February 29th, 2008
Friday’s Reflection
AS OUR PRAYER LIFE brings God out of the shadows of our consciousness and into the full light of our lives, we begin to trust in God’s immanence. This trust emboldens members of the community to step out into the world as spiritual leaders in a way they never considered possible before. They are willing to give new things a try, willing to say yes when asked to do something. They find new faith to overcome obstacles.
- Daniel Wolpert
Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership
From p. 158 of Leading a Life with God by Daniel Wolpert. Copyright © 2006 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
- John 9:5, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for leaders of nations. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Psalms has been called the prayer book of the Bible in both Jewish and Christian traditions. It is a collection of sung prayers that has been used in worship from the time of ancient Israel up to the present. Try Praying the Psalms.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Gabriel Francis Possenti (February 27).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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February 28th, 2008
Thursday’s Reflection
[ONE] ASPECT OF LEARNING is learning by heart. It may seem unnecessary now, when everyone has access to books, but stocking your mind with words from God can be a marvelous way of following Paul’s injunction in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Memorizing favorite Bible verses, prayers, hymns, and poetry gives you a stock of “pure, pleasing, commendable” words to draw on anywhere at any time — while driving, standing in line, or sitting in a waiting room.
- Helen Julian CSF
The Road to Emmaus: Companions for the Journey through Lent
From pp. 48-49 of The Road to Emmaus by Helen Julian CSF. Copyright © 2006 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Try to learn what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the worthless things that people do, things that belong to the darkness. Instead, bring them out to the light.
- Ephesians 5:10-11, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for leaders of nations. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Psalms has been called the prayer book of the Bible in both Jewish and Christian traditions. It is a collection of sung prayers that has been used in worship from the time of ancient Israel up to the present. Try Praying the Psalms.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Gabriel Francis Possenti (February 27).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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February 27th, 2008
Wednesday’s Reflection
HOLY JESUS, your forgiving love saves and disturbs me.
Without it, I am lost,
Yet, if I receive it, I must practice it.
By your mercy, make me merciful;
By your forgiveness, help me to forgive as I have been forgiven.
Amen.
- Peter Storey
Listening at Golgotha: Jesus’ Words from the Cross
From p. 24 of Listening at Golgotha by Peter Storey. Copyright © 2004 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Scripture Reading
The Lord says, “I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart.”
- 1 Samuel 16:7, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for leaders of nations. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Psalms has been called the prayer book of the Bible in both Jewish and Christian traditions. It is a collection of sung prayers that has been used in worship from the time of ancient Israel up to the present. Try Praying the Psalms.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Gabriel Francis Possenti (February 27).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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February 26th, 2008
Tuesday’s Reflection
CONTEMPORARY LIFE provides precious little space for discernment, given the overriding burden of time. We hurry from one task to another, expressing thoughts and emotions on the fly but rarely sitting down to discern what they may be saying to us. Even accomplished multitaskers know moments of loneliness. In a quiet, predawn moment or while daydreaming between gulps of coffee at a traffic light, an ache may surface. We yearn to share the ordinary ups and downs of our lives with someone, the unspoken prayers we don’t feel comfortable uttering at a church meeting, and experiences like the moment when we realized God had healed our heart after years of grieving a loss.
- Stephanie Ford
Kindred Souls: Connecting through Spiritual Friendship
From p. 63 of Kindred Souls by Stephanie Ford. Copyright © 2006 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Scripture Reading
The man whom Jesus healed said, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
- John 9:25, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for leaders of nations. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Psalms has been called the prayer book of the Bible in both Jewish and Christian traditions. It is a collection of sung prayers that has been used in worship from the time of ancient Israel up to the present. Try Praying the Psalms.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Gabriel Francis Possenti (February 27).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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February 25th, 2008
Monday’s Reflection
GOD IS BEYOND but also near, transcendent and immanent. Seen not only with telescopic vision but also in the microscopic view of deep intimacy. God is the Source beyond my imagining and also the Love who is immediately present. God, the Center of all, dwells at the center of my being. So when I am centered, I open the eyes of my heart to perceive God’s presence, transcendent in glory and present here and now. I receive the gift of an intimate relationship with God deeper than words can express. I let go of my efforts to reach God and simply rest in the love of the Trinity. I let go of my attachments and surrender myself to Christ. I release whatever thoughts come to me and consent to the Presence and to the restoring action of the Spirit within.
- J. David Muyskens
Forty Days to a Closer Walk with God: The Practice of Centering Prayer
From pp. 13-14 of Forty Days to a Closer Walk with God by J. David Muyskens. Copyright © 2006 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Scripture Reading
God, my shepherd! … Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.
- Psalm 23:1, 6, THE MESSAGE
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for leaders of nations. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Psalms has been called the prayer book of the Bible in both Jewish and Christian traditions. It is a collection of sung prayers that has been used in worship from the time of ancient Israel up to the present. Try Praying the Psalms.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Gabriel Francis Possenti (February 27).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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February 24th, 2008
THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT
Sunday’s Reflection
BLESSED ONE,
I open
the gates of my heart
to you.
Enter here.
Fill me with thanksgiving.
Hear my songs of praise.
Amen.
- Alive Now
From p. 59 of Alive Now, March/April 2007. Copyright © 2007 by The Upper Room. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this magazine.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
- Psalm 95:1-2, NIV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for prisoners and their loved ones. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Lent is traditionally a time for fasting. But fasting can concern things other than food. Try Creative Fasting.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Eric Liddell (February 21).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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February 23rd, 2008
Saturday’s Reflection
FROM HIS CROSS, Jesus created a community that was to become family to the widow, the orphan, the outcast, and the stranger. Only when we have learned to offer welcome to the modern equivalent of people such as these do we come close to Christ’s intention. It is not “family churches” but “church families” that the world needs.
- Peter Storey
Listening at Golgotha: Jesus’ Words from the Cross
From p. 46 of Listening at Golgotha by Peter Storey. Copyright © 2004 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Jesus said, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
- John 4:24, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for prisoners and their loved ones. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Lent is traditionally a time for fasting. But fasting can concern things other than food. Try Creative Fasting.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Eric Liddell (February 21).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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February 22nd, 2008
Friday’s Reflection
LIFE DOESN’T MAKE SENSE. No matter how hard we try to make it so, it doesn’t. No matter how much we want everything to turn out okay, it doesn’t always. Bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people. That’s the way it is. If we are religious, prayer gets mixed into the mystery and the frustration of that reality. Sometimes we can’t tell what difference prayer is making. Even though we pray, life falls short of our sense of justice and cry for mercy.
- Steve Harper
Talking in the Dark: Praying When Life Doesn’t Make Sense
From p. 9 of Talking in the Dark by Steve Harper. Copyright © 2007 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved.
Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Scripture Reading
The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?”
- Exodus 17:2, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for prisoners and their loved ones. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Lent is traditionally a time for fasting. But fasting can concern things other than food. Try Creative Fasting.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Eric Liddell (February 21).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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February 21st, 2008
Thursday’s Reflection
SETBACKS ARE A NORMAL, healthy part of any personal change process. They may happen unexpectedly and may even cause disruptions. Sometimes growth feels like the proverbial “one step forward, two steps back.” In such moments of discouragement, we need to remember that setbacks can actually further our growth. They deepen our commitments, draw us into more intimate relationships with our fellow human beings as we share our struggles, remind us of our natural dependence on God’s help, and teach us self-forgiveness.
- Sarah Parsons
A Clearing Season: Reflections for Lent
From p. 67 of A Clearing Season by Sarah Parsons. Copyright © 2005 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Scripture Reading
At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
- Romans 5:6, NIV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for prisoners and their loved ones. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Lent is traditionally a time for fasting. But fasting can concern things other than food. Try Creative Fasting.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Eric Liddell (February 21).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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February 20th, 2008
Wednesday’s Reflection
THE WAY OF THE GOSPEL is radically different. Jesus assures us that we will not go hungry or naked; God knows that we need these things and will provide them. But we are not to make clothes, food, or anything else created into our “treasure.” Released from the worry of depending entirely on ourselves and our efforts, we can put our energy and our hearts into the service of God and into work for God’s kingdom.
- Helen Julian CSF
The Road to Emmaus: Companions for the Journey through Lent
From p. 14 of The Road to Emmaus by Helen Julian CSF. Copyright © 2006 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved.
Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst–not ever.”
- John 4:13-14, THE MESSAGE
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for prisoners and their loved ones. Add your prayer to the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Lent is traditionally a time for fasting. But fasting can concern things other than food. Try Creative Fasting.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Eric Liddell (February 21).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
Posted in Daily Reflection | Comments Off
