Not Abandoned
August 18, 2020 DAILY READING 2 Corinthians 4:1-12 Psalm 119:105-112 FIELD NOTES Is there anything worse than the feeling of hopelessness? I am hard-pressed to think of a worse feeling. And yet, unfortunately, all of us will eventually be in that space. Eventually we all find ourselves in a moment where the odds seem stacked against us. Maybe our…
Read MoreWe Are Not Special
August 17, 2020 DAILY READING Romans 11: 2-10 Psalm 119:105-112 FIELD NOTES This sobering passage reminds us of this simple truth: we are not special. Sometimes our desires for ourselves cloud our view of those around us. We let jealousy, and really, our own sense of superiority dim us to the light of those we deem…
Read MorePraying in the Desert
We continue our series, Teach Us to Pray, on the prayer life of Jesus. This series is the first in our year-long focus on intentional discipleship called “Walking with Jesus.” Learn how you can be more intentional in your walk with Jesus at bumc.net/journey. Our Scripture reading: Luke 4:1-13
Read MoreA Simple Slip
August 15, 2020 DAILY READING Luke 4:13 – “When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.” FIELD NOTES While most died, attempting “going over Niagara Falls,” one Englishman survived it in a barrel. Years later, he had a horrendous injury from slipping on a banana. Oh, yes, I…
Read MoreDealing with Temptations
August 14, 2020 DAILY READING Luke 4:13 – “When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.” FIELD NOTES To avoid temptation, a seventeen-year-old girl went to jail. What was her temptation? Her getting married to an older man! While she knew she should not marry him, she couldn’t…
Read MoreShoulda! Woulda! Coulda!
August 13, 2020 DAILY READING Luke 9:62 – Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” FIELD NOTES It’s time to deal with the “shoulda’s, woulda’s, and coulda’s!” I make major mistakes, resulting in my being an expert in the “shoulda’s, woulda’s,…
Read MoreQuick Fixes?
August 12, 2020 DAILY READING Luke 4:1-13 (Jesus faced three temptations in the wilderness.) FIELD NOTES Wanna a quick fix? We want instant cures to Covid-19, the end of all discrimination, the end to our political divisions, the return to a healthy economy, and solutions to our particular problems, aches, and pains. The main prayer request…
Read MoreLed by the Spirit
August 11, 2020 DAILY READING Luke 4:1-2 – Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. FIELD NOTES The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. I believe that Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, attempts to lead…
Read MorePraying or Talking
August 10, 2020 DAILY READING Exodus 33:11 – Thus, the Lord used to speak to Moses, face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. FIELD NOTES I dislike the word prayer! While prayer is simply communicating with God, most of us use it as a ritual, a thing to do. Some shoot flares of prayers when in distress,…
Read MoreTeach Us to Pray
This week we begin our new 10-week series, Teach Us to Pray, on the prayer life of Jesus. This series is the first in our year-long focus on intentional discipleship called “Walking with Jesus.” Learn how you can be more intentional in your walk with Jesus at bumc.net/journey. Our Scripture reading: Luke 11:1-13
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