November 7th, 2009
Saturday’s Reflection
WHAT ARE YOUR IMAGES FOR GOD? If you are a visual learner, you may be able to visualize and perhaps even draw your image or images for God. However, we have found that American mainline Protestants tend to experience God as a feeling (such as love or warmth) rather than an image (such as shepherd or fortress). If you are an auditory learner, you may sense God through music or in the sounds of nature. If you are a tactile learner, you may understand God’s presence through lighted candles or incense or through items you can touch, like a cross. People experience God in a variety of ways, and no one way is the “right” way.
- Valerie K. Isenhower and Judith A. Todd
Living into the Answers: A Workbook for Personal Spiritual Discernment
From pp. 29-30 of Living into the Answers: A Workbook for Personal Spiritual Discernment by Valerie K. Isenhower and Judith A. Todd. Copyright © 2008 by the authors. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Take some time to consider how you experience God. Share your reflections.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Jesus said, “The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together.”
- Mark 12:43, THE MESSAGE
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for caregivers. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Looking for clarity? Learn the Quaker way of the Clearness Committee to help with making tough decisions. Try it out.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Antoinette Brown Blackwell (November 5).
- 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 »
November 6th, 2009
WORLD COMMUNITY DAY
Friday’s Reflection
THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH calls us to comfort the old, the weak, the marginalized, the oppressed, and the homeless, who may smell bad because they’re sleeping on the streets, under bridges, and on subway platforms. If we heed the call, we’re almost certain to surrender some of our own comfort. …
The work of the Messiah always has involved comforting the afflicted — and afflicting the comfortable. If we truly want to follow that Messiah, as we say we do, then our work is clearly the same.
- Jim Melchiorre
Reflections of Messiah: Contemporary Advent Meditations Inspired by Handel
From p. 16 of Reflections of Messiah: Contemporary Advent Meditations Inspired by Handel by Jim Melchiorre. Copyright © 2003 by the author. Used with permission of The Upper Room. All Rights Reserved. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Advent begins on November 29, 2009. Check out our Advent/Christmas resources.
Today’s Question
What is “the work of the Messiah” to which you are called today? Share your thoughts.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
- Hebrews 9:28, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for caregivers. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Looking for clarity? Learn the Quaker way of the Clearness Committee to help with making tough decisions. Try it out.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Antoinette Brown Blackwell (November 5).
- 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 | 2 Comments »
November 5th, 2009
Thursday’s Reflection
MOST PEOPLE … would probably be intimidated if asked, “How have you served God’s purposes lately?” because they immediately think of something “important” like missionary work, helping the downtrodden, or joining a protest against injustice. I’m convinced many, if not most, of us cross paths with one or more of God’s purposes each day, though we may not realize it.
- Robert Corin Morris
Provocative Grace: The Challenge in Jesus’ Words
From p. 117 of Provocative Grace: The Challenge in Jesus’ Words by Robert Corin Morris, Copyright © 2006 by the author. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
How have you served God’s purposes lately? Share your reflections.
Today’s Scripture Reading
It is useless to work so hard for a living, getting up early and going to bed late. For the Lord provides for those he loves, while they are asleep.
- Psalm 127:2, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for caregivers. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Looking for clarity? Learn the Quaker way of the Clearness Committee to help with making tough decisions. Try it out.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Antoinette Brown Blackwell (November 5).
- 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 »
November 4th, 2009
Wednesday’s Reflection
GOD, WE ARE a strange bunch. Immersed in our communication technology, we thirst for quiet; and in our silence we hunger for noise. Forgive us for the incessant droning of our TVs, that racket of a mechanical presence to which we rarely listen — for in our loneliness, we may simply be craving your nearness. Amen.
- W. Paul Jones
An Eclectic Almanac for the Faithful
From p. 246 of An Eclectic Almanac for the Faithful by W. Paul Jones. Copyright © 2006 by the author. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
How do you resonate with today’s message? Share your thoughts.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Christ did not go into a Holy Place made by human hands. … He went into heaven itself, where he now appears on our behalf in the presence of God.
- Hebrews 9:24, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for caregivers. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Looking for clarity? Learn the Quaker way of the Clearness Committee to help with making tough decisions. Try it out.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Antoinette Brown Blackwell (November 5).
- 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 »
November 3rd, 2009
Tuesday’s Reflection
BE STILL, and know that I am God!
Be still, and know that I am
Be still, and know
Be still
Be
- Elizabeth J. Canham
A Table of Delight
From page 72 of A Table of Delight by Elizabeth J. Canham. Copyright © 2005 by the author. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Share the prayer of your heart. Join in the conversation.
Today’s Scripture Reading
The women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel!”
- Ruth 4:14, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for caregivers. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Looking for clarity? Learn the Quaker way of the Clearness Committee to help with making tough decisions. Try it out.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Antoinette Brown Blackwell (November 5).
- 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 »
November 2nd, 2009
Monday’s Reflection
AS WE LISTEN TO THE GROANS OF OTHERS, we build a bridge between our inner journey and the outer journey of those around us. In doing so, we find ourselves being delivered from private spirituality. As we listen to the groans we find ourselves able to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
- Trevor Hudson with Stephen Bryant
Listening to the Groans: A Spirituality for Ministry and Mission
From pp. 14-15 of Listening to the Groans: A Spirituality for Ministry and Mission by Trevor Hudson with Stephen Bryant. Copyright © 2007 by the authors. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
What are the “groans” you are hearing today? Share what you hear.
Today’s Scripture Reading
If the Lord does not build the house, the work of the builders is useless.
- Psalm 127:1, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for caregivers. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Looking for clarity? Learn the Quaker way of the Clearness Committee to help with making tough decisions. Try it out.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Antoinette Brown Blackwell (November 5).
- 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 »
November 1st, 2009
ALL SAINTS DAY
Sunday’s Reflection
THE COMMUNION OF THE SAINTS can be more than just a doctrine as we imaginatively entertain the saints’ stories and presence among the heavenly host. …
I delight in praying the daily office in company with Charles Wesley, Mary Magdalene, Polycarp, John Donne, Catherine of Siena, Julian of Norwich, and many more. Their persistence in holy practices encourages me, and they remind me that God did not stop raising up great holy men and women with the close of the New Testament. They prompt me to believe in what God seeks to do in changing me from sinner to saint. If they lived out their baptism in daily life; then so can we! In living with and praying with the saints, our sense of the communion of saints becomes a rich treasury of stories and a participation in a community of the living and the dead.
- Daniel T. Benedict, Jr.
Patterned by Grace: How Liturgy Shapes Us
From pages 53-54 of Patterned by Grace: How Liturgy Shapes Us by Daniel T. Benedict, Jr. Copyright © 2007 by the author. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Who are the saints you are remembering today? Visit the comments area and join in the discussion.
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for saints and martyrs. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Why Saints? Observing saints more closely reveals that they were ordinary people just like us. What set them apart was their life purpose. More than anything else, they wanted to know God. So despite their faults and frailties, they have much to teach us. Learn from Saints.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Jude (October 28).
- 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 | 13 Comments »
October 31st, 2009
Saturday’s Reflection
AS YOU PREPARE and eat a meal, take the time to think about your food. Everything you are eating came from the earth. Everything was nourished by the sun and the rain and the care of a person who spent many hours growing the food so that you might be sustained. Pray into these realities. Feel the love and the care that live in each bite you take. Allow gratitude to arise in you.
- Daniel Wolpert
Creating a Life with God: The Call of Ancient Prayer Practices
From p. 144-145 of Creating a Life with God: The Call of Ancient Prayer Practices by Daniel Wolpert. Copyright © 2003 by the author. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Follow the suggestion in today’s reflection. Tell us about your experience.
Today’s Scripture Reading
John wrote, “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God.”
- Revelation 21:2, NIV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for saints and martyrs. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Why Saints? Observing saints more closely reveals that they were ordinary people just like us. What set them apart was their life purpose. More than anything else, they wanted to know God. So despite their faults and frailties, they have much to teach us. Learn from Saints.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Jude (October 28).
- 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 »
October 30th, 2009
Friday’s Reflection
AWESOME CREATOR God,
you made springs of water
cascade between the mountains
and rush to flood my heart with re-creation and gladness.
I lift up my voice
and sing praises to my Maker
from whom all blessings flow.
Amen.
- Nell E. Noonan
Not Alone: Encouragement for Caregivers
From p. 125 of Not Alone: Encouragement for Caregivers by Nell E. Noonan. Copyright © 2009 by the author. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Tell us how you are singing praises today. Share your reflections.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Who has the right to go up to the LORD’s hill? Who may enter his holy Temple? Those who are pure in act and in thought, who do not worship idols or make false promises.
- Psalm 24:3-4, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for saints and martyrs. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Why Saints? Observing saints more closely reveals that they were ordinary people just like us. What set them apart was their life purpose. More than anything else, they wanted to know God. So despite their faults and frailties, they have much to teach us. Learn from Saints.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Jude (October 28).
- 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 | 8 Comments »
October 29th, 2009
Thursday’s Reflection
WHEN WE ENTER INTO … SILENCE, we are seeking — and eventually we encounter — something profound: the freedom of God. The silence of prayer separates us from our projects and our need to be in control of every aspect of our lives, and when we allow this to occur, we are free to let God do with us as God desires.
- Daniel Wolpert
Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership
From p. 18 of Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership by Daniel Wolpert. Copyright © 2006 by the author. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
Talk about your experience of silence in prayer. Share your experiences as you feel led.
Today’s Scripture Reading
[Jesus] shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him loose.”
- John 11:43-44, THE MESSAGE
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for saints and martyrs. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Why Saints? Observing saints more closely reveals that they were ordinary people just like us. What set them apart was their life purpose. More than anything else, they wanted to know God. So despite their faults and frailties, they have much to teach us. Learn from Saints.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Jude (October 28).
- 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 | 8 Comments »
