Introduction 

1 Peter 1:3-4: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable  and undefiled and will not fade away,..". (NASB)

New Year Blessings!

This year our devotional focus is based on the gift of "living hope and sure salvation" as our theme. And will be hearing the words through a more modern scripture version, although I am still using any reference to "Him" as capitals although the translation uses lower case version in print.

The 1st and 2nd Peter scripture passages are from the Passion Translation, and the Psalm verses are from the NASB version.

Thank you for participating in our journey. Please share as you discover your own questions and insights, prose, and prayers.

Reborn: 1 Peter:Prayers and Poetry

Reading: 1 Peter 1:1-3: "..to the chosen ones who have been scattered like 'seeds' into the nations living as refugees...". "You are not forgotten, for you have been chosen and destined by Father God. .... For His foundation of mercy has given us a new life--we are reborn...".

Reborn

The apostle Peter begins by reminding us that wherever we are the Lord is present too. We are in His hands--by His choice.

Not one of us is forgotten by Him or left alone. His seeds remain--even when we cannot see them.

Even though we may, or may not, see the growth or the harvest; He includes us as His holy ones, and shows us His costly mercy and a living hope.

Lord, we ask that we may learn to listen and follow Your words through Your Spirit as You guide wherever You send us. Day by day--step by step. Thank you for never abandoning us in any situation. That we are never alone. Even when we think we are.

Open our hearts to realize these blessings and live into it with gratitude and kindness and faith daily.

Your thoughts,

Introduction: Lamentations: Prayers and Poetry

 "Truly, Truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world  will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy." John 16:20 NAS

                                Introduction

The season of Lent, we now complete this week, has often been seen as a spiritual preparation for Christians to prepare our hearts for Jesus' sacrificial gift of grace.

The forty days are often considered a time of sorrow and grief that remembers His crucifixion to give us God's gift of grace. Through our loss we too can begin to recognize the shadows and barriers we have set around God's promises and reopen His call to pursue life under His influence.

Lament goes beyond our very heartsick trials to consider even our deepest sorrows, including those we may have hidden from ourselves. A lament is considered a passionate expression of grief that we often instinctively neutralize because the pain is too hard to bear.

The "Book of Lamentations" expresses one of Israel's worst seasons of history where death, decay, disease, and disillusion completely separated them from God's presence individually and as a chosen nation. It is a brutal  and unrelenting scripture.

Yet before healing could be accepted the darkness needed to be brought into God's piercing light. Like a surgeon's skillful knife removing an unseen cancer before the spreading poison completely corrupts.

As we pause we are invited to connect our spiritual hunger with the loving call from God. We can recalibrate and embrace a new beginning, even in the midst of extreme brokenness that our world is facing.

In the next forty weeks may the following passages, poems, and writing prompts refresh and restore our hearts in the Lord's everlasting grace. And form a foundation of hope for present or future sorrow knowing that His love is eternal.

Weeping: Lamentations: Prayers and Poetry

Reading: Lamentations 1:1-2, "How lonely sits the city....All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; They have become her enemies."

Weeping 

How true this grief feels throughout every community as the pandemic has brought so much loss and suffering. But it also goes deeper into each persons loss and tears in isolation. Even with some things that had no real value.

When we are emptied for any reason, we see what "dissolves" and what truly matters. especially when separated from loved ones.

And yet within the desolation and destruction we can search for the Lord as we remember He is present. And He has not turned away from us even when we have drifted from Him.

Show us, we pray, how to walk with You again, Lord, every moment in simple obedience to Your will. To be able to let go of anything that is false or not on Your path. To bring our brokenness into Your light. To live in Your resurrection power step by step.

Your thoughts,

By Faith: Prayers and Poetry

Introduction Hebrews 11

In this season of Lent we take time to remember the love, faith, and sacrifice of Jesus as He fulfilled God’s promise of redemption. In Hebrews Chapter 11 we see a list of faithful believers in God’s word who, from the Old Testament onward, lived into the often invisible realm of faith. Some have several chapters written of their commitment to live by God’s word, and some are nameless. What does a life of faith look like? How do we live in its hope? What is God’s definition of hope and faith?

We often look for assurance every day of our lives, assurance that we are wanted, loved, appreciated. We desire a confirmation of our value, our work, and ourselves. Yet we are looking for assurance that can be seen. We hope—yes—but for a concrete response.

Faith calls us deeper. To conviction. To trust. To care with, or without, a smile in return. To labor without encouragement. To act in conviction of our beliefs and our hearts. To act the same in whether in solitude or company, in joy or despair. To act with expectation that the Holy Spirit will interact within and through us.

Sometimes it seems our faith is strong. Sometimes we only have faint glimpses of light. It takes time to take a firm root in us and we usually want to see results quicker, when we really need to go slower.

So this forty week study unfolds as seeds to consider as we revisit the experiences of those listed as living by faith in Hebrews. Mondays we will reflect on a scripture passage. Wednesdays consider meditative questions. Fridays respond with poetry.

Thank you for participating in our journey. Please share as you discover your own questions and insights, prose, and prayers.

Bird Struck! Family August Devotional Introduction

Family Devotional Introduction

“So out of the ground the Lord formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.” Genesis 2:19

Summer is a wonderful time to spend with family and spend extra time outdoors enjoying the wonders of nature.

Scripture reminds us of the power of creation in our lives: “But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord had done this?” Job 12:7-9

For the month of August we’ll do a daily reading with some action thoughts to consider that I hope all ages will enjoy. This devotional is an excerpt from a work in progress, so please let me know what you think as we consider some birds that we might meet or read about in stories.

Please share as you discover your own ideas and journal insights. Just write in the comment box below or use the contact button at the top of the page.

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Blessings, Marcy