The Lost Coin

“Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ’Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:8-10

My friend and I enjoy bird watching trips together. Last week I read this scripture as part of my morning devotion time before we left to see the spring migration of the birds. Our first stop was a small waterfall on the river, with hundreds of swallows flying hungrily over the river catching insects and scooping up water to drink. The yellow warbler was there along with the common yellow throat. We watched as a dozen kayakers entered the river for a beautiful day of paddling. We proceeded up the back road to the national refuge seeing the upland sandpiper, bobolinks, and lark sparrows. At the refuge we enjoyed the buffalo and their calves, the meadowlarks, and the cliff swallows stopping at a muddy pool by the river, taking mud into their mouths, and flying back under a bridge close by to build their colony of nests. At that point, my friend noticed that he had lost one of the front pieces of his binoculars. He searched the surrounding ground, the car, and then thought back to all the times we had gotten out of the car. I assured him that we would take the same route back after having lunch and doing some shopping in town. As a backup plan, he looked up the binocular piece on the internet, concerned that it might no longer be available, or might be very expensive as the glasses were 30 years old. On our return trip, we stopped frequently to search for the missing piece, and finally arrived back at the waterfall. My friend looked hard not expecting much and then returned to the car. Once inside he opened his hand to show me the missing piece. We both rejoiced at this. Then I thought of my devotion that morning on the lost coin. I shared it with my friend.

Finding the lost coin or the lost binocular piece reminds us of the joy of God when a sinner repents and becomes a Christian. I remembered the joy and the peace I had seen on the faces of new Christians as they started their new journey in faith that their sins were forgiven.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your messages and parables in the Bible that teach us of the joy to be found in being your followers. Help us to help others to discover this joy and also to help new Christians as they begin their walk in their new faith. Thank you for the joys of your creation, the waterfalls, the birds, the rivers, and the diversity of the animals on this earth. Amen

Nancy Hall

Happy Memorial Day

 

 

Glimpses of the Kingdom

But Jesus said, let the children come to me; do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Matthew 19:14 New English Bible

For one whole week, I was blessed with the opportunity to catch glimpses of the kingdom through the eyes of three of my grandchildren. While they visited me, we laughed, played, ate junk food, sand and danced in the rain, watched movies, and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning. We had a wonderful week together.

Soon, Courtney will be ten. she brings such joy to life. Her personality is such that when she walks into a room, if there is no fun, makes some. Her insight and perception of others is sometimes quite astounding. She constantly signs the silly rhyming songs of childhood, making up verses as she goes. Finding myself the subject of a verse or two had me laughing at yet another of my human foibles. What a gift she has, helping us see who we are and making us laugh at what we see.

It will be fall before Tim is ten. He is all boy meeting the world head-on, but he shows such tenderness and love of God's creatures. The first night of his visit, he sat at peace in the grass watching fireflies, catching them at will then letting them go. As he taught his cousins to catch the fireflies, his eye/hand coordination simply amazed me. He easily caught them midair. I was unable to catch even one. However, my inadequacy reminded me of a favorite adage of my daughter's (Time's mom): "He who hasn't made a mistake hasn't made a discovery", and I was making so many discoveries.

Stephanie is seven. She truly has a gift for loving and caring. Her spirit just seems to soar while singing and dancing in the rain. Watching her with her peers gave me real insight into her gift. It was then that I observed how she made sure all were happy, included, and comfortable before she thought of herself. During an evening of severe weather and tornado warnings, though she was quite frightened, Stephanie unknowingly gave me the most wonderful description of love, saying, "I know we'll be all right, grandma, because we're warm, safe, and together." Surely that must be how Our Lord feels about all of His children.

Prayer: Thank you, Father, for letting Your little children come to us for they truly bring us glimpses of the kingdom through Your gifts of joy, peace, and love. In Your Son, Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Judy Welch 

Teach Us to Number Our Days

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12 

Be careful, then, how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.  So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15-17  

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17 

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 

The older I get, the more I find myself wishing I had more time...in my day...in my week...in my life. I want more time, but do I really need more time? The song, “Life in My Day”, by Newsong, really speaks to me about this: “I can't help feeling I'm always behind/ So much that I could do, if I could just find the time/ But then it hits me/ Time is not the answer/ You've given me/ All the time in the world/ All that I need is/ A little more life in my day/ A little more of your life/ A little more faith/...A little more of your light/ To show me the way/...Lord I need more of you/ In all that I do.” 

Even if sometimes it doesn't feel like it, God gives us exactly the amount of time that we need. It's a “good and perfect gift” from him. We wish for more time but should instead try to concentrate on using this fleeting and precious gift wisely.  Let me tell you, this isn't easy to do. I try to focus on what God wants me to do, but sometimes get overwhelmed because so many things seem equally important... what order should I do them in? Also, too often, I become distracted by more attractive or fun options. And sometimes, I'm in such a hurry, I'm oblivious to what God wants.  

Jesus was able to balance his time perfectly—whether slowing down and praying, or moving ahead boldly. He could do this because he fully trusted God—his wisdom, his Word, his will. This is what I must do also... living under his guiding hand at all times. Am I resting, refreshing, pondering and noticing when he calls me to slow down? Am I seeking, listening, trusting and moving when he calls me get going? If I “Trust in the Lord with all my heart, and do not depend on my own understanding,” if I “Seek his will in all I do,” then I can be certain “ he will show me which path to take.” (from Proverbs 3:5-6) 

Prayer: Dearest Jesus, we regret all the time we've wasted following our own way instead of yours. Please forgive us! We want to be good stewards of the time you've given us, so “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” And thank you for each and every precious moment you give us. Amen. 

Sharon Irvin

Summer Prayer of Inner Peace

Our inner sanctuary of peacefulness often diminishes in the flurry of summer’s social activities, with endless tasks remaining unfinished at home, the return from vacation to numerous deadlines and pressures of work. When this happens, our internal direction and sense of purpose easily upends itself. If we lack attentiveness, our ability to live out of our best self tends to lessen. Now is the time to restore an awareness of the magnificent temple within us where the Spirit of Peace abides. We can return to this calm, abiding presence whenever we deliberately choose to do so. May the following prayer be a source of remembering and tending to this indwelling gift. 

Peaceful Presence, 

Grant me the courage to slow down the hurried pace of life in order to be mindful of your ever-present guidance and assistance, especially when I try to go it alone.  

Restore my perception of the inherent joy that awaits me in each day if only I turn toward you with a recognition of your vibrant energy moving through me.  

Awaken me to a keener awareness of your light-filled presence within my being, especially when life fills with shadows of sadness and the cloudiness of concerns.  

Show me how you are dwelling in those places of my life where I’ve forgotten to welcome you with an open heart of acceptance and hospitality.  

Interrupt my self-defeating schemes and desires so I have a keener sense of how they lead me further from you and obliterate inner peace. When you move me toward change and deeper relationship with you, show me where my resistance to that growth-filled invitation resides.  

Enliven my physical senses to the beauty and wonder of ordinary moments and a resounding gratitude for your presence within those moments.  

Shake free what keeps my thoughts and feelings imprisoned in anxiety and useless fretting.  

Draw me into the stillness essential for your serenity to dwell in my being, and lead me into times of solitude, even if you have to drag me there.  

Come, tickle my mind and heart into restored peacefulness so I more readily and wisely welcome you to the home of my heart. 

Rupp, Joyce. Prayer Seeds (pp. 160-161). Ave Maria Press. Kindle Edition. 

What It Takes?

During the month of March, I had a major life change. I got a new job. Getting from point A to point B was a messy process. I was uncomfortable and had to prepare for the worst. I got the job offer March 11^th and started my new position in Omaha March 21^st. Prior to the new job offer, my current job had been experiencing fluctuations and the temporary role I was fulfilling for about a year was being phased out. It was disappointing and I felt like I had failed in some regard. I was proactive of my current situation. I applied and received the necessary government support such as food stamps, Medicaid, and energy assistance.

I know I have not been the only one who has felt uncertainty throughout the pandemic, but I had to face hard truths. I had been job hunting for over a year without success. My current role was being phased out quickly and I knew I would have less income coming in. Six months prior I had applied for emergency rental assistance in Lincoln based on some advice from a friend. This proved to be a lifeline as I had gotten approval for my rent to be paid April through June along with my internet bill. The same day I received the funds, I received notice from my boss that my hours would be drastically reduced in that my temporary role was disappearing. It was devastating, but I didn’t scorch the earth. I managed to work with my landlord to receive money back that I had prepaid for the April rent. I went and received it that day. I came back to work with about a dozen cookies and handed them out to all the employees who were working that day including the boss who had just given me devastating news. He needed a cookie just as much as I needed to give him that cookie. We are often presented the question of “What would Jesus do?” as Christians. I believe that Jesus would have gotten cookies for the office. He would have also continued to persevere despite the challenges. He was comfortable with being uncomfortable. 

From Matthew 4:1-11: 

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
              but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
               lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
             and him only shall you serve.’”

  Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to              him.

I could have screamed and cried or let anger run through my veins, but I chose a different way. I took this setback and persevered. It was a week later that I was able to find a new job in Omaha. I came back to my boss with the exciting news and planned my transition. My transition wasn’t a failure, but an opportunity to face the world with stronger resolve.

There are other factors to this story. During this time of transition, I was taking an independent study on data mining that had strengthened my resume significantly. I was consistent with my work with career advisors and my continued learning to find this opportunity. I had to become comfortable with being uncomfortable while continuing to plug away at this important life change. I was fortunate enough to have the resources such as friends and family to help guide me during this period of transition. I am fortunate and blessed to have people who want to see me succeed. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, please guide us through these difficult times of uncertainty. Help us to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Help us to live as followers of your only son Jesus Christ. Continue to guide us through your words and through the Holy Spirit. In your name we pray, Amen.

Charles Kendeigh

 

Renewal

 

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalms 51:10

Have you noticed a lot of demolition and construction in your town? I have a habit of driving around during my errands and observe what new buildings are in the area, and I have noticed more demolitions than I normally see. I have read in the paper and Facebook where the buildings are being torn down and a new building is being constructed. I have noticed that several buildings that may look okay on the outside but must have structural or interior damage that can’t be seen from the outside that brings the decision that it needs to be demolished and a new building started.

It is kind of like people: they look okay from the outside. They are friendly, active and just continue to dive into their busy schedules. Their interior is falling down within them, their fears, their emotional state, their physical body is in pain, but they never show it.  

It is so important for us to recognize that the surface is not the true story. We need to open our hearts and minds to listen and react in a manner that shows we are here for someone when they are in need. Sometimes just a friendly smile, a tap on the hand, or even a hug can heal the soul and allow them to reach for help.   

Prayer: Let us ask in Jesus' name for renewal and strength. Let us pray for those that need to be reinforced in the love of Christ. Amen.

Lori Hood