February 9th, 2010
Tuesday’s Reflection
WISDOM VIEWS the rising sun and the majestic silences of nature as daily messages from God. God is patient; God waits for us to get it right — or continues to work with us, despite our every error and lapse of conscience, in the sinews of every prayer and doctrinal attempt, every compassionate act, every encounter with stone and wind, every effort to read scripture and remember the Creator.
- Ray Waddle
Against the Grain
From p. 147 of Against the Grain: Unconventional Wisdom from Ecclesiastes by Ray Waddle. Copyright © 2003 by Ray Waddle. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
If you are able, spend some time outside today and look for evidence of God. Share your reflections.
Today’s Scripture Reading
If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is a delusion and you are still lost in your sins.
- 1 Corinthians 15:17, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for people who are lonely. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- So, now you know you are a Lover, Mystic, Prophet, or Sage. (If not, take the Spiritual Types Test.) Did you know that each of the spiritual types has a favorite way to pray? Check it out: Praying as We Are.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Valentine (February 14).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | 10 Comments »
February 8th, 2010
Monday’s Reflection
AS PEOPLE OF FAITH have know for centuries, when we join our voices in song, our hearts and minds are also united in a profound though mysterious way. The Spirit dwelling in us sings through us and binds us together. In a world full of dissonance and disunity, a common song can be a step toward and a sign of unity God desires for us.
- Douglas A. Hicks
On Our Way: Christian Practices for Living a Whole Life
From p. 91 of On Our Way: Christian Practices for Living a Whole Life. Copyright © 2010 by Dorothy C. Bass and Susan R. Briehl. Used with Permission. All Rights Reserved. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Sing a song of praise to God. Better yet, sing that song with someone else. Share your reflections.
Today’s Scripture Reading
I, God, search the heart and examine the mind.… I treat [my people] as they really are, not as they pretend to be.
- Jeremiah 17:10, The Message
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for people who are lonely. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- So, now you know you are a Lover, Mystic, Prophet, or Sage. (If not, take the Spiritual Types Test.) Did you know that each of the spiritual types has a favorite way to pray? Check it out: Praying as We Are.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Valentine (February 14).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | 15 Comments »
February 7th, 2010
Sunday’s Reflection
DEAR GOD, help me to be wise but not obsessed with thriftiness. Help me to loosen my grip on money and to grab hold of you instead. In the uncertainties of life, I will trust in you. For the length of my days is a sacred mystery.
- Missy Buchanan
Talking with God in Old Age: Meditations and Psalms
From p. 14 of Talking with God in Old Age: Meditations and Psalms. Copyright ©: 2010 by Missy Buchanan. Used with Permission. All Rights Reserved. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
What would you say to someone who is worried about money? Share your reflections.
Today’s Scripture Reading
They had come to hear [Jesus] and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.
- Luke 6:18, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for weather and seasons. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Centering Prayer is a type of prayer that goes deeper than verbal communication. Try a Centering Prayer exercise.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Elizabeth Lange (February 03).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | 10 Comments »
February 6th, 2010
Saturday’s Reflection
ALLOWING OURSELVES TO MOURN develops our capacity to feel life’s joys. I believe that positive and negative emotions are two sides of the same coin. Of course, many of us would prefer to experience and deal with only positive feelings. We often feel uncomfortable with our own or others’ sadness, anger, disappointments, fears. … As we learn to feel all our feelings, we explore what it means to be fully human, to be all that God created us to be.
- Mary Lou Redding
The Power of a Focused Heart: 8 Lessons from the Beatitudes
From p. 31 of The Power of a Focused Heart: 8 Life Lessons from the Beatitudes by Mary Lou Redding. Copyright (c) 2006 by Mary Lou Redding. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
What grieves your heart today? Share your reflections.
Today’s Scripture Reading
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain.
- 1 Corinthians 15:13-14, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for weather and seasons. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Centering Prayer is a type of prayer that goes deeper than verbal communication. Try a Centering Prayer exercise.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Elizabeth Lange (February 03).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | 11 Comments »
February 5th, 2010
Friday’s Reflection
YOU NEVER KNOW HOW FAR a little kindness may go. There are so many people who are unaware of God’s love or who are in circumstances that make their lives difficult. If everyone showed God’s amazing love to those around them, what an incredible world this would be!
- Jessica Green
Stepping Out on Your Own: Devotions for High School Graduates
From p. 107 of Stepping Out on Your Own: Devotions for High School Graduates. Copyright © 2010 by Upper Room Books. Used with Permission. All Rights Reserved. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Think of a time when an act of kindness reminded you of God’s love. Share your reflections.
Today’s Scripture Reading
The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
- Psalm 1:6, KJV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for weather and seasons. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Centering Prayer is a type of prayer that goes deeper than verbal communication. Try a Centering Prayer exercise.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Elizabeth Lange (February 03).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | 16 Comments »
February 4th, 2010
Thursday’s Reflection
THE HEBREW hesed is a particular love; it is the enduring, steadfast love of God, a compassion that never wanes. Joyfully the author of Lamentations declares, “Every morning God’s mercy is new again” (Lam. 3:22-23, paraphrased). God makes this vow of unceasing love to each one of us.
- Stephanie Ford
Kindred Souls: Connecting through Spiritual Friendship
From p. 57 of Kindred Souls: Connecting through Spiritual Friendship by Stephanie Ford. Copyright (c) 2006 by Stephanie Ford. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Ponder the enduring, steadfast love of God. Share your reflections.
Today’s Scripture Reading
When they had [let down their nets], they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
- Luke 5:6, NIV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for weather and seasons. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Centering Prayer is a type of prayer that goes deeper than verbal communication. Try a Centering Prayer exercise.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Elizabeth Lange (February 03).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | 12 Comments »
February 3rd, 2010
Wednesday’s Reflection
IN OUR FAILURES, in our busy forgetting, we are forgiven, renewed to continue to be the hands and feet of Christ — no small task, no small gift.
- Roberta Porter
Alive Now
From p. 10 of Alive Now, January/February 2010. Copyright © 2010 The Upper Room. Used with Permission. All Rights Reserved. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this magazine.
Today’s Question
Write a prayer of confession. End your prayer with a renewed commitment to be the hands and feet of Christ in a specific way. Share your reflections.
Today’s Scripture Reading
“Master,” Simon answered, “we worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I will let down the nets.”
- Luke 5:5, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for weather and seasons. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Centering Prayer is a type of prayer that goes deeper than verbal communication. Try a Centering Prayer exercise.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Elizabeth Lange (February 03).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | 11 Comments »
February 2nd, 2010
Tuesday’s Reflection
O GOD, who calls those who will follow along with you, show us our duty today, and give us bread for our journey. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.
- Rueben P. Job and Norman Shawchuck
A Guide to Prayer for All God’s People
From p. 214 of A GUIDE TO PRAYER FOR ALL GOD’S PEOPLE by Rueben P. Job and Norman Shawchuck. Copyright (c) 1990 by The Upper Room. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
What is God calling you to do today? Share your reflections.
Today’s Scripture Reading
When [Jesus] finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Push the boat out further to the deep water, and you and your partners let down your nets for a catch.”
- Luke 5:4, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for weather and seasons. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Centering Prayer is a type of prayer that goes deeper than verbal communication. Try a Centering Prayer exercise.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Elizabeth Lange (February 03).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | 12 Comments »
February 1st, 2010
Monday’s Reflection
THE NEED TO LOVE and be loved is one of the strongest of the four basic human needs. it is also a spiritual need. Even if a person can no longer express himself verbally, cannot demonstrate intellectual ability, and has no memory, at some level he can intuit meanings and feelings from the tone of voice and body language of people interacting with him.
- Jane Marie Thibault and Richard L. Morgan
No Act of Love Is Ever Wasted: The Spirituality of Caring for Persons with Dementia
From p. 75 in No Act of Love Is Ever Wasted. Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room. Used with Permission. All Rights Reserved. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Name wordless ways that you experience to love of God. Share your reflections.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.
- Psalm 138:6, NIV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for weather and seasons. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Centering Prayer is a type of prayer that goes deeper than verbal communication. Try a Centering Prayer exercise.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Elizabeth Lange (February 03).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | 5 Comments »
January 31st, 2010
Sunday’s Reflection
Where is the “yes” I need to say in this moment, and what kinds of “no” are needed to protect that commitment?
- Marilyn Chandler McEntyre
Weavings
From p. 22 of Weavings, Vol. XXV, No. 2. Copyright © 2010 The Upper Room. Used with Permission. All Rights Reserved. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Is God asking you to grow in some new way? Share your reflections.
Today’s Scripture Reading
The prophet Isaiah wrote, “I heard the voice of the Master: ‘Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?’ I spoke up, ‘I’ll go. Send me!’”
- Isaiah 6:8, The Message
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for the oppressed — and the oppressors. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
Personalizing Scripture: Sometimes we can personalize a passage of scripture by placing our own name in it. Some passages lend themselves to becoming personal prayers as we make ourselves the recipients of God’s Word. Try the practice,
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Corazon Aquino (January 25).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2009 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | 6 Comments »
