What Can You Give?

Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. Deuteronomy 15:10

Pastor Melodie’s Bible study on Mark via Zoom last week started with breakout groups telling stories of having received gifts. They could be any kind of gift. Then we told how we felt about receiving it.

Bryce had an answer for me when I asked him to help think of a special gift. He said, “Remember the night we arrived back to the Lincoln airport at 10:30 pm.” We realized as we started driving we had a flat tire so stopped just outside the airport at a gas station. The tire would not take on air and they had no other help for us.

Unknown to us a young heavy set man was gassing his car and overheard our problem. He said he had the tools and could put our spare tire on for us. It was cold and he didn’t have a coat on, but he proceeded to open the floor of our SUV, retrieve our spare, and laid on the ground and made our vehicle driveable. He gave us his talent, his time and his tools. We tried to pay him but he wouldn’t take money.

Prayer: Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for people like the gentleman we met on that cold night last February. Thank you for the Bible for explaining to us that we need to be cheerful givers, without a grudging heart, at all times. Thank you for offering a blessing to us when we give to others. Amen.

Sandra Hilsabeck

For the Beauty of the Earth

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:    a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

These last several days as the snow has fallen and covered our world in Lincoln, I sit and look out of the window and marvel at the beauty of nature. It made me think about the hymn “For the Beauty of the Earth”. I keep on singing it in my head, and in spite of the enormous amount of snow that we received, I’m glad to live in an area with four seasons.  

Sing or say these words to the song in your heart and mind:

                For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies.

                For the love which from our birth over and around us lies.

                Lord of all to thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.

I started this after our big snowfall, but I’m now finding it difficult to continue to feel blessed for the four seasons in Nebraska. As Pastor Melodie pointed out in her sermon on February 14, the snow keeps coming and with it bitter cold temperatures, and many of us are more than ready for spring to start. We’re ready for crocuses, daffodils, flowering trees, green grass and warm days. But we can have faith that it will all happen and the snow will melt, finally, for this year.  

Prayer: Dear Lord, as we deal with the challenges of winter, let us not forget the beauty of your creation. Be with us during this cold, bleak winter until spring comes to rejuvenate our lives. Amen.

Carolyn Brandle

Prayer

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18

This Lent at Eastridge we are observing daily micro-practices (from Vibrant Church Communications). According to the author of the booklet, “some practices can be done on the spot, some during the day, and others will take some time and/or preparation.” Pastor Thomas posts the daily observance on our Eastridge Presbyterian Community Facebook page (also found in the booklets mailed out…contact the church office if you’d like a copy!).

Day Two, entitled “Prayer Rhythm” was to say a prayer each time we do something regularly (some examples: brushing teeth, taking a walk). It occurred to me that a devotion I had been working on regarding prayer fit well with this practice!

Usually I have assistance when I do bulk mailings here at church. Eastridge members Lauren and Melinda Holcombe have most recently helped (pre-COVID), as well as Laura in the office. I appreciate their assistance with this time-consuming task! However, I worked on two recent mailings on my own, and it occurred to me as I worked: sticking labels on is a form of prayer. As I read your name when I see your label, I picture you and/or your family for 2-3 seconds. Those 2-3 seconds that I’m placing the label securely on the envelope can be a form of prayer. My prayer and/or thoughts might not hold a lot of detail, but I don't think that's the point. Just an awareness of each church member as a beloved child of God is enough. 

Similarly, editing photos can become a form of prayer. When I take photos at a wedding, I take between 1500-3000 digital photos, in the form of JPEG files that I then edit for the customer. Editing that many files is no quick task, and I find myself immersed once again, while editing, in the day of the wedding. It’s a form of prayer that I engage in, being connected to this couple and their family as I travel back in time to their special day.

In what ways can you add prayer to your life?

Prayer: Dear God, there are many forms of prayer, many ways to connect to you. Show me ways that I can include others in my prayer life. Show me ways I can turn to you in the mundane tasks of my day. Show me ways I can turn to you in the holy tasks of my day. Amen.

Donna Gustafson

Missing a Call

For many are called, but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14 

Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling

Will L. Thompson, 1880

Verse 1

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,

calling for you and for me;

see, on the portals he’s waiting and watching,

watching for you and for me 

Over the weekend I worked a COVID vaccine clinic for high risk patients. In the afternoon, we were ahead of schedule and we set up a few volunteers to call patients who were scheduled later in the day to see if they could come early.  Since this was generally an elderly population who had just received a call to come for vaccine in the last 48 hours we were asked to not leave messages and only speak with those who were scheduled for an appointment (or the family member who would be bringing them). This absence of messages was an effort to avoid confusion.  

As I was calling these individuals, from a number they definitely wouldn’t recognize, I thought about the times we avoid answering a call. On our cell phone or home phone we may ignore a call from someone that we don’t know, or suspect to be a telemarketer or bill collector. Maybe we ignore a call from someone who is very chatty because we don’t want to make time to speak to them. Maybe we ignore a call from work, or church or another group that we volunteer with because we feel the need to protect our personal interests and we know they are calling to ask for time or money. Maybe we ignore a call from a relative because we are avoiding a conversation or argument. 

I wondered how often we are missing out from something that we desire because of our own conscious avoidance? What if that number we think is a telemarketer is actually someone offering us a vaccine? Or someone asking us to come in early for something that we are waiting for? What if it is our work calling to offer us an incentive or promotion? What if it is our church asking us to be involved in a once in a lifetime opportunity for service? What if the chatty friend is reaching out because they are having an emergency, or that family member we have been avoiding is calling to make amends? 

Technology is a blessing and a curse. When I was a teenager I didn’t have call waiting or caller ID and I was envious of friends who did. As an adult, call waiting means that I have to decide which call is most important, the one I am already on and the one that is coming in. With caller ID I can see who is reaching out to me and make a conscious decision to accept or ignore. I don’t need an answering machine or voicemail to screen my calls the way that I may have 20 or 30 years ago. What am I missing or trying to control with these actions?

Prayer: God who sends us messages, help us to be open to your call and to contacts from other who are trying to reach us. In these difficult times, help us to have faith that those reaching out are doing so for a reason. Let us use our conscious avoidance to end undesired calls instead of ignoring them. Amen

Christi Moock

Dancing with God

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. Psalm 30:11-12 

Let them praise God’s name with dancing and make music to Him with tambourine and harp for the Lord takes delight in His people; he crowns the humble with salvation. Psalm 149:3-4

So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him: he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. (Parable of the Prodigal Son) Luke 15:20

One of my favorite TV shows is “Dancing with the Stars”. As I watch from week to week, it amazes me to see the improvement each celebrity exhibits as he or she becomes more confident in themselves and their ability to execute the dance with their professional dance partner. Some celebrities possess a natural ability to dance while others show more awkwardness. But even the most awkward celebrity shows progress as their professional dance partner guides and leads them through the steps during their daily practices in an attempt to put their assigned dance performance together. 

As I reflect on my life, I view it as a dance with God. At times, it has been as smooth and graceful as a Viennese Waltz while at other times it has been exuberant and joyful like the Lindy Hop or Jive. Still at other times, I have allowed my anger and haughtiness towards God to resemble the Paso Doble or take the form of the freestyle dance when I wanted to throw out all the rules and do things “my way”. Through the years, I’ve even allowed myself to drift away from God’s arms, all the time knowing, God’s arms would be open wide and ready to accept me back into His loving and guiding embrace at a moments notice. 

Prayer: Dear God: Thank you for being my dance partner in life and, ultimately, in death. Open my heart to feel your guiding hand each day as we move together through our ups and downs and joys and sorrows. May my trust in you increase daily knowing you have a plan for my life if I just will take notice and feel your gentle, guiding touch.  Amen 

Patty Niemann (reprinted from October 2009)

Words from the book of Timothy

 

Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3: 14b-17

Surprise, Surprise!

Editor's note: In December we lost one of our devotion writers. Not only was Lois Poppe a faithful writer for this ministry, she was instrumental in reviving it as an online blog (with an email reminder/link) four years ago. Here is one of her devotions from 2017. 

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”  James 1:17 

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8

“We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophesy, in proportion to faith; ministry, on ministering; the teacher, in teaching.” Romans 12: 6-7 

Last April, I was given a blooming orchid plant – my first, orchid plant gift.  I watered it carefully and it continued to bloom for two months.  I enjoyed its beautiful blooms and was sad to see it go.  I placed it under our back yard deck and forgot about it. 

Last week as I picked tomatoes at the edge under the deck, the orchid plant greeted me with brilliant new blooms.  What a special gift! I couldn’t wait to show the orchid blooms to my family and neighbors. 

Daily, each of us receives gifts from God.  Often we do not recognize them or give thanks for these gifts.  Can you name gifts you have recently been given by God?  Even though we haven’t earned these gifts, we receive them gratefully. 

Prayer: Dear God, we are thankful for your most precious gifts.  Help us to follow your example and to share our talents and gifts with others. Amen. 

Lois Poppe (reprinted from October 2017)