Memorial Day

I thank my God every time I remember you ~ Philippians 1:3

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe. Psalm 4:8 

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29: 11 

Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. Lamentations 3:21-25 

We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone. Psalms 33:20-22 

He sang: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22: 2-4 

Words from Isaiah

In repentance and rest is your salvation,

    in quietness and trust is your strength.

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;

    therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.

For the Lord is a God of justice.

    Blessed are all who wait for him!

People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it. ~Portions of Isaiah 30

Daily Spiritual Exercise

In our current Wednesday morning bible study, we are reading Trevor Hudson's book, Discovering Our Spiritual Identity. In one week's lesson, Trevor shared the above, which was the result of his time spent with a Johannesburg monk studying the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius.

Donna Gustafson

Learning

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover.  And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom; and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem.  His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the company they went a day’s journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.  After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.  And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so?  Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.”  And he said to them, “How is it that you sought me?  Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”   Luke 2: 41-49 (RSV)

This devotion was inspired by the windows in the sanctuary at Eastridge. The second window from the southeast corner illustrates the story of Jesus in the temple at age twelve. The youngster stands in the center of the window; three bearded rabbis hover to one side. His parents, who dominated the Nativity window and remained in the foreground in the Nunc Dimittis window, have now shrunk to tiny figures in the corner. Beneath Jesus’ feet is a lamp signifying scholarship.

What conclusions can we draw from this familiar story? The danger of making assumptions? Evidence of a strained relationship between parents and adolescent?  Jesus as a child prodigy? As a teacher I’m pleased to read that Jesus is described as listening and asking questions. All of us, including Jesus must learn what it means to be human. And for this we look to our history and literature, and the thoughts and writings of the wisest among us today, as well as those who have gone on before.  They provide us with the materials for our task.

Prayer:  Oh God of Wisdom, give us the joy of learning and the gift of discernment to see how you are working out Your purpose in the world today, and how we are called to participate.  Amen. 

Bill Wehrbein (reprinted from Eastridge Devotion book, 2008)

On Being Grateful

The wisdom of the learned man cometh by opportunity of leisure; and he that hath little business shall become wise.  Ecclesiastes 38:24

As a friend of mine wrote: “Isn’t it terrible how you can be fine one minute and brought low the next!”  In my case, the being “fine” was going about a morning’s work at home, twirling from one task to another, and the “brought low” was catching my rubber-soled shoes in the carpet and falling like a tree—hard and straight—across the footboard of the bed.  One trip to the emergency room for X-rays, two strong medicines, and reaction to those medicines later, I was 911’d to the hospital where I stayed for three days. That provided time to meditate on the unexpectedness of human life. It was also time to count one’s blessings.

Listening to the coughing and labored breathing, with the help of a swooshing and engulfing apparatus, of my roommate in the throes of emphysema, I was grateful for clear air passages. Hearing about the woman down the hall in a several weeks’ coma after surgery to remove a brain tumor, I was grateful for a clear head. As my vital signs returned to normal and as my wrenched back improved a bit each day, I was grateful for a “hopefully” temporary rather than permanent disarrangement of my system. Although there are easier ways to gain such wisdom than a trip to the hospital, it will suffice.

Prayer: Perhaps we all need some of Pollyanna in our attitudes; being glad for what’s there rather than pining for what’s not. Thank you for your many gifts to us—of life, of friends, of health sufficient for the day, which we often accept as a matter of course.  May we be aware and grateful.  Amen 

Ruth Ann Lyness (reprinted from Eastridge Devotion book, 2008)

Identities

The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:9-13

As I was driving to work one day, I followed a vehicle with a personalized license plate reading “JENZ MOM.” Of course, little else in my life has given me more pleasure than to be known as “Gina’s mom,“ and “Matt’s mom,” and “Erin’s mom.”  But I began to think about my other identities: wife, daughter, sister, “in-law“…grandmother, aunt, cousin…friend, neighbor, colleague, citizen. 

As I pondered, I came to realize that my most important identity is that of Christian, a child of God. For ultimately, it is my understanding of God’s love and my relationship with Christ which form the thoughts, words, and actions that shape and define all my other relationships. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father,  it is an incomparable privilege to be a “Child of God.” We thank You for Your unfailing love and pray that we can be worthy members of Your family. Amen. 

Judith Keller, reprinted from March 2009

 

Wait on the Lord

 Lord, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God. Psalm 38:15

Gratitude

O love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Psalm 116:1

Isn't it wonderful that our God not only hears our prayers of gratitude for all that He has done for us, but He also hears our prayers when we ask for his help. Sometimes when I am troubled by a problem and know that I need lots of help from God, I may forget to thank Him for all the wonderful blessings that He has given to me and immediately begin my prayer by asking for help. Do you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and have difficulty falling asleep again? It is at these times that I pray to God, thanking Him for all the many blessings that he has given me and asking Him for His help for the day that will be dawning soon. These prayers help me relax and fall asleep again. When I awaken in the morning, I feel that God is with me and that He will be with me throughout the day, guiding me in all that I do and say.

Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, thank you for all the many blessings that you have given us. You are with us every second of every day, watching over us as your children. Help us to always do your will and to be a witness for you in everything that we do and in everything that we say. In Your name we pray. Amen.

Linda Douglas (reprinted from Eastridge Daily Devotion book, printed in 2008)

Migration

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

In an essay published in a 2019 National Geographic “We Are All Migrants”, Mohsin Hamid talks about migration. When you hear this word, a few things probably come to mind. You may be thinking about picking up roots and moving from one location to another. Or you may be thinking about birds and animals that migrate from one area to another according to the seasons and food/water availability.

In Mohid’s essay, he points out that we are continuously migrating. As we move through time, “none of us is a native of the place we call home. And none of us is a native to this moment in time.” Further, he says: “we become refugees from our childhoods, the schools, the friends, the toys, the parents that made up our worlds all gone, replaced by new buildings, by phone calls, photo albums, and reminiscences.” In addition, this essay makes one aware that not much is gained from dividing ourselves into “native” and “migrant”. There is much more to his essay, but for this devotion, I’m focusing on individual growth.

I think of this migration of our lives, and how, for me, it’s been a journey of learning, spiritual growth, and appreciating humility. As we “migrate” from one time to another, we (hopefully) learn along the way a little bit from everyone we meet, everyone God puts in our path. Those lessons may be hard, they may include “what not to do”, and/or they may be hopeful and loving. These lessons, if we are open to them, are part of our spiritual growth. If we're in the Word, we can probably find something scriptural about every single encounter we have with others. Thankfully, if we include God in the journey, we will find blessings in the migration.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to keep you close to me in thought and prayer as I migrate through life. Let me learn, grow, and become closer to you. Amen.

Donna Gustafson

Psalm 25

 In you, Lord my God,

    I put my trust.

I trust in you;

    do not let me be put to shame,

    nor let my enemies triumph over me.

No one who hopes in you

    will ever be put to shame,

but shame will come on those

    who are treacherous without cause.

Show me your ways, Lord,

    teach me your paths.

Guide me in your truth and teach me,

    for you are God my Savior,

    and my hope is in you all day long.

Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,

    for they are from of old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth

    and my rebellious ways;

according to your love remember me,

    for you, Lord, are good.

Good and upright is the Lord;

    therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

He guides the humble in what is right

    and teaches them his way.

All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful

    toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.

For the sake of your name, Lord,

    forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?

    He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.

They will spend their days in prosperity,

    and their descendants will inherit the land.

The Lord confides in those who fear him;

    he makes his covenant known to them.

My eyes are ever on the Lord,

    for only he will release my feet from the snare.

Turn to me and be gracious to me,

    for I am lonely and afflicted.

Relieve the troubles of my heart

    and free me from my anguish.

Look on my affliction and my distress

    and take away all my sins.

See how numerous are my enemies

    and how fiercely they hate me!

Guard my life and rescue me;

    do not let me be put to shame,

    for I take refuge in you.

May integrity and uprightness protect me,

    because my hope, Lord, is in you. Psalm 25

The Parable of the Sower

After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”

When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

His disciples asked him what this parable meant.  He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,

“‘though seeing, they may not see;

    though hearing, they may not understand.’

“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.  Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. Luke 8:1-15

Prayer

Why must people kneel down to pray? If I really wanted to pray I'll tell you what I'd do. I'd go out into a great big field all alone or in the deep, deep woods, and I'd look up into the sky-up, up, up into that lovely blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness. And then I'd just feel a prayer. 

                                                           L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

A Psalm of Praise

  

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

I will praise the Lord all my life;

    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Do not put your trust in princes,

    in human beings, who cannot save.

When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

    on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

 

He is the Maker of heaven and earth,

    the sea, and everything in them—

    he remains faithful forever.

He upholds the cause of the oppressed

    and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free,

     the Lord gives sight to the blind,

the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,

    the Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord watches over the foreigner

    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

 

The Lord reigns forever,

    your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord. Psalm 146

Saving Pennies and Choosing Wisely

Suppose one of you want to build a tower.  Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? Luke 14:28

I am reading a new-to-me author this week. Throughout the book the author has included phrases from one of the character's grandmothers. The one that has stayed with me is “Save your pennies, and the dollars will save themselves.” This morning on the national news there was advice from financial experts about the ways that spending has changed during the pandemic and how we need to look at our budgets as things begin to re-open. Not everyone was able to have the blessing of work during the pandemic. And now there is news that some unemployment dollars will need to be paid back.  Our family has been fortunate to work during the pandemic. We have benefitted from the interest deferral on federal student loans. No concerts, sporting events and limited travel have helped us to save up for bigger purchases. Prior to the pandemic we had set some goals for paying off debt and increasing our savings.

As I read this verse from Luke I thought about instances where we make decisions without evaluating if we have enough. This could be about money, but it could also be about time, or personal interest. Do we stop often enough to think through what we are committing to? Many times for financial items, if our need or desire is deep enough we will “borrow” the funds, this could be for a mortgage, a car, education, or vacation. This allows us an opportunity to have what we want and plan to pay it off in the future. This isn’t as easy with personal commitments. With time, we often have to review our available budget to see if we can fit something in. This could be volunteering for a community charity, serving at church or making a weekly date night with our partner a priority. 

Budgeting isn’t only about adding, but also subtracting to get things to balance. If you want to go to Europe for 3 weeks where are you willing to trim expenses to save for the trip? Your daily coffee? Reducing your clothing budget? Maybe 6 months without cable? If you want to give back to your community or your faith what are you willing to give up to make time to do this? Maybe it means cancelling Netflix night. Maybe it means not sleeping in on the weekends.  What does your personal and financial budget cycle look like?

Prayer: Guiding God, help us to evaluate our personal and financial budgets and listen to the hope inside our hearts. Help us to be conscientious with all the gifts that we have been given. Lead us to good choices and service in your name.  Amen.     

Christi Moock

Choose Whom You Will Serve

Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15

We have a choice every day, every hour, and every minute how we will react to life. Lori Snyder Sloan gave me her family devotion book. Such a wise lady she is. In this book I came upon these actions. Choose today the ones which will allow God to use you to minister to others:

Choose to love—rather than hate             

Choose to smile—rather than frown

Choose to build—rather than destroy         

Choose to persevere—rather than quit

Choose to praise—rather than gossip         

Choose to heal—rather than wound

Choose to give—rather than grasp.            

Choose to act—rather than delay

Choose to pray—rather than despair          

Choose to forgive—rather than curse

(author unknown)

Prayer: Help me Lord to choose the first option in each choice above when I react to how life presents itself to me. Help me to keep a loving smile available for others. Forgive me when I wound someone and don’t even realize it. Help me to make it right with that person. Open my eyes to see that each person is a child of our Almighty God. Lead me to follow the actions of Jesus who came here and died for me after showing the world how to love. Thank you for sending your son to save me. May I have the strength to serve you and teach about you. Amen.

Sandra Hilsabeck

 

For I am the Lord who heals you

 

“I will sing to the Lord,

    for he is highly exalted.

The Lord is my strength and my defense:

    he has become my salvation.

He is my God, and I will praise him,

    my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Your right hand, Lord,

    was majestic in power.

Your right hand, Lord,

    shattered the enemy.

Who among the gods

    is like you, Lord?

Who is like you—

    majestic in holiness,

awesome in glory,

    working wonders?

You stretch out your right hand,

    and the earth swallows your enemies.

In your unfailing love you will lead

    the people you have redeemed.

In your strength you will guide them

    to your holy dwelling.

The Lord reigns for ever and ever.” portions of Exodus 15

Unperfect Substance

Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:16

Henry M. Morris, Ph. D states this about the Psalm noted here. “This is an amazing verse, testifying as it does to the omniscient fore-planning of our Creator for each human being. Each person has been separately planned by God before he or she was ever conceived; His eyes oversaw our ‘unperfect [not imperfect, but unfinished] substance’—that is, literally, our embryo—throughout its entire development. Not only all its ‘members’ but also all its ‘days’ (the literal implication of ‘in continuance’) had been ‘written’ in God’s book long ago.”

Prayer: O Dear Lord, how wonderful to know that you knew me from my very-small beginning. You knew what my life would be. Help me to understand that every embryo is precious to you. Amen. 

Sandra Hilsabeck

Hope in the Lord

 

 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

    for his compassions never fail.

  They are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness.

  I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;

    therefore I will wait for him.”

 

  The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,

    to the one who seeks him;

  it is good to wait quietly

    for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:22-26

Psalm 42

 

As the deer pants for streams of water,

    so my soul pants for you, my God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

    When can I go and meet with God?

My tears have been my food

    day and night,

while people say to me all day long,

    “Where is your God?”

These things I remember

    as I pour out my soul:

how I used to go to the house of God

    under the protection of the Mighty One

with shouts of joy and praise

    among the festive throng.

 

Why, my soul, are you downcast?

    Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

    for I will yet praise him,

    my Savior and my God.

 

My soul is downcast within me;

    therefore I will remember you

from the land of the Jordan,

    the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

Deep calls to deep

    in the roar of your waterfalls;

all your waves and breakers

    have swept over me.

 

By day the Lord directs his love,

    at night his song is with me—

    a prayer to the God of my life.

 

I say to God my Rock,

    “Why have you forgotten me?

Why must I go about mourning,

    oppressed by the enemy?”

My bones suffer mortal agony

    as my foes taunt me,

saying to me all day long,

    “Where is your God?”

 

Why, my soul, are you downcast?

    Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

    for I will yet praise him,

    my Savior and my God. Psalm 42

Running Flat

 

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

After working the closing shift, I was headed home on the highway. This highway is always busy, extremely, with only two lanes and lots of semi traffic. The highway is need of repair, and I felt it this night when I hit a huge pothole. I have running flat tires, so my goal was to get to the next town and not to have to stop on this highway in the dark. As you can see I ran it too far and beyond the expectations of the tire.  

Have you ever felt like your life was running on a flat? I have and I find it when I don’t take enough time to stop, pull over and pray. We sometimes just keep rolling along knowing we are running flat but if we can just make it to the next day we will be okay. There are always those potholes that are going to slow us down in life but we need to stop, pull over and pray. Life can be so much better if we just let God take charge; and He can handle anything we turn over to him.  We can run ourselves to just remnants if we are always trying to handle it by ourselves.

Prayer: Dear Father, please help us to STOP, PULL OVER and PRAY! We know you love us and want us to live life in your time, to live life in your vision. But we try to control and sustain ourselves without your assistance. Forgive us for our stubbornness. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Lori Hood

Words from Acts

 

“‘In the last days, God says,

    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

    your young men will see visions,

    your old men will dream dreams.

  Even on my servants, both men and women,

    I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

    and they will prophesy.

  I will show wonders in the heavens above

    and signs on the earth below,

    blood and fire and billows of smoke.

  The sun will be turned to darkness

    and the moon to blood

    before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

  And everyone who calls

    on the name of the Lord will be saved." Acts 2:17-21