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July 29, 2021 DAILY READING Psalm 17:1-7, 15 Philippians 4:10-15 FIELD NOTES “Jesus offers a particular theology. He tells those who follow him that everything is God’s. God is the creator of all things, the maker of all things, and the one who oversees all things. Jesus offers a radical vision of people who are…

July 28, 2021 DAILY READING Psalm 65:8-13 Mark 4:30-34 FIELD NOTES Parables can be hard to understand, sometimes. The Gospel accounts note, on several occasions, that even those hearing them from Jesus, live and in person, had trouble understanding sometimes. And yet, this is how Jesus chose to teach the crowds—with stories and obscure examples,…

July 27, 2021 DAILY READING Psalm 65:8-13 Ephesians 6:10-18 FIELD NOTES Today’s scripture from Ephesians is one of the most indelible images in all of scripture for preparing ourselves in the way of discipleship. It’s notable that Paul here uses battle imagery for the task of discipleship. We often shy away from using language that…

July 26, 2021 DAILY READING Genesis 30:25-26 Psalm 65:8-13 FIELD NOTES Ask anyone that’s done any training in wilderness survival and they’ll tell you that there are a few essential things that any person stranded in the wilderness must quickly find if they are going to last very long—shelter and fire are essential, but even…

July 24, 2021 DAILY READING Matthew 7:15-20 Psalm 139:1-12 FIELD NOTES Do you remember that old VBS song: The fruit of the Spirit’s not a banana! Oh the fruit of the Spirit’s not a banana! If you wanna be a banana, you might as well hear it— You can’t be a fruit of the Spirit!…

July 23, 2021 DAILY READING Hebrews 6:13-20 Psalm 139:1-12 FIELD NOTES It all comes down to Jesus. But what does that mean?   Adam Hamilton speaks in his modern classic, Making Sense of the Bible, that when we encounter things that seem contrary to the teachings of Jesus, those things should fall away. Jesus is like a colander, and…

July 22, 2021 DAILY READING Hebrews 2:1-9 Psalm 139:1-12 FIELD NOTES Again this week, we are reminded to remember what we already know in Christ.  So many times, God has sent his truth to us through so many different messengers.   Are we listening?  Are we paying attention to the world around us and what it wants us to do?  …

July 21, 2021 DAILY READING Matthew 13:10-17 Psalm 142 FIELD NOTES Scholar N.T. Wright says about Jesus in his book, John for Everyone: “He and his father are giving evidence that he is the Messiah; but if this is so, he is bringing the light that they cannot escape.  As he has come to realize, at the…

July 20, 2021 DAILY READING Ephesians 4:17-5:2 Psalm 142 FIELD NOTES A few years back, just before I attended seminary, I found myself in the mountains of Guatemala, working with a local pastor, helping to build a hurricane shelter.  The man was amazing.  While he lived and pastored a church 4 hours away in Guatemala City, he…