DAILY READING Ephesians 4:1-7 FIELD NOTES Our devotions all week have revolved around how we can measure a person’s faith.  What are the marks of a disciple of Christ?  How do you measure spiritual growth?  I struggle with perfectionism.  Instead of seeing how God is using me or how I am growing in my faith,…

DAILY READING 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 FIELD NOTES Sometimes when we use words and phrases like “Love like Jesus” or “motivated by love,” it is difficult to tangibly understand what we mean.  What does “love like Jesus” look like in the reality of the refugee crisis in Myannmar in 2017?  What does it mean to love…

DAILY READING 1 John 4:16 FIELD NOTES “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.”  This week, Davis asked us in his sermon, “How might you measure a person’s faith?”  To measure a person’s height, you would use a yardstick or tape measure.  To measure a mile,…

DAILY READING Galatians 5:22-23 FIELD NOTES We know that we are called to be disciples of Christ, but how do we know if we are on the right track?  What are the marks of a Christian disciple?  One of the most famous verses of the letter to Galatians is the passage of the fruit of…

DAILY READING Romans 12:3 FIELD NOTES It is so easy for me to get a little full of myself when I’m good about serving at missions events, caring for my colleagues, and checking in with my friends to make sure they are doing okay.  It becomes so easy for me to pat myself on the…

DAILY READING Romans 12:9-21 FIELD NOTES As a pastor in the adult discipleship department at church, I have been asking people what spiritual practices (or Wesley calls them “spiritual disciplines”) have helped them to grow deeper in their faiths.  Spiritual practices like prayer, Bible study, and serving others often come up.  One time, I was…

DAILY READING Matthew 22:36-40Luke 9:21-27 FIELD NOTES We are reading the Bible with a lens that is over 2000 years further along in human history and development. Our circumstances are not the same as those faced by Jesus and his disciples and yet the truth-telling in the Bible we find still informs our lives today.…

DAILY READING Matthew 22:36-40Galatians 4:8-20 FIELD NOTES I was drawn to the description in the text of the relationship between Paul and the folks who cared for him after his Damascus Road experience. Paul’s arrival was providential.  It changed their lives. I know I am tugging on this neighbor thing pretty hard, but sometimes the…