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Monthly Archives: March 2023

Homelessness

31 Mar
Homelessness

3.31.23

Meet my friend Mickey! We met last weekend. While on my way home from visiting a member, I noticed Mickey pushing her cart on Camp Bowie. I couldn’t pass by without offering help, for in the gospel, Jesus stopped to aid people on the road. I asked Mickey if I could pray for her, and she said yes; then, unexpectedly, she asked if she could pray for me. On a busy road in Fort Worth, I eagerly accepted.

Everything Mickey owns is captured in this picture. Mickey joined us for worship last Sunday, and we provided her with temporary housing and other essentials. However, what’s more important is that we took the time to acknowledge and greet her. Mickey is a homeless veteran who served in the Marines for seven years, but due to life’s circumstances, she’s currently living on the streets while waiting for her VA benefits. She is actively working towards getting off the streets.

Countless individuals like Mickey are homeless, and it’s essential to understand that sometimes, it’s due to circumstances beyond their control. As Christians, our duty is to provide assistance, not to judge. What if, in the coming week, we each stopped and offered help to someone and prayed for them?

This Sunday, after worship, a few of us will go out to feed our friends in the Lancaster and surrounding areas. If you’d like to contribute anything, please bring it Sunday. If you can join us, we would appreciate your help. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Pastor Sela

Thank you for allowing me to share Mickey’s story. I received permission from her to post it.

 
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Posted by on March 31, 2023 in Church, Culture, Economics, Family, Life, Religion, Spirituality, Theology

 

Companionship

31 Mar
Companionship

Day 33: Friday, March 31, 2023

Companionship

Scripture: Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. (Luke 24:13-15, 28-29 NRSV)

Devotion: There are times when we all long for the companionship of Christ. When we are facing some deep loneliness that seems to darken the brightest day, some great sorrow that has broken our hearts and changed our lives, or some heavy burden that comes through no action or fault of our own. At times like these, we long for the presence of the one who speaks our name, understand our plight, and can break the hold of loneliness, sorrow, despair, and burdens we bear.

At times like these, it is good to remember that the risen Christ walks beside us, awaiting our invitation to stay with us, break bread with us, interpret life for us, give us hope, and share in our thanksgiving. As we continue our walk this Lenten Season, may we, like the disciples before us, have our eyes open to recognize Christ as he walks beside us this day.

Prayer: Oh God, forgive us when we fail to recognize you in others. Continue to walk with us and help us to see. Amen

AW

 
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Posted by on March 31, 2023 in Church, Life, Religion, Spirituality, Theology

 

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Gray

29 Mar
Gray

Day 31: Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Gray

Scripture: “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.” (Proverbs 16:31 NRSV)

Devotion: Growing up, I was privileged to be surrounded by older folks, including my grandmother, Ana, numerous aunts and uncles, and then my parents. I remember that as they got older, they often dealt with the aches and pains of old age.

The years flew by for this older generation as they continued dealing with health issues and being unable to get around as quickly as before. They were suddenly faced with their mortality. On Ash Wednesday, we were confronted with our mortality, remembering that “we are dust, and to dust, we shall return.” What does God expect from people of this older generation? What do they expect from God? The truth is, no matter how gray our hair gets, God always sees us as a child. God sees our potential and possibilities until the day we die. God’s on our side every step of the way, even when we don’t walk and move as fast as we did twenty or thirty years ago.

The gift of aging is the one called life. We have the opportunity to grow in awareness, wisdom, and experience. We have learned things that others need to know, and God gives us a chance to share those things with those around us. May we share our hopes, dreams, fear, and love with others. May we share our wisdom and experiences with those around us. May we share our God stories with all those that we encounter.

In this season of Lent, remember that age is a number that reflects the number of years that God has blessed us and gifted us with life. May we share our life stories with others. Remember these words from Proverbs 16:31 “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.”

Prayer: Dear God, as we age, we may experience fear, loneliness, and other emotions, help us to remember that we are never alone but that you knew us before we were born, knows us by name, and will continue to be with us until you call us home. Amen

AW

 
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Posted by on March 29, 2023 in Church, Culture, Family, Life, Religion, Spirituality, Theology

 

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Prayer for The Covenant School Community

27 Mar
Prayer for The Covenant School Community

Dear God,

We come before you with heavy hearts, as we mourn the tragic loss of three children and three staff members in Nashville’s school shooting today. We also mourn the death of the shooter. We are tired of hearing about such senseless acts of violence that continue to take innocent lives. It is becoming all too common, and we ask for your guidance and strength to help us come together and find a way to end this scourge of gun violence in our schools and communities.

We pray for comfort and healing for the families and loved ones of the victims. We also pray for comfort and healing for the family of the shooter. We ask that you wrap them in your loving embrace during this difficult time, and give them the strength they need to carry on.

We also pray for the survivors of this tragedy, particularly the students, teachers, and staff who will have to cope with the trauma of this event for years to come. We ask for your healing and peace to be upon them, and for your love to surround them always.

Finally, we pray that our leaders and policymakers will come together to find solutions to end gun violence in our schools and communities. We ask that they have the courage and compassion to take the necessary steps to prevent such tragedies from happening again.

In Jesus’ name, we pray for a safer and more peaceful world.
Amen.

 
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Posted by on March 27, 2023 in Church, Culture, Family, Life, Religion, Spirituality, Student life, Theology

 

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Destination?

27 Mar
Destination?

Week Six

Day 29: Monday, March 27, 2023

Destination?

Scripture: Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (John 14:5 NRSV)

Devotion: Many of us know the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. We remember Alice’s conversation with the Cheshire Cat during her journey through Wonderland. When Alice approached a fork in the road, she asked, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” The Cat replied, “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” Alice said, “I don’t much care where.” The Cat replied, “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”

Do you know where you are? Do you have a sense of direction for where you are going? Are you lost and cannot find your way? Knowing where we are and where we are going makes a big difference in how we get there and when to get there. We may not be on the same exact path, but it makes a difference that we know where we are heading. Jesus told his disciples, “Follow me!” Like them, we want to follow. But if we are honest with ourselves, we often feel like Thomas, who said, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

Our destination as disciples on Jesus’ path is a life centered on loving God and others. Are you on this path? If not, what changes must you make to get on this path? During our journey in the season of Lent, will you ask God to help you get on this path? Trust, follow, and ask God to be your guide and vision.

Prayer: Gracious God, when we are lost and can’t find our way, help us to see and be our vision the rest of the way. Amen

AW

 
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Posted by on March 27, 2023 in Church, Culture, Life, Religion, Spirituality, Theology

 

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Prayer for the Fifth Sunday in Lent

26 Mar
Prayer for the Fifth Sunday in Lent

Scripture: John 11:1-45

Dear God,

On this fifth Sunday in Lent, we are grateful for all you have done for us. We come before you with humble hearts, reflecting on the story of Lazarus. We remember how Mary and Martha’s faith was tested, and they cried out to you in their time of need.

Today, we ask for the same faith and courage to trust in your power to bring new life to our difficult situations. We pray for the strength to face our challenges with the same confidence Mary and Martha had in you.
Help us to remember that even when things seem hopeless, you are the God of miracles. We pray that you would breathe new life into the places of our lives that feel dead and heal our wounds and give us hope for the future.

We pray for the families and communities dealing with a loss today, especially the people of Mississippi. We pray for people everywhere who are struggling. Just as you brought Lazarus back to life, we ask that you breathe new life into people who need hope. Help us to trust in your power to transform even the darkest situations.

As we journey towards Easter, may we continue to draw closer to you, growing in faith and love, and may the story of Lazarus remind us of your power to bring life out of death.

We ask all these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 
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Posted by on March 26, 2023 in Church, Culture, Life, Religion, Spirituality, Theology

 

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Fasting

24 Mar
Fasting

Day 27: Friday, March 24, 2023

Fasting

Scripture: Then I turned to the lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and

ashes. (Daniel 9:3 NRSV)

Devotion: It has been said that regular fasting at its most basic level may well be the most effective way to deal with all the appetites and pressures that rule us. So many saints throughout history have practiced fasting religiously. Combined with prayer, it is a critical means of making ourselves available to the cleansing, restoring, and empowering grace of God.

Growing up, I often witnessed my mom and aunts carry on this tradition. Although I was invited to participate, I never took it seriously, and if I did take part, it was more of a requirement while on a church retreat or with a group. Later in seminary life, the importance of fasting was reiterated.

While fasting is not all there is to the Christian life, it creates enough space for God to engage us. The most popular fasting is abstinence from food, but this alone cannot be experienced as spiritual until it can be joined with the sense of acknowledging God’s love and responding by loving others. Fasting is not primarily a discipline through which we gain greater control over our lives but through which God gains access to redirect and heal our body, mind, and spirit.

Fasting and prayer are traditional disciplines for the season of Lent. Whatever your experience with fasting may have been in the past, may we earnestly make space and clear the way for God so that we can be restored and discover more fully the desires of our soul.

Following is an author’s definition on fasting that I thought appropriate.

“Fasting is cleansing. It cleans out our bodies. It lays bare our souls. It leads us into the arms of that One for whom we hunger.

In the Divine Arms we become less demanding and more like the 

one who holds us. Then we experience new hungers. We hunger and thirst for justice, for goodness and holiness. We hunger for what is right. We hunger to be saints. Most of us are not nearly hungry enough for the things that really matter. That’s why it is so good for us to feel a gnawing in our guts. Then we remember why we are fasting. We remember all the peoples of the world who have no choice but to go to bed hungry. We remember how we waste and squander the goods of this world.

We remember what poor stewards of the earth we have been. We remember that each of us is called to be bread for the world. Our lives are meant to nourish. Fasting can lead us to the core of our being and make us more nourishing for others.” – Macrina Wiederkehr

Prayer: Holy God, We come to you in the emptiness of our body and soul and ask that you fill it with your love. Amen

AW

 
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Posted by on March 24, 2023 in Church, Culture, Family, Life, Religion, Spirituality, Theology

 

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Freewill

22 Mar
Freewill

Day 25: Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Freewill

Scripture: The human mind plans the way, but the Lord direct the steps. (Proverbs 16:9 NRSV)

Devotional: One of the greatest gifts of God to humanity is the freedom to choose. We can choose our attitude and direction in life.

Sometimes we don’t always make the right choice. We rush to make decisions or have the wrong motives. We even sometimes choose not to choose, and the consequences haunt us for our indecisions.

Sometimes the problem with choices is that there are too many, and need for a clearer understanding of which way is right and which way is wrong. Other times, we may feel that we have no choice. God gave us the gift of freewill so we can make wise choices. We should make the right choices through guidance from the Bible and the Holy Spirit. When we feel we have made the wrong choice, we can ask God to help us choose again and direct our steps. We do not have to be stranded in the desert or the middle of nowhere. We can always find hope in asking God to direct our steps and bring us back on the right track.

During the season of Lent, if you are on the wrong track, ask God to redirect your steps and help you get back on the right path.

Prayer: Holy God, we give you thanks for gifting us freewill. As we plan for our life, help us stay on course. Amen

AW

 
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Posted by on March 22, 2023 in Church, Culture, Family, Life, Religion, Spirituality, Theology

 

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Planters

20 Mar
Planters

Day 23: Monday, March 20, 2023

Planters

Scripture: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and each will receive wages according to their own labor. For we are God’s coworkers, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Let each builder choose with care how to build on it. (1 Corinthians 3:6-10 NRSV)

Devotion: As we journey through the season of Lent, it’s important to remember that our role in the church is not to force growth but to plant seeds. In 1 Corinthians 3:6-10, Paul writes about this very idea: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

Like Paul, we are called to plant seeds and water them, but we are not the ones who ultimately control their growth. This can be difficult for us, especially in a culture that values immediate results and success. But as we reflect on our personal stories, we can see that the seeds planted in our lives took time to grow and bear fruit.

For me, it was never my plan to go into ministry. However, God’s calling led me to seminary and eventually into ministry. Looking back, I can see how the seeds of faith were planted in my family, as generations before me served in various roles in the church. Their faithfulness and commitment to the gospel laid the foundation for my journey.

Similarly, we can be faithful planters of seeds in others’ lives, even if we don’t get to see the results. It takes time for roots to grow and bear fruit. During this Lenten season, may we focus on faithfully planting seeds and nurturing them, knowing that God is the one who gives the growth. And may we trust in God’s timing and plan, as we continue to journey in faith and serve in our various roles in the church.

Prayer: Creator God, Thank you for the seeds planted by others in our lives. Thank you for making it grow. Amen

 
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Posted by on March 20, 2023 in Church, Culture, Family, Life, Philosophy, Religion, Spirituality, Theology

 

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Prayer for the Fourth Sunday in Lent

19 Mar
Prayer for the Fourth Sunday in Lent

March 19, 2023

Scripture: John 9:1-41

Gracious and merciful God,

We come before you with grateful hearts on this fourth Sunday in Lent, knowing you are the source of all light and truth.

We ask that you open our eyes, just as you did for the blind man. Please help us to see the world and ourselves as you see them and to recognize how we are blind to our shortcomings.

We pray for the courage to face the challenges of seeing the truth and the strength to follow the path you have set for us.

May we also have the compassion to see others with love and understanding, even when we disagree or do not understand their perspective.

We ask for your grace and guidance as we continue our Lenten journey, seeking to grow closer to you and live out your love in the world.

In Jesus’ name, we pray,
Amen

 
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Posted by on March 19, 2023 in Church, Religion, Spirituality, Theology

 

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