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DAILY READING Psalm 147:12-20 FIELD NOTES I lived in Albuquerque, NM, when I was a child and one of my favorite things about the month of December was that you could see luminaria everywhere. Luminaria are paper bags filled with sand, with a lit candle placed inside, making a lantern that glows in the night.…

DAILY READING Mark 12:41–44 FIELD NOTES A friend of mine recently shared a story with me about an experience he had with ministry based in a correctional facility. One of the units he visits is a protective custody unit for inmates who are trying to leave gang life. The Christians in the unit decided to…

DAILY READING Matthew 2:9-12 FIELD NOTES Have you ever stopped to consider the gifts the Wise Men brought to honor Jesus? Gold, frankincense, and myrrh aren’t typical gifts for a child. Christ wasn’t born into a wealthy family, Mary and Joseph would have had no use for pageantry. However, the gifts are an important part…

DAILY READING Micah 6:6-8 FIELD NOTES I wonder if the Wise Men worried about the gifts that they would give to Jesus? Sometimes in December, in the excitement of Christmas, I get caught up in gift-giving. I want to find the perfect gift for the people I love. I can focus too much on the…

DAILY READING Matthew 2 FIELD NOTES Frederick L. Hosmer’s 1981 hymn called “The kingdom come!” is a beautiful representation of the invitation given to each of us in Advent. In this season we are invited to share in the journey with the Wise Men, so joyful and overcome with anticipation that “When they saw the…

DAILY READING Psalm 25:1-10 FIELD NOTES The Psalm in today’s reading shows us how David expresses his desire for guidance, and that the Lord leads “with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands” (v. 10). The question becomes, how do we receive God’s guidance in our lives? What does this look…

DAILY READING Mark 11:27-33 FIELD NOTES Have you ever had your integrity at work questioned?  Have you ever been accused by a friend or neighbor of something you didn’t do?  It’s pretty awful especially when you are trying to live with honesty and faithfulness.  In the Advent and Christmas season, I often get so caught up in the…

DAILY READING Jeremiah 1:4-10 FIELD NOTES A few years ago at Christmas, I had just given birth to our daughter.  She was the cutest and most perfect little nugget I had ever seen.  Holding her in my arms as I heard the Christmas story and passages like this one in Jeremiah really grew my perspective of who God is…

DAILY READING Psalm 85:8-13 FIELD NOTES I can remember when I was little being so excited for Santa to come that I couldn’t fall asleep.  My little brother and I would always sleep in the same bed and we would stay up almost all night trying to guess what Santa would bring us and dream out…