April 30th, 2008
Wednesday’s Reflection
FROM OUR BLINDNESS that cannot see the pain in others’ lives, from our fears that distance us from others, from our indifference that cannot relate to others’ suffering, deliver us, O God. Amen.
- Richard Morgan
Settling In: My First Year in a Retirement Community
From p. 141 of Settling In by Richard Morgan. 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
Be glad that you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may be full of joy when his glory is revealed.
- 1 Peter 4:13, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for church communities, conferences, councils. Visit the Prayer Wall.
- In his Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius urged that all be taught the examen, a daily examination of our deepest feelings and desires. Try a daily Examen.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Athanasius (May 1).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
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Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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April 29th, 2008
Tuesday’s Reflection
SURRENDER IS BOTH a definite decision and a lifelong process that happens day by day. It starts when we consciously decide to hand over our will and life to God. But it does not end there. It is never a one-shot experience. Each new day we will need to renew our act of surrender and offer ourselves to God again. Shifting from a self-centered lifestyle to a God-centered one takes a lifetime.
- Trevor Hudson
One Day at a Time: Discovering the Freedom of 12-Step Spirituality
From p. 30 of One Day at a Time by Trevor Hudson. 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
Cast all your anxiety on [God], because he cares for you.
- 1 Peter 5:7, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for church communities, conferences, councils. Visit the Prayer Wall.
- In his Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius urged that all be taught the examen, a daily examination of our deepest feelings and desires. Try a daily Examen.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Athanasius (May 1).
- 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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April 28th, 2008
Monday’s Reflection
BECOMING PRAYER means praying with Jesus, praying as Jesus prayed. It mans praying for the despised and the broken-hearted. It means praying for the end of violence and environmental destruction. It means praying for the hungry, the lonely, and the abused. As we become prayer, we begin to get in touch with Jesus’ prayer, with the very spirit of Jesus praying within us, “with sighs too deep for words.” We notice that our longing and our prayer actually are shared with God.
- Mark Yaconelli with Alexx Campbell
“Prayer”
Way to Live: Christian Practices for Teens
From p. 280 of Way to Live edited by Dorothy C. Bass and Don C. Richter. Copyright © 2002 by the editors. 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 to [the apostles], “The times and occasions are set by my Father’s own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be.”
- Acts 1:7, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for church communities, conferences, councils. Visit the Prayer Wall.
- In his Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius urged that all be taught the examen, a daily examination of our deepest feelings and desires. Try a daily Examen.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Athanasius (May 1).
- 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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April 27th, 2008
SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER
Sunday’s Reflection
WE MAY IGNORE OUR HUNGERS or try to satisfy them by a thousand means other than turning to God. We may keep our calendars so full that we don’t have time to ask ourselves if we are deeply happy, if life has meaning. But that will not make the hungers go away. They are a permanent part of us at the deepest level of our being. As we recognize our hunger and thirst, God draws each of us into an individually unique relationship that is life’s greatest adventure. To heed our longing for God and for transformation of ourselves and the world is to be deeply blessed.
- Mary Lou Redding
The Power of a Focused Heart: 8 Life Lessons from the Beatitudes
From p. 59 of The Power of a Focused Heart by Mary Lou Redding. 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
Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.
- Psalm 66:20, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for healing of all creation. Leave your prayer at the Prayer Wall.
- 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 Mark the Evangelist (April 25).
- 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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April 26th, 2008
Saturday’s Reflection
O HIGH AND LOFTY ONE who inhabits eternity, who sees backward and forward from our brief lives and far beyond our small communities, help us to notice your many simple but essential gifts that all your children share in common — thread, bread, water, family — and challenge us to build on those similarities when we are tempted to fight over our differences. Amen.
- Jim Melchiorre
Novena in Time of War: Soul-Searching Prayers and Meditations
From pp. 35-36 of Novena in Time of War by Jim Melchiorre. 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
Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed.
- 1 Peter 3:13, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for healing of all creation. Leave your prayer at the Prayer Wall.
- 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 Mark the Evangelist (April 25).
- 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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April 25th, 2008
Friday’s Reflection
I’VE ALWAYS LOVED Jesus’ promise “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). The Greek word perisseia means “abundance” and “overflow,” and the similar word perisseuma means, basically, “leftovers” — extra food.
- Paul E. Stroble
You Gave Me a Wide Place: Holy Places in Our Lives
From p. 65 of You Gave Me a Wide Place by Paul E. Stroble. 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, “In a little while the world will see me no more, but you will see me, and because I live, you also will live.”
- John 14:19, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for healing of all creation. Leave your prayer at the Prayer Wall.
- 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 Mark the Evangelist (April 25).
- 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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April 24th, 2008
Thursday’s Reflection
May I walk this day
in the realm of grace,
walking with You
my feet firmly on your earth-path,
my heart loving all as kindred,
my words and deeds alive with justice.
May I walk as blessing,
meeting blessing at every turn
in every challenge, blessing,
in all opposition, blessing,
in harm’s way, blessing.
May I walk each step in this moment of grace,
alert to hear You
and awake enough to say
a simple Yes.
- Robert Corin Morris
Wrestling with Grace: A Spirituality for the Rough Edges of Daily Life
From p. 213 of Wrestling with Grace by Robert Corin Morris. Copyright © 2003 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 God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
- Acts 17:24, NIV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for healing of all creation. Leave your prayer at the Prayer Wall.
- 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 Mark the Evangelist (April 25).
- 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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April 23rd, 2008
Wednesday’s Reflection
WHEN WE ADMIT our weaknesses …, we discover one of the greatest secrets of the spiritual journey — that in our weakness lies our strength. This is one of the most powerful spiritual truths that we will ever discover. Rather than rejecting us because of our weaknesses, it opens the door for God to come alongside us and help us overcome what had previously defeated us. God’s strength can lead us beyond our weakness and enable us to grow spiritually strong.
- Trevor Hudson
One Day at a Time: Discovering the Freedom of 12-Step Spirituality
From p. 10 of One Day at a Time by Trevor Hudson. 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
All believers, come here and listen, let me tell you what God did for me.
- Psalm 66:16, THE MESSAGE
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for healing of all creation. Leave your prayer at the Prayer Wall.
- 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 Mark the Evangelist (April 25).
- 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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April 22nd, 2008
INTERNATIONAL EARTH DAY
Tuesday’s Reflection
ADORATION, widening our horizons, drowning our limited interests in the total interests of Reality, redeems the spiritual life from all religious pettiness and gives it a wonderful richness, meaning, and span. And more, every aspect, even the most homely, of our practical life can become part of this adoring response, this total life; so it always has done in those who have achieved full spiritual personality. “All the earth worships you” means what it says.
The life, beauty, and meaning of the whole created order, from the tomtit to the Milky Way, refers back to the Absolute Life and Beauty of its Creator: and so perceived, so lived, every bit has spiritual significance.
- Evelyn Underhill
The Soul’s Delight
From p. 22 of The Soul’s Delight: Selected Writings of Evelyn Underhill edited by Keith Beasley-Topliffe. Copyright © 1998 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
It is better to suffer for doing good, if this should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
- 1 Peter 3:17, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for healing of all creation. Leave your prayer at the Prayer Wall.
- 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 Mark the Evangelist (April 25).
- 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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April 21st, 2008
Monday’s Reflection
SAINTS WERE AND ARE ORDINARY PEOPLE. Though imperfect, doubt-filled, weak, lonely, and fearful at times, they chose to remain uncompromisingly faithful witnesses to the gospel. This great “cloud of witnesses” (Heb. 12:1) is the unity of all believers past, present, and future. …
Saints come from all walks of life and from every culture; the young, the old, the rich, the poor — all are illumined by the mystery of God’s loving presence in their lives. These ordinary folks make loving God and neighbor their extraordinary choice day in and day out. Saints step out in faith, trusting and obeying the call of God. Their purty of heart awakens us to the realization that we too are called to be shining examples of God’s spirit of love.
- Ellen K. McCormack
“Saints”
The Upper Room Dictionary of Christian Spiritual Formation
From p. 224 of The Upper Room Dictionary of Christian Spiritual Formation edited by Keith Beasley-Topliffe. Copyright © 2003 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, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
- John 14:15, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for healing of all creation. Leave your prayer at the Prayer Wall.
- 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 Mark the Evangelist (April 25).
- 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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