jesus’ enemies sought to trip him up with a trick question, a question designed to make Jesus offend someone with his answer — either the supporters of Jewish independence or the Romans themselves. They cunningly asked him if it was “lawful” to pay taxes or not.…

DAILY READING Acts 6:1-7 FIELD NOTES My mother-in-law had a clever way of solving disputes between her two children when it came time to divvy up the last pieces of cake or pie. She would say to them, “One of you slice, and the other one choose.” This helped the one slicing to be fair…

DAILY READING Mark 1:14-20 FIELD NOTES Every time I read this section of Mark, I can’t help but to imagine what was going through the heads of the apostles when Jesus approached them as fishermen. He tells them that they will become fishers of men, which they had no clue as to what that meant.…

DAILY READING John 1:14 FIELD NOTES Sometimes the hardest part of a journey is just after you begin – when things become routine, when the novelty wears off, when the celebrations for having begun the journey have ended – but you still have a long, long, long way to go. This is precisely the place…

DAILY READING Matthew 5:13-16 FIELD NOTES Howard Thurman, explains in his poem, The Work of Christmas, that is it now, after the celebrations, that the work we are called to as Christians begins.   The Work of Christmas When the song of the angels is stilled,  When the star in the sky is gone,  When the kings…

DAILY READING Matthew 2:1-12 Matthew 3:13-17 John 2:1-11 FIELD NOTES Today and every January 6th is the day that Christians celebrate Epiphany. This is the 13th day of the Christmas season and celebrates the day that the Magi or three wise men came to pay homage to Christ. The United Methodist Church explains that “[t]he arrival of…

DAILY READING Luke 10:38-42 FIELD NOTES To be honest, this passage in Luke makes me uncomfortable. I am more like Martha than Mary and I find it troubling that this busyness, this work in service is not exalted. I am good at being busy, I am not good at being still.  However, the Scripture reminds…

DAILY READING Philippians 4:4-8 FIELD NOTES From the sermons of A.W. Tozer:  It is something of a happy paradox that while the thoughts deeply affect the will and go far to determine its choices, the will on the other hand has the power to control the thoughts. A will firmly engaged with God can swing…