June 15, 2021 DAILY READING Psalm 86:11-17  Revelation 2:8-11 FIELD NOTES My good friend has some wise words for when we face tough situations in our lives that seem to have no solutions. She says: “You may have to change the way you look at this.” I’ve discovered that her good, practical advice also leads…

June 14, 2021 DAILY READING Psalm 86:11-17  Genesis 16:1-15 FIELD NOTES The story of Hagar and Ishmael is intriguing on many levels. For Muslims, this story connects their faith to Abraham (some of us studied Bruce Feiler’s helpful book Abraham). For women, it lifts up difficult issues related to patriarchy. Artistically, it pricks the imagination of…

June 12, 2021 DAILY READING Psalm 100 Mark 7:1-13 FIELD NOTES In today’s reading, Jesus draws a sharp line between human tradition and God’s commandments. As the passage opens, the Pharisees are criticizing Jesus’ disciples for not washing their hands before they eat, thus violating their religious traditions. Jesus calls them hypocrites, and quotes from…

June 11, 2021 DAILY READING Psalm 100 Exodus 4:27-31 FIELD NOTES Our passage could use a little back story. Earlier in chapters 3 & 4, God commissioned Moses to go to Pharaoh in Egypt and demand that he free the Israelites from slavery. But Moses balked. He didn’t want to go. One of his excuses…

June 10, 2021 DAILY READING Psalm 100 Hebrews 3:1-6 FIELD NOTES Do you think a lot about hope? American poet Emily Dickinson said that “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” Desmond Tutu, the South African bishop that helped…

June 9, 2021 DAILY READING Psalm 29 John 14:25-26 FIELD NOTES In today’s reading, there’s an interesting word in verse 26. The New Revised Standard Version translates it as “Advocate,” but the Greek word is paracletos, which is literally translated “one called alongside to help.”  There have been many times when I have had to ask for help,…

June 8, 2021 DAILY READING Psalm 29 1 Corinthians 12:4-13 FIELD NOTES There’s a member of our church who owns his own business and for years was asked to serve on the administrative committees of our church — the ones that deal with finance and facilities and business-oriented tasks. He wanted to serve and he…

June 7,2021 DAILY READING Psalm 29 Job 38:39 – 39:12 FIELD NOTES The central character of the Book of Job is a righteous man who, due to no wrongdoing of his own, has everything in his life stripped away — his home, his family, his health. Many commentators assert that the main theme of the…