Devotion.al

Tag: spirit

  • Enduring Soil

    Enduring Soil

    4 Now while a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from every city, he said in a parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, were trampled on, and birds from the sky ate them up. 6 Others fell on stony ground, and as soon as they came up, they dried up because they had no moisture. 7 Others fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes grew with them and choked them. 8 But others fell on good soil, and when they came up, they produced 100 times as much as was planted.” As he said this, he called out, “Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!”

    9 Then his disciples began to him what this parable meant. 10 So he said, “You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom of God. But to others they are given in parables, so that

    ‘they might look but not see,
        and they might listen but not understand.’”

    11 “Now this is what the parable means. The seed is God’s . 12 The ones on the path are the people who listen, but then the Devil comes and takes the word away from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 The ones on the stony ground are the people who joyfully welcome the word when they hear it. But since they don’t have any roots, they believe for a while, but in a time of testing they fall away. 14 The ones that fell among the thorn bushes are the people who listen, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries, wealth, and pleasures of life, and their fruit doesn’t mature. 15 But the ones on the good soil are the people who hear the word but also hold on to it with good and honest hearts, producing a crop through endurance.”

    Luke 8:4–15 ISV

    Reading the (i.e., The Holy Bible) daily continues to bring my joy. It fills some of my curiosity, and often drives my researching desires. As a habit, I read a different translation each year for my daily readings (versus sermon prep). This year it is the ISV.

    Part of my rationale is that I believe it helps me see the same Scriptures differently. Whether it’s phrasing or vocabulary or punctuation, something gets triggered (in a good way) in my brain.

    I’ve read the Parable of the Sower many times. I’ve preached on it. Heard plenty of sermons on it. Verse 15 hit me today.

    What struck me this time, in particular, was “endurance”. When you go back and re-read the parable, endurance makes sense. It may indeed be the point of the entire parable (not saying it is).

    Endurance

    Endurance and resiliency are the new corporate buzz words coming out of COVID lockdowns and remote work. The has started to focus on them, too. It’s not a bad thing. Developing resilience might actually make the world a better place.

    Perhaps, instead of feeling attacked or belittled, instead…we endure. The good soil is the soil that endures.

    In church, we’ll often talk about the “good soil”. What is the “good” soil? We’ll talk about the Christian that overcomes adversity. We’ll talk about the one that doesn’t contain thorns and briars. We’ll about the one that doesn’t contain stones.

    Even when we talk about the good soil, we don’t often focus on the endurance. It’s not the soil’s fertility that is the source. It is the endurance.

    We don’t like to talk about endurance, because generally that comes along with difficulty. We see on the internet (and even, gasp, in bookstores) the latest book with the latest vital skill set that we must have today. There is the latest shortcut (with and without AI), so that we can get what ever it is done faster, and so we can minimize the time we experience difficulty.

    In other words, we avoid requiring endurance.

    Training

    Athelete’s train. Anyone who regularly participates in activity trains. Training produces endurance. We seem to get that when it comes to physicality. We actually do get it mentally with our focus on education. Even that, though, is often about regurgitation and not thinking. Rote and regurgitation do not produce mental endurance.

    We are truly awful about endurance when it comes to emotional, and (especially) spiritual. I’m still trying to figure out what happend with the emotional part. I don’t think that the “stiff upper lip” (British) or stoic (Germanic) tendencies and patterns were always healthy. Often they led to people burying their feelings. So, for those that claim “those were the days”…I .

    It’s easy to blame the internet (currently) or television (previously), but is that really true? Have we really forgotten how to healthily emotionally endure, or did we just have yet another mask we wore?

    We have mental health counselors as a growing field (need far outweighs practitioners). I do think they are necessary because we have done such a poor job of being trained and training others.

    This also pours over into spiritual endurance. This is not about spiritual abuse, but just the straightforward character to endure trials, perceived unanswered , and the horrors of a fallen world, without one’s being crushed.

    Just Believe

    Just believe is very similar to rote and regurgitational mental learning. It does not produce endurance. We struggle with endurance. I know I do. It’s okay to acknowledge that you struggle with endurance.

    The beauty of the current cultural emphasis on endurance (or resilience) is that the community of faith (i.e., the church universal) can talk about it, too. Think about it. We have the ability to faithfully talk about God and an enduring faith, while the world is also struggling with endurance. There’s the open door…will you walk through it?

    Prayer

    God, we know that we are called to endure. We see throughout the Scriptures you provided examples of enduring faith from flawed human beings just like us. We know through the of Jesus, that you understand our struggles, including our struggle to endure. , please help us be the enduring soil that produces faith in ourselves and others. Amen.

  • Be Our Guest

    Be Our Guest

    Psalm 111; Exodus 24:1–11; Romans 15:22–33

    If you were invited to a US presidential affair, you might be surprised. Unless you roam such circles or are connected to them, usually you won’t have any of being invited to at the table with the president, unless, of course, you decide to contribute to their presidential campaign and pay a lot of to eat mediocre food. It just isn’t going to happen.

    ? ┤If you were invited and accepted that invitation, how would you react to those seated with you? Would you be on “good” behavior? Would you be yourself? Would you be absolutely frozen? What if, the president came to your table and spoke with you? ├ ?

    Most of us think that we would react just fine. Depending on which president or former president, we might even believe that we would correct them and “tell them the way it is.” We might.

    The 70 elders ate with God. They saw the floor of God’s abode. We could just write it off as some religious experience, but that sounds pretty significant to just “write off”. In fact, writing it off is just like writing off Communion because Jesus isn’t right there. Yes, people do belittle Communion when they don’t recognize the presence of God. However, based upon how this verse is often overlooked, perhaps we’re writing off the presence of God altogether.

    Yeah, I said “ouch” to myself, too.

    One doesn’t “just” have a meal with God. Culturally, a meal is a safe place; it can even be a place of transparency. Eating with God. What an amazing experience!

    ? ┤Can you imagine eating with God? ├ ?

    If you can’t, then think back to Communion. While our theology doesn’t have us literally eating the body and blood of Jesus, we are still eating with God. You eat a meal with God! Those 70 elders, and even Moses (!), will never experience what you—as a follower of Jesus—get to do regularly.

    ? ┤ Have you ever thought of Communion as eating a meal with God? ├ ?

    At Communion, we will phrases as, “you are welcome” or “a guest at the table” or “God’s feast”, but do we really recognize that means that the master of ceremonies, the Creator of the Universe, the through whom all things were made, and for who all things were made, and the of God that gives us a life unlike any other…is eating with us?

    ※Prayer※

    Gracious Father, we give You praise and thanks for Holy Communion of the body and blood of Your , Jesus Christ our Lord, the means of our . We pray that the mercies of God may produce in us a grateful heart that finds expression through holy living and perfect to God and to people. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [The Eucharistic ending prayer for the Under Special Circumstances, The Church Rituals Handbook, 2nd Edition, Jesse Middendorf]

  • Let ‘Em Fight

    Let ‘Em Fight

    Psalm 145:10–18; 2 Kings 3:4–20; Colossians 3:12–17

    It can be hard to be rid of wounds. Many physical ones heal with scars, though the deeper body ones may not heal well. For most of us, the emotional and spiritual wounds are the ones with deep and lasting effects. These are the ones that can hold us back; they can also be the ones that drive us forward. When our loved ones are wounded, often our is heightened due to our desire to protect them and our subsequent failure to do so. We, then, may react toward them in ways that may seem unwise or over the top.

    Elisha’s response to Joram (or Jehoram) may have been a bit harsh. Elisha was the spiritual of Elijah as the inheritor of the position. Joram was the son of Ahab. Elijah and Ahab had a poor relationship. Horrible relationship might be more appropriate. Elijah lived much of his life in fear of Ahab. That likely deeply affected Elisha’s response to Joram. Even prophetic people are human.

    Although it often seems impossible to live beyond our pains or the pains of our loved ones, we are still called to do it. Will we fail? More often than not. Yet, often it is only through the striving to beyond the pain that we can begin to heal and gain new perspectives.

    We bring our hurts with us everywhere we go, including church. In fact, one of the biggest reasons people leave a church (or the church or the faith) is because people at church hurt them. The reality is that the church proportionally contains as many hurt people as the world…100%. How we deal with the hurts should be what separates behavior from the world’s behavior.

    We should be honest…Christian behavior in this regard is often worse than the world’s. The world has put systems into place to mitigate some of it. It still misses a lot of it. Across the denominational landscape (i.e., in no way limited to a single tradition or denomination), the church has done a horrible job. Whether it is the burying and hiding of failures or the annihilation of the failed, the church has left a large body count in its wake.

    Paul’s words to the Colossians aren’t just to a “church”, it is to individuals. One of the biggest mistakes we in/of the church make is thinking in institutional terms, rather than individual terms. This is very peculiar as the primary Western expression of Christianity is all about individual , individual sin (for repentance and salvation). Yet, we are quick to move to an institutional framework when it (even just) might require us to deal with the failures of another.

    There is a huge piece of personal responsibility. There is a huge piece of institutional responsibility. Institutions are made of individuals, so it still comes down to individuals. How we are formed by each other and the Scriptures will play a significant part of how we deal with things. Though, the hardest part is not running away every time, and yet—after doing the hard work—there is a time to leave.

    The peace of one body is hard to achieve. Paul commends sing psalms and worship songs to one another. That “to” is interesting. Our worship songs are “to” God (as they should be as reflections of praise, adoration, and thanksgiving). It would be nice to know which songs and psalms Paul meant. It does mean though that we are to work on one another in the love of Christ. It also means, that we are to allow ourselves to be worked on, which often means our pains and hurts come out. What we do with ours and those of may well reflect how much we really let the renovate our hearts.

    ※Reflection※

    • What worship songs (of any era) or psalms would you think of to sing to others to help form them in the image of Christ?
    • When it comes to conflict how do you deal with it at home, at work, extended , socially, at church? How do you respond when you conflict at each of these places?
    • How do Paul’s words affect your responses, or your future responses, to conflict?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we wrestle with one another, often out of pain. Blessed Healer, heal our hearts so that we do not hurt the hearts of others.

  • Burning Call

    Burning Call

    Psalm 145:10–18; 1 Kings 19:19–21; Colossians 1:9–14

    One of the issues that has come up in the last year in church-ish circles is the ordination of women. Saddleback took a bold step and ordained women which went against the predominant grain of their partner body (SBC). There was an unexpected explosion in certain circles against Beth Moore. Along with misogynistic proclamations and male misconduct issues in the SBC, Moore left that body that she had grown up in.

    One of the claims against women being ordained are some contextually misused verses and the traditions of the Israelites. The Church of the Nazarene has ordained women since its founding, but over the years has struggled to fulfill that promise. It’s on the right track, but there is work to be done, still.

    There is often a wringing of hands in Christian Complementarianism (where only men can be leaders/pastors/elders) circles that there aren’t enough men to fulfill empty roles. The Roman Catholic church, on top of its complementarian issues also requires celibacy, is also experiencing this problem. Some churches in both groups are finding creative ways around their limitations, but the reality is that there aren’t the faithful men needed.

    For me, there were two transformative experiences in this regard. The first was experiencing the preaching of Dr. Nina Gunter. Any person with any spiritual sense and without theological blinders could experience her spirit-led preaching. The second was during my “Discovery” weekend of my pastoral journey, where I had to preach to my peers, senior pastor, and District Superintendent. I preached from Luke 19:38–40, where Jesus was told to rebuke his disciples. He responded, then the rocks will cry out. When I was praying over the words to preach, it came to me; God will not for us to proclaim God’s glory.

    In other words, in the of the Church of the Nazarene (and our sibling denominations) already assumed there were faithful women (and, yes, there are deeper theological reasons). I came to realize that complementarianism may actually already have its answer. If the men won’t rise, perhaps the women will (see Judges 4:4–9). Not the most Nazarene answer, at the time, but it resonated with my (and its implications went far beyond the ordination of women).

    Faithfully responding to God has long been an issue. It goes beyond gender. It goes beyond status. It goes beyond wealth. It is a reflection of sin.

    To understand, Elisha was, at minimum, plowing in a community, where people worked fields (theirs and each others’). Some commentators believe that Elisha owned (or was the of the owner of) all the oxen. That would be 24 oxen, so that would have been a lot of wealth (kind of like having 24 Jaguar cars). Elisha (and/or his family) owning 2 seems much more likely. That would still put him (in modern terms) in a very comfortable middle class.

    Then some famous guy comes and puts his mantle (Elijah’s symbol of the prophetic office) on Elisha’s shoulders. Elisha understands that Elijah is declaring him the heir of the prophetic office, which was an unusual example in the Scriptures. Elisha’s was (basically), “let me show respect and love to my parents.” Done. Then Elisha burns the equipment required for a yoke of oxen, then kills same oxen for a celebration.

    Elisha opening, publically, severs himself from his old . That is a lot of money to just be burning. It’s a great party, but there is no financial way of coming back from it easily. It’s similar to “burning the ships”. Hernán Cortés was famously said to have done this (he really just sank them) to keep his men from trying to return home or mutiny (there is a lot more to the story, and much of it not so positive). Elisha did it for himself.

    One of the challenges that the Western Church faces is trying to return. This isn’t just buildings (So, let’s not burn them or just sell them). Actually, it’s more of a way of thinking. Looking back for guidance and encouragement? Yes. Looking back for the plan to navigate this new world? No.

    You, too, have a call on your life. You, too, have oxen to burn and ships to sink.

    ※Reflection※

    • What items/events/fears of your past or present are keeping you from an on fire life for God? (Yes, that is a question worth asking daily)
    • If there was one “thing” in your life that would indicate that your are moving on, what would it be?
    • Why are we so attracted to stories like that of Cortés or Elisaha, but don’t put it into practice? What other cultural icons (generic or specific) are similar to Cortés and Elisha?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, there is no question that we are called to live for you. Let our lives be the bonfires that bring people into your light. Amen.

  • Tabled Enemies

    Tabled Enemies

    Psalm 23; Jeremiah 10:17–25; Acts 17:16–31

    One of the things that will make many Christians fall away from the is a weak foundation when it comes to trials. We say many platitudes, and try not to think about what happens where we actually tested. If you’ve ever read anything on the many martyrs of the (from of old to the present day), you will often come away with, “Thank you, Lord, for that not being me.”

    Psalm 23:5 reads, “You set a table for me right in front of my enemies…” While it is often read and interpreted as a “thumb your nose at your enemies” that is probably not the intent. As this Psalm is one of shepherding, the intent is likely more along the lines of being so confident in God, so reliant on God’s , that even a resting meal (versus standing up or eating hurriedly) is possible in while among one’s enemies.

    Though, many of us are probably not so assured of God’s protection were we to be placed in a so-called relaxing position among our enemies. How bold would we really be? How would we be to deal with the emotional anxiety that it would involve?

    The concept in Jeremiah 10:19 is that there is and a consequence to deal with in these situations. It’s not just deal with it, but not even seeking to escape it. In Jeremiah, the consequences and pains of exile are coming and the God-honoring is to accept it and not try to escape it. The reality of soon having a table in the of one’s enemies really comes into focus for Jeremiah.

    ※Reflection※

    • What does it mean to you to be seated in the presence of your enemies? Who have been your enemies? Who are your enemies?
    • What does it mean to have enemies, and yet be told to them and pray for them? If this is the case, do Christians really have enemies?
    • What battle or pain are you trying to escape right now that God may actually be calling you to lean into?

    ※Prayer※

    , thank you for your presence wherever we are. Guide us through the times we are to embrace our trouble and pain and lead us out of the times when they are not for your benefit or ours. Amen.

  • God of Boxes

    God of Boxes

    Psalm 85:8–13; Amos 4:6–13; Luke 1:57–80

    God speaks shalom to his people [who follow him] and to his faithful [where he is the core] ones (a very loose paraphrase of Psalm 85:8)

    Salvation is close to those that honor God (Psalm 85:9).

    Then…we get Amos. When we first read Amos, we are tempted to think, “This is a loving God?” As with most prophetic , being too literal can be problematic. This is more of the arc of the story of Israel. In other words, it wasn’t one thing after another. It was one thing…time passed (even generations)…they didn’t return…another thing, and so forth. When it’s all tied seemingly in a short time span as we read it, it can leave us breathless and/or anxious.

    Which…it should.

    The symmetry of these issues goes along with Egypt, who would not “see” the power of God as worth listening to until the of the firstborn (see Exodus 4:8–12:33). Then there is the addition of Sodom and Gomorrah (still used today as a prophetic whip). This also builds on Moses’ warnings which promised that the curses on Egypt would be inflicted on Israel if they did not choose God (see Deuteronomy 28:15–61).

    This is where we who focus heavily on the love of God and the nature of God loving all need to pay attention ourselves. God is love. That doesn’t mean permissiveness. It often means discipline.

    “Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the LORD your God disciplines you.” —Deuteronomy 8:5

    We don’t like this. The fact that our emotional to discipline is, “you don’t love me,” is one of the greatest struggles for our modern sensitivities. We struggle (and that’s fine) with the concept that God would discipline through pestilence, famine, war, etcetera. We will often use the language of “God allows”, or explain things as “an ‘old world’ understanding”. While this is understandable, there is a fundamental soteriological (theology dealing with the nature and means of salvation) flaw in it. When we diminish God’s acts to solely “natural” consequences, we remove God’s movement (including that of the Spirit) in our lives, even the concept of prevenient (the grace that goes before us).

    Removing Godly discipline is removing God.

    Zechariah (the of John the Baptist) was muted (disciplined) by God (through an angel) when he questioned how he and Elizabeth in their advanced years could have a child. Want to see a preaching/teaching pastor freak out? Mute them. Zechariah’s duties may not have been preaching as we understand it, but in an oral culture (most people couldn’t read) not being able to speak was a severe handicap. Instead, when Zechariah confirmed that his ‘s name was John and he was no longer mute, he praised God. After his discipline, he praised God. Being that was Zechariah’s first response (and praise not being, “thank you for healing me.”), it is quite probable that Zechariah was praising God even while mute. Praising God while being disciplined; that is hard.

    It isn’t impossible. Yet we want to put God in a box. The box of the God of love is often the one where God doesn’t punish or discipline. God doesn’t fit into our boxes.

    ※Reflection※

    • In your life, what boxes have you put God into? How do these boxes deal with punishment, discipline, and/or love?
    • Why might a God of discipline also be a God of love? How do we often confuse these?
    • What do we lose when we remove discipline form the nature and/or of God? Is that important?

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, there are things in life and in the Scriptures we just don’t understand. Grant us your grace to see you in and through it all. Amen.

  • Hear the Roar

    Hear the Roar

    Psalm 85:8–13; Amos 3:1–12; Colossians 4:2–18

    The Psalm speaks of the land of Israel having God’s blessings. It needed it. God’s blessing was both a protection and a source of bounty. The gist is that if Israel’s people were being blessed by the land, including from war, bountiful crops, and growing families, then God should be at the forefront of the list of giving thanks.

    The US has long held itself (with some rationale) as a blessed and fertile land. Yes, there were blips (droughts—including the blight that was part of the Great Depression, blights, pests, etc). As a whole, however, the US continues to have bountifully producing lands. Historically, we have been relatively free from war and conflict. Our families could grow large if we wanted.

    Yet, a common refrain, especially during any so-call culture wars/battles, is that things would get better if we returned to God wholeheartedly. The problem with that is that people see all the blessings, so are confused as to why they should be looking to God. That may have well the same issue with the Israelites.

    The refrain of returning to God is rising again. Most of us think only of the political “right” when it comes to that. It is true that many of the religious folks that are calling for a “ to God” are aligned to the “right” politically. However, there are voices on the political “left” that are also speaking prophetic language. Words such as “reckoning” are coming out. That’s a very Biblical concept. Those aligned politically on the “left” don’t use much religious language because the “right” appears to own it (they don’t), and will delegitimize those on the “left” who use religious language. However, for both “sides”, they actually have a similar vision…things will not work the way they have been.

    The political jostling distracts from the prophetic words coming from both “sides” of the political divide. That both agree (in different words, granted) that this is not as God intended should be something that everyone should be paying attention to…especially in the . In an era that is becoming more politically rigidly divided, every prophetic bone in every , along with the Holy present in each one of us is screaming, “LOOK AT THIS!”

    In Amos, we see a picture of Israel that is so loved by God it had been—up to this point—able to avoid the natural punishment that had come to those around it. God’s had kept them from the consequences. That protection was on its last legs. This is the roaring lion of Judah in Amos. It isn’t the lion that protects. It is the lion that warns.

    The lion is roaring, church! Are you listening?

    Once we listen, if we choose to, what then?

    Paul tells the church to wisely and to make the most of every opportunity to share about Jesus and the Gospel. If you read that passage, verses 5 and 6 almost don’t seem to fit. In my imagination, I see Paul writing this letter from jail, and one of his jailers comes in and it clicks with Paul as he has been sharing with his jailers about Jesus that the Colossians should, too. That Paul seems to interrupt his chain of thought to mention this should wrap this in neon lights and glitter. All our sharp rhetoric and political bludgeoning aren’t how this is supposed to work…not for the church, at least. Sharp rhetoric and political bludgeoning are the way of the world.

    The lion is roaring, and we claim it’s at the culture, the system, etcetera. The lion is roaring at the church to say, “get to the work of the !”

    ※Reflection※

    • What do you see with your heart when you read the ? Do you take away something different?
    • How can prophetic voices from different political poles still speak prophetically to the church and the world and both be authentic?
    • Is there a particular issue that the lion roars for you? What is the (not political) person like on the “opposite” side? Is it really opposition rather than perspective? (Advice: don’t let the politics deceive you about people)

    ※Prayer※

    Lord, we of your church have lost our prophetic voice with far more issues than we have retained. Guide our hearts to seek your will, to be your witnesses, and to be the needed prophetic voice to your bride—the church—and then to the world. Amen.

  • The God of Where

    The God of Where

    Psalm 123; Jeremiah 7:1–15; 1 Corinthians 4:8–13

    The change between Jeremiah and Corinthians cannot be overstated. The clash between law and is right there before us.

    The CEB (the primary translation currently being used to write and to read for this devotional) and NRSV translated Jeremiah 7:7 as, “…only then will I dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave long ago to your ancestors for all time.” The NIV and CSB translate more like, “… then I will let you live in this place…”These different translations would seem to add something else to this , yet, the understanding from a Jewish standpoint was God was present in the place, thus being allowed to live in this space (NIV/CSB) is very much along the lines of with them (CEB/NRSV).“With” is very particular though. Living with a person is specific. One lives with a spouse. Children (for a time) live with their parents.

    The “with” sounds awesome, but as you look at the verses surrounding it, you can see a lot of requirements. We look at these, and we say, “of course!” Truly reform your ways and actions. Treat each other justly. Don’t take advantage of the immigrant or the orphan or the wide. Don’t shed innocent blood. Don’t follow other gods.

    The last few years have seen Christians, as a whole and around the world, fail each one of these. Many of these failures were very visible in the eyes of the world, and each damaged the of the . In other words, Christians of all types, nations, political leanings, and so on would have failed to these “easy” requirements outlined in Jeremiah.

    In contrast, “You’ve been filled already!” Filled with what? Filled with the Holy . Filled with God! God isn’t with. God is in! Perhaps we might better combine the ways of the Jews “with” and the way “in” to “within”, for God is both with us and in us. That is a great as we Christians have not been the givers of cold water (refreshing, live-) as we should be, as we are called to be.

    Unlike the list in Jeremiah (which is a very short version of the Law, with much removed), God within calls for a change of heart, rather than obedience to rules. This does not spare us from obedience. It changes (or should change) our perception and motivation from fear to .

    Much of what has occurred over the last few years, but really over history, is that fear often motivates us far more than love. The fear that the orphan may lie, cheat and steal. In my family history, there was an adoption that indeed went horribly wrong in exactly that way. It was used as a lesson to fear the orphan. The stories of witches (the classic, not the modern neo-pagan) often revolved around the widow, who became maligned, unknown, and eventually feared. Immigration, especially during the era of the modern state (last 300 years or so), has also grown to a place of fear.

    Fear over love.

    When we fear, we become powerless. When we love (with God’s love), only God’s power is greater.

    ※Reflection※

    • How do you see God “with”, “in” and “within” your life, both in the past and today?
    • How does fear impact who you love and how you love them? (It may not be fear of them, FWIW)
    • How does love become interpreted as fear?
    • How might (or should) the “with”, “in”, and “within” of God affect your fears and love?

    ※Prayer※

    God, may we deepen our awareness of you being with us, in us, and within us. Amen.