January 2, 2021 DAILY READING Matthew 5:1-12 [Psalm 33:12-22] FIELD NOTES From The Voice translation: “And He began to teach them. Jesus: Blessed are the spiritually poor—the kingdom of heaven is theirs.     Blessed are those who mourn—they will be comforted.     Blessed are the meek and gentle—they will inherit the earth.     Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for…

January 1, 2021 DAILY READING Matthew 12:46-50 FIELD NOTES Ok, yes, this is a strange passage.  Jesus’ mother and brothers come to him to visit.  His disciples go to Jesus and inform him that his mother and brothers are there to see him.  Rather than going to them, the writer says that Jesus says instead, while pointing at…

December 31, 2020 DAILY READING Psalm 148 FIELD NOTES Praise the Eternal! All you in the heavens, praise the Eternal;     praise Him from the highest places! All you, His messengers and His armies in heaven:     praise Him! Sun, moon, and all you brilliant stars above:     praise Him! Highest heavens and all you waters above the heavens:     praise Him!…

December 30, 2020 DAILY READING 1 John 1:1-9 FIELD NOTES Christ is light.  In Him, there can be no darkness.   And yet, in this world, we know darkness well, don’t we?  It pervades every aspect of our culture.  From entertainment, to politics, to the way businesses are run—darkness it seems, is found to some degree everywhere.   And what…

December 29, 2020 DAILY READING Acts 7:51-60 FIELD NOTES Stephen is stoned for his witness and his faith.  He, being falsely accused, resists the temptation to deny Christ, but rather stands for what is right and is promptly put to death for speaking the truth in an adversarial crowd.   I have to wonder:  Am I this sure…

December 28, 2020 DAILY READING Matthew 2:13-18 NIV The Escape to Egypt 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child…

December 26, 2020 DAILY READING ‘The Friendly Beasts’ Take a moment. Jesus our brother kind and goodWas humbly born in a stable of woodAnd the friendly beasts around him stoodJesus our brother kind and good “I” said the donkey shaggy and brownI carried his mother up hill and downI carried him safely to Bethlehem town“I”…

December 25, 2020 DAILY READING Luke 2:1-20 The Voice Take a moment. See what ‘new word’ you can carry with you today. 2 Around the time of Elizabeth’s amazing pregnancy and John’s birth, the emperor in Rome, Caesar Augustus, required everyone in the Roman Empire to participate in a massive census— 2 the first census since Quirinius had become governor of Syria. 3 Each…

December 24, 2020 DAILY READING Luke 2:1-20 Take a moment. A reading from the International Children’s Bible: 2 At that time, Augustus Caesar sent an order to all people in the countries that were under Roman rule. The order said that they must list their names in a register. 2 This was the first registration taken while Quirinius was governor…