A Bad Day?

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Colossians 1:9 

 

 

Have you ever had a really bad day?  Maybe you woke up late that morning. Now at work you are listening to that one person who every word they speak is negative and normally you ignore it, but today it is just heightening your stress level. Finally you make it to lunch where the service is extremely slow, not today you think to yourself. You notice that one worker doesn't even seem to be paying attention to the fact that customers are waiting! You return to work to find out that project you thought you had more time to complete, that the deadline has been moved to tomorrow. You made it through the day and on your way home a car pulls in front of your car just missing it by inches. The driver never even looked your way. No one has had a worse day you tell your family.   

It is not easy but let us step back and look at your day. You woke up late, had you contemplated it was all in God's plan? Perhaps if you had been on your regular schedule you may have encountered that vehicle accident on your normal route. That co-worker that is so negative; perhaps they are going through a divorce and have no family support. The restaurant worker is worried about having enough money to feed their family. The driver of the car that cut you off just found out a family member is dying. Maybe these scenarios are what is happening in those individuals' lives, maybe not, we don't know.  The one thing we do know is we need to pray...pray for thanks to God for protecting us, for patience in our everyday lives, for those we encounter every day that they find peace, comfort and answers from above.  

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven I pray that I find the strength to do my best to follow in your daily plan. Help me to remember to pray for others I may encounter that they may feel your comfort and blessings. Thank you Father for all the blessings you have bestowed upon my life, in Jesus name I pray. Amen

Lori Hood

 

Peace

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

When I think about the word “Peace” and what it means to me, I think of two things: one, the peace of mind that allows me make my way in the world, and two, the peace that results when our relationships are harmonious.  Both come from God, and allowing Him to work in our lives and transform us.

If there was no conflict, there wouldn’t be opportunity for peace. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of this, or we could get “bogged down” in the futility of it all. I think that for most of us, we think of peace as all of humanity “just getting along”. But, could peace also mean learning to accept? Could it mean knowing what we stand for, but realizing not everyone else feels the same? Of course, we all believe we are the right ones (or it wouldn’t be called belief), but how about understanding that each of us comes from a different place, both figuratively and literally, and that those different places make the world beautiful and diverse. Instead of only hoping for peace and praying for peace, I’m going to start my life with peace…and, to me, that means loving you for who you are and accepting our differences…and asking God to help me with all of it!

Prayer: Dear Lord, please help me to think before I speak, and think before I judge someone else’s beliefs. Calm my heart and my head. Amen.

Donna Gustafson

Supporting Families

“Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” I Thessalonians 5:11

 

Joshua 1:9 “I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

 

A young mother posted this on Facebook (slightly edited): “Sweaty, baby strapped to my back, three-year-old insisting that her belly hurts and NEEDS her donut that she forgot to eat after lunch, six-year-old using everything in sight as a weapon, seven-year-old wanting to spend the only dollar he has. This was my trip to the grocery store today. While I was bagging up my groceries and trying to quietly keep from losing my mind, the lady next to me asked if I have one of those phones that takes pictures. Trying not to convey annoyance to someone else adding to the million questions that made up my day, I replied that, yes I do have one of those phones.  She asked to take a picture of me with my kids. At the grocery store. Together. She told me that she wishes she had photos of herself doing everyday ordinary things with her kids. She validated the fact that a simple grocery trip is hard. She told me that what I do matters. She doesn’t miss what made the days hard, but she misses what made them sweet. I will always cherish the picture she took and the message that came with it.”

 

After reading that Facebook post, I wondered what I could do to be supportive of families. Well, I could let a family go ahead of me in the checkout line. I could give them a smile of encouragement. I could pray for them.

 

What else could you and I do? As the school year begins, families can become overwhelmed by busyness and burdened by many back-to-school expenses. At Eastridge Presbyterian Church we are encouraged to take a prayer card for one child or youth and pray for them regularly. Each of us can do something to make a difference. See the September church newsletter and weekly Lamp for many opportunities to get involved in supporting families, children and youth.

Here are two examples:

Snack Provider – Prepare a snack for the after-school program. Prayer: God, we remember your promise to be with us always. Thank you for walking with us each day. Amen.

Teacher – Prepare and teach a lesson.

Prayer: God, we remember your promise to be with us always. Thank you for walking with us each day. Amen.

Lois Poppe

 

 

The Sunken Gardens

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” Psalm 8:3-4

 

Every time I visit the Sunken Gardens, here in Lincoln, I marvel at the gorgeous red and white blossoms that line the sidewalks. However, the sidewalks are very special, too. They are tiles, with the names of friends and loved ones who have passed away or needed to be honored.

My youngest son, Chris, has his own tile.  Chris died suddenly of blood poisoning at age 41. In John Keats” poem, Endynios, the hero says, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever. It will not pass into nothingness.”

At the bottom of the little valley is a large fish pond fiilled with koi, of many colors. And, of course, there are flowers everywhere, and the butterflies, bees, and birds are going wild at the feast before them.

Seeing this beautiful little valley that used to be a garbage dump, I am so grateful to the wonderful people of Lincoln who volunteer to plant, water, and care for this lovely garden.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for the beauty of the earth. Help us to be deserving of it and to use it wisely.

Gerry Draney

Welcome back to Eastridge Daily Devotion! Devotions, that is, Monday through Friday.

Holy Saturday 

 

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered his prayers with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death. On this day, we pray in Jesus’ name: O Lord, do not be far away; O God, come quickly to help us. Remember your church . . . Keep us faithful to the gospel, proclaiming the good news of salvation even in the face of danger and death. O Lord, do not be far away; O God, come quickly to help us. Remember your world . . . Rescue this perishing planet, condemned by human cruelty; do not let it be destroyed forever. O Lord, do not be far away; O God, come quickly to help us. Remember all nations . . . Break the sword and snap the spear; trample the high walls and thorny fences  that separate neighbors and nations. O Lord, do not be far away; O God, come quickly to help us. Remember those who face death . . . Restore the lives of those who suffer, give hope to those who are despairing, and welcome the dying into your arms. O Lord, do not be far away; O God, come quickly to help us. We ask these things in the name of Jesus, who suffered and died for our sakes. Amen.

 

Bartlett, David L.; Taylor, Barbara Brown; Long, Kimberly Bracken (2014-12-31). Feasting on the Word Lenten Companion: A Thematic Resource for Preaching and Worship (pp. 280-281). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.