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DAILY READING Matthew 6:7-15 FIELD NOTES Again, from The Voice translation: 9 Your prayers, rather, should be simple, like this:     Our Father in heaven,         let Your name remain holy. 10      Bring about Your kingdom.     Manifest Your will here on earth,         as it is manifest in heaven. 11      Give us each day that day’s bread—no more, no less— 12 …

DAILY READING Exodus 14:1-18 FIELD NOTES The Israelites are free.  They are on their journey away from Egypt.  And Pharaoh changes his mind.  He has lost his workforce.  He must get them back.  So he readies his army to go after them.   The Israelites see Pharaoh approaching and grow very fearful.  Moses encourages them not to be afraid, for God will…

DAILY READING 1 John 3:11-16 FIELD NOTES Michael Gungor, a Christian musician and author, recently made a statement on social media that was relevant to today’s passage.  He said:  “Love is the narrow path…demonizing the other and loving your own is the easy and natural thing to do.  The broad path that leads to destruction.” A provocative…

DAILY READING Exodus 13:1-10 FIELD NOTES We’ve all been through hard times.  Some harder than others.  Our question today is: how do we remember those moments when God brought us through hard times?   The story of the Exodus is not a small story.  Many of our hardships will seem small compared to the plight of the Israelites.  And yet,…

DAILY READING Exodus 12:29-42 FIELD NOTES How many times have you read the story of the Exodus?  How many times have you heard it taught in Sunday School, or worship?  I have read this story multiple times, and seen just about every movie made about it, and yet, in reading it this time, something new sticks out…

DAILY READING Psalm 121 FIELD NOTES Today, I want to highlight a different translation of this familiar Psalm.  This is from The Voice translation: A song for those journeying to worship.1 I look up at the vast size of the mountains—    from where will my help come in times of trouble?2 The Eternal Creator of heaven and earth and these mountains    will send the help…

DAILY READING Matthew 23:29-36 FIELD NOTES Jesus doesn’t mince words in today’s passage.  His infamous “Seven Woes” speech is pretty cutting against the Pharisees.  Here he calls them out for their belief that had they been alive during the time of the prophets, they would have listened, rather than ignore, or even kill them as their ancestors…

DAILY READING Psalm 149 FIELD NOTES What does the word praise mean to you?   When I was a child, I would sit in the pews at church during the hymns and I would color my bulletin, or play with whatever small toy I had managed to sneak in.  I did whatever I could to avoid singing.  In…

DAILY READING Exodus 9:1-11 FIELD NOTES Can you imagine what Pharoah must have been feeling in the midst of the story of Moses and the Exodus?  In our passage, we see just one of the many plagues God unleashes on the Egyptian people for the sake of freeing the Israelites.  God has sent a plague of disease…