December 19, 2019 DAILY READINGS Galatians 5:2-15This weekend’s scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 FIELD NOTES “Jesus, United by Thy Grace” Jesus, united by thy graceAnd each to each endeared,With confidence we seek thy faceAnd know our prayer is heard. Up unto thee, our living HeadLet us in all things grow;Till thou hast made us free indeedAnd spotless here…

December 18, 2019 DAILY READINGS Mark 5:1-20This weekend’s scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 FIELD NOTES We often use the language of being “sent” in the Church to talk about the ways that God calls us out into the world to proclaim the message of Christ. And this is undoubtedly a vital and crucial part of being a disciple…

December 17, 2019 DAILY READINGS Psalm 35:1-10This weekend’s scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 FIELD NOTES In Biblical literature, Psalm 35 is what’s called a “complaint” Psalm. There is great danger all around the psalmist. There is distress and trouble and when you read the first ten verses of Psalm 35 you can rightly guess that the psalmist has…

December 16, 2019 DAILY READINGS Acts 21:17-26This weekend’s scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 FIELD NOTES There is always a measure of risk when we decide to live fully into the mission God has called us into. In today’s scripture, we see Paul, returning to Jerusalem to meet with the leaders of the Jerusalem church. Paul tells the elders…

How might you help the weak, the least, the last, and the lost this Christmas?

Are you familiar with the term “Christian atheist?” Of the various meanings, the one that challenges me is “one who believes in an all-powerful God and yet acts as if God does not exist.”

I purchase a gift for another as if I am purchasing that gift for Jesus. I ask, “What would delight her if she were Jesus? What would benefit him the most if he were Jesus?”

While needing to learn from our past, washing our hands of the success or failure of those experiences reduces the chance of unhealthy memories infecting the current encounters. It prepares us to be more fully present with the current encounter.

Jesus’ answers to our prayers usually are not what we expected; yet he has, and he will continue to help us move through our situations.