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About Disciplines

The Upper Room Disciplines provides an opportunity to look more deeply at scripture by offering a week of devotions by a single author on a particular theme.

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Latest Disciplines Devotions

Creating Caring Communities - April 5, 2024

April 5, 2024

We’ve already been reintroduced to the Pentecost community in Acts as an intentional community sharing economic resources. And we’ve learned from the ancient kinship communities in Psalms (and Genesis) about conflict...

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Creating Caring Communities - April 4, 2024

April 4, 2024

A colleague and I taught a workshop about caring communities in the summer of 2021 with ten men at the Cook County Jail in Chicago, sponsored by McCormick Theological Seminary. We...

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Creating Caring Communities - April 3, 2024

April 3, 2024

When we read this ancient psalm, we are distracted, maybe even amused, by the precious oil running down Aaron’s beard, and then we may wonder why it is paired with the...

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Creating Caring Communities - April 2, 2024

April 2, 2024

The first step early Christians took to create their intentional, caring communities was to do something serious about the economic inequalities among themselves. As soon as the church was born at...

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Creating Caring Communities - April 1, 2024

April 1, 2024

The first Christians were, above all, intentional about living together. They were so intentional about their relationships with one another, in fact, that they brought their credit cards to the table....

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Choosing the Way That Leads to Life - March 31, 2024

March 31, 2024

The tomb is empty! Jesus has conquered the grave! Christ is risen! These facts remain the same and the promise is true yesterday, today, and all our tomorrows. The Easter story...

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Choosing the Way That Leads to Life - March 30, 2024

March 30, 2024

When I was younger, I looked forward to Holy Saturday because I knew it was the last day I was expected to fast from the things that I said I would...

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Choosing the Way That Leads to Life - March 29, 2024

March 29, 2024

I’ve talked with many Christians throughout my ministry who’ve said they avoid Good Friday because they find it to be too funereal. The sorrow and gloominess of the day is too...

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Choosing the Way That Leads to Life - March 28, 2024

March 28, 2024

Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday, is the day we traditionally remember the last meal Jesus had with his disciples, when he instituted the Lord’s Supper and, according to John’s Gospel, washed...

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Choosing the Way That Leads to Life - March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

What does it really mean to let go of all that which weighs us down and makes us feel trapped? What will it take for us to keep our eyes fixed...

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