Author Archives: karbly

Lament and Resist, Part 5
Jane Gardner, presiding evangelist

Consider and answer me, O LORD my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. -Psalm 13:3-4

Many who walk deeply on the spiritual path would say that our true growth almost always comes in the midst of risk, unfamiliarity, struggle, and the unknown. To truly become whom God created us to be is to move out of our security and simply be in Holy Presence. Pay attention to where you feel resistance to sacred activity. It may be surprising to find God at work exactly at that point of resistance. Let go of complaints, manipulations, selfishness, and being comfortable, and simply turn toward God.

Lenten Reflection Questions:

• When have you experienced the deepest growth on your spiritual journey?
• Where do you feel resistance to sacred activity?
• What does it look like to “simply turn toward God”?

Prayer Phrase

Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One?

Lenten Spiritual Practices

Moving Toward the Peaceful One

As Jesus was nearing the final days of his life, he wept over the city and proclaimed, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace” (Luke 19:41-42).What are the things that make for peace in our lives, communities, and around the world? During the Lenten season, spend time in silent refection or journaling each day to notice: Am I moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One? Pay attention to your attitudes, actions, and relationships this day. When did you most embody the peaceful One in your daily living? When were your thoughts or actions contrary to the peace of Jesus Christ? How might Jesus, the peaceful One, who is always near to you, be inviting you to draw nearer to him through your daily living?

Fasting and Giving-$40 in 40 Days

A Lenten fast gives us an opportunity to make space in our lives so that God can live in and through us.  It’s a time to evaluate what we hunger for most and what we consume. This year, we’ve been invited to tithe as a spiritual practice by setting aside $40 during the 40 days of Lent. If you are participating, pay attention today to the dollar you have given. What might you have done with that dollar otherwise? How does Lenten generosity invite you to reflect on what is “enough” in your life? Who might you invite to join you in this practice? How might your gift be magnified by the many others responding to the same call?

You can make your $40 offering anytime during the Lenten season online or through your offering envelope for Worldwide Mission Tithes.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Lament and Resist, Part 4
Jane Gardner, presiding evangelist

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? -Psalm 13:1-2

An authentic Lenten journey opens us up to discovery and transformation. If you are like me, you may find yourself resisting challenges and experiences that are outside of a well-constructed security cocoon. Vulnerability is counter-cultural, maybe even counter to the 21st-century human experience. It is especially tempting to stay with what we know.

Unfortunately, when we choose this path, we can miss the new thing that God is doing-both inside of us as well as in all of creation. Fortunately, our God has proven to be patient, compassionate, and faithful. God is listening even when all we can offer is our unknowing and resistance.

Lenten Reflection Questions:

• When do you feel tempted to stay with what you already know?
• What new thing in God doing in you, in us?
• What might it be like to offer your unknowing to God in prayer?

Prayer Phrase

Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One?

Lenten Spiritual Practices

Moving Toward the Peaceful One

As Jesus was nearing the final days of his life, he wept over the city and proclaimed, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace” (Luke 19:41-42).What are the things that make for peace in our lives, communities, and around the world? During the Lenten season, spend time in silent refection or journaling each day to notice: Am I moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One? Pay attention to your attitudes, actions, and relationships this day. When did you most embody the peaceful One in your daily living? When were your thoughts or actions contrary to the peace of Jesus Christ? How might Jesus, the peaceful One, who is always near to you, be inviting you to draw nearer to him through your daily living?

Fasting and Giving-$40 in 40 Days

A Lenten fast gives us an opportunity to make space in our lives so that God can live in and through us.  It’s a time to evaluate what we hunger for most and what we consume. This year, we’ve been invited to tithe as a spiritual practice by setting aside $40 during the 40 days of Lent. If you are participating, pay attention today to the dollar you have given. What might you have done with that dollar otherwise? How does Lenten generosity invite you to reflect on what is “enough” in your life? Who might you invite to join you in this practice? How might your gift be magnified by the many others responding to the same call?

You can make your $40 offering anytime during the Lenten season online or through your offering envelope for Worldwide Mission Tithes.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Lament and Resist, Part 3
Jane Gardner, presiding evangelist

How long, O Lord, will you forget an answer to my prayer? No tokens of your love I see, your face is turned away from me; I wrestle with despair… I find that all your ways are just, I learn to praise you and to trust in your unfailing love. -Barbara Woollett, “How Long, O Lord” Community of Christ Sings 201

On our journey, that’s all we heard. “I’m hungry.” “I’m tired of sitting.” “I need more to drink.” “Are we almost there?” Even though we thought we were well prepared with juice boxes and cereal, the complaints about the quality of the journey were seemingly non-stop, only abating when the kids fell asleep, exhausted from their struggle. And they weren’t the only ones who felt worn out. The parents and children alike were not happy. Altogether, not a comfortable experience.

The 40 days of Lent might have some similarities with our road trip and, possibly, with the experience of the children of Israel under Moses’ leadership. Are we complainers, exhausted by the struggle? Do we find ourselves in this Lenten desert, feeling as though God has decided not to show up? Has God left us to thirst and starve? Into this mess of emotion and feeling, we, too, might ask, “Is the Lord among us or not?” (17:7). We want there to be no pain, no struggle, and we want answers. The unknowing so easily turns us toward dissatisfaction.

Lenten Reflection Questions:

• If you are able, read the words to the text, “How Long, O Lord” CCS 201. What is God’s invitation to you in this hymn text today?
• How does the story of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness intersect with our experience today?
• When have you found yourself wondering, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Prayer Phrase

Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One?

Lenten Spiritual Practices

Moving Toward the Peaceful One

As Jesus was nearing the final days of his life, he wept over the city and proclaimed, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace” (Luke 19:41-42).What are the things that make for peace in our lives, communities, and around the world? During the Lenten season, spend time in silent refection or journaling each day to notice: Am I moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One? Pay attention to your attitudes, actions, and relationships this day. When did you most embody the peaceful One in your daily living? When were your thoughts or actions contrary to the peace of Jesus Christ? How might Jesus, the peaceful One, who is always near to you, be inviting you to draw nearer to him through your daily living?

Fasting and Giving-$40 in 40 Days

A Lenten fast gives us an opportunity to make space in our lives so that God can live in and through us.  It’s a time to evaluate what we hunger for most and what we consume. This year, we’ve been invited to tithe as a spiritual practice by setting aside $40 during the 40 days of Lent. If you are participating, pay attention today to the dollar you have given. What might you have done with that dollar otherwise? How does Lenten generosity invite you to reflect on what is “enough” in your life? Who might you invite to join you in this practice? How might your gift be magnified by the many others responding to the same call?

You can make your $40 offering anytime during the Lenten season online or through your offering envelope for Worldwide Mission Tithes.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Lament and Resist, Part 2
Jane Gardner, presiding evangelist

…the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” …the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?” -Exodus 17:3-7

Lenten Reflection Questions:

• Spend time in prayer with this scripture text. Let yourself prayerfully imagine the scene. Where do you find yourself in this story?
• What do you thirst for?

Prayer Phrase

Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One?

Lenten Spiritual Practices

Moving Toward the Peaceful One

As Jesus was nearing the final days of his life, he wept over the city and proclaimed, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace” (Luke 19:41-42).What are the things that make for peace in our lives, communities, and around the world? During the Lenten season, spend time in silent refection or journaling each day to notice: Am I moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One? Pay attention to your attitudes, actions, and relationships this day. When did you most embody the peaceful One in your daily living? When were your thoughts or actions contrary to the peace of Jesus Christ? How might Jesus, the peaceful One, who is always near to you, be inviting you to draw nearer to him through your daily living?

Fasting and Giving-$40 in 40 Days

A Lenten fast gives us an opportunity to make space in our lives so that God can live in and through us.  It’s a time to evaluate what we hunger for most and what we consume. This year, we’ve been invited to tithe as a spiritual practice by setting aside $40 during the 40 days of Lent. If you are participating, pay attention today to the dollar you have given. What might you have done with that dollar otherwise? How does Lenten generosity invite you to reflect on what is “enough” in your life? Who might you invite to join you in this practice? How might your gift be magnified by the many others responding to the same call?

You can make your $40 offering anytime during the Lenten season online or through your offering envelope for Worldwide Mission Tithes.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Lament and Resist
Jane Gardner, presiding evangelist

…the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” …the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?” -Exodus 17:3-7

How long, O Lord, will you forget an answer to my prayer? No tokens of your love I see, your face is turned away from me; I wrestle with despair… I find that all your ways are just, I learn to praise you and to trust in your unfailing love. -Barbara Woollett, “How Long, O Lord” Community of Christ Sings 201

On our journey, that’s all we heard. “I’m hungry.” “I’m tired of sitting.” “I need more to drink.” “Are we almost there?” Even though we thought we were well prepared with juice boxes and cereal, the complaints about the quality of the journey were seemingly non-stop, only abating when the kids fell asleep, exhausted from their struggle. And they weren’t the only ones who felt worn out. The parents and children alike were not happy. Altogether, not a comfortable experience.

The 40 days of Lent might have some similarities with our road trip and, possibly, with the experience of the children of Israel under Moses’ leadership. Are we complainers, exhausted by the struggle? Do we find ourselves in this Lenten desert, feeling as though God has decided not to show up? Has God left us to thirst and starve? Into this mess of emotion and feeling, we, too, might ask, “Is the Lord among us or not?” (17:7). We want there to be no pain, no struggle, and we want answers. The unknowing so easily turns us toward dissatisfaction.

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? -Psalm 13:1-2

An authentic Lenten journey opens us up to discovery and transformation. If you are like me, you may find yourself resisting challenges and experiences that are outside of a well-constructed security cocoon. Vulnerability is counter-cultural, maybe even counter to the 21st-century human experience. It is especially tempting to stay with what we know.

Unfortunately, when we choose this path, we can miss the new thing that God is doing-both inside of us as well as in all of creation. Fortunately, our God has proven to be patient, compassionate, and faithful. God is listening even when all we can offer is our unknowing and resistance.

Consider and answer me, O LORD my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. -Psalm 13:3-4

Many who walk deeply on the spiritual path would say that our true growth almost always comes in the midst of risk, unfamiliarity, struggle, and the unknown. To truly become whom God created us to be is to move out of our security and simply be in Holy Presence. Pay attention to where you feel resistance to sacred activity. It may be surprising to find God at work exactly at that point of resistance. Let go of complaints, manipulations, selfishness, and being comfortable, and simply turn toward God.

But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me. -Psalm 13:5-6

If we will make space during this wilderness time to question, wrestle, lament, and grieve, God will be there for the journey.

Prayer Phrase

Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One?

Lenten Spiritual Practices

Moving Toward the Peaceful One

As Jesus was nearing the final days of his life, he wept over the city and proclaimed, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace” (Luke 19:41-42).What are the things that make for peace in our lives, communities, and around the world? During the Lenten season, spend time in silent refection or journaling each day to notice: Am I moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One? Pay attention to your attitudes, actions, and relationships this day. When did you most embody the peaceful One in your daily living? When were your thoughts or actions contrary to the peace of Jesus Christ? How might Jesus, the peaceful One, who is always near to you, be inviting you to draw nearer to him through your daily living?

Fasting and Giving-$40 in 40 Days

A Lenten fast gives us an opportunity to make space in our lives so that God can live in and through us.  It’s a time to evaluate what we hunger for most and what we consume. This year, we’ve been invited to tithe as a spiritual practice by setting aside $40 during the 40 days of Lent. If you are participating, pay attention today to the dollar you have given. What might you have done with that dollar otherwise? How does Lenten generosity invite you to reflect on what is “enough” in your life? Who might you invite to join you in this practice? How might your gift be magnified by the many others responding to the same call?

You can make your $40 offering anytime during the Lenten season online or through your offering envelope for Worldwide Mission Tithes.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Be Open to God’s Kingdom
Linda Booth of Lee’s Summit, MO, USA

Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. -John 3:5

The kingdom of God that Jesus announced is present in life’s joys and challenges. On April 6, 2015, I received a call from my doctor as I was driving home from work. He said, “I have good and bad news. The bad news is that you have endometrial cancer. The good news is that I think we’ve caught it early.” I drove home in shock. My husband, Doug, was in the kitchen. I took his hands in mine, and for the first time said, “I have cancer.” Those words were surreal and terrifying.

That was on Monday. On Friday morning, I flew to Florida for a mission center conference to set apart new mission center leaders, preach, teach, and ordain four people. It was hard preparing for that weekend because I kept thinking about surgery, possible treatments, and what cancer might mean for my future and our family. My mind was in a tumultuous fog.

At the Kansas City airport, a woman approached me and said, “You don’t know me, but you know my mother. Her cancer has returned. If I call her, will you pray for her?” “Of course,” I said. I felt the kingdom as I provided words of blessing for the woman on the phone.

In the Dallas airport as I was running to make my connecting flight, I suddenly stopped as a warm bubble seemed to encase my body. I felt the kingdom as I realized that whether I lived or died, God’s grace was sufficient for me and my family. I was able to bring the ministry needed that weekend.

Following surgery and test results, the doctor shared that I was cancer free. That sense of being encased in the kingdom continues to bless me no matter what the future holds.

Prayer Phrase

Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One?

Lenten Spiritual Practices

Moving Toward the Peaceful One

As Jesus was nearing the final days of his life, he wept over the city and proclaimed, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace” (Luke 19:41-42).What are the things that make for peace in our lives, communities, and around the world? During the Lenten season, spend time in silent refection or journaling each day to notice: Am I moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One? Pay attention to your attitudes, actions, and relationships this day. When did you most embody the peaceful One in your daily living? When were your thoughts or actions contrary to the peace of Jesus Christ? How might Jesus, the peaceful One, who is always near to you, be inviting you to draw nearer to him through your daily living?

Fasting and Giving-$40 in 40 Days

A Lenten fast gives us an opportunity to make space in our lives so that God can live in and through us.  It’s a time to evaluate what we hunger for most and what we consume. This year, we’ve been invited to tithe as a spiritual practice by setting aside $40 during the 40 days of Lent. If you are participating, pay attention today to the dollar you have given. What might you have done with that dollar otherwise? How does Lenten generosity invite you to reflect on what is “enough” in your life? Who might you invite to join you in this practice? How might your gift be magnified by the many others responding to the same call?

You can make your $40 offering anytime during the Lenten season online or through your offering envelope for Worldwide Mission Tithes.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Meet God in the Wilderness, Part 6
Katie Harmon-McLaughlin, Spiritual Formation Ministries

The desert is a place of truth, where men and women can find the truth about God and the truth about themselves. The immensity of the desert removes the pretensions of life. The barrenness of the desert prepares the way for the things that can only be accomplished by God. -John Moses, The Desert: An Anthology for Lent, pp. 15-16

What way is being prepared in you, in us, in these wilderness times? We have too often confused comfort and success with God’s presence. God is wherever we are, even here, even in the places we never thought we would be. God is waiting to meet us in this wilderness.

Maybe this is a time to hunker down in your “cell” and embrace a simpler way for a while, to get to know the rhythms of a new landscape, to breathe relief in what is being naturally uncluttered and uncrowded. Perhaps this is an opportunity to reclaim the essence of our Christhood, to recover that something essential that often gets lost in the busyness of church and life as usual. What if this is actually what people are spiritually hungry for?

Did you know that there are over 2,000 plant species and 700 animal species in the Mojave Desert? What else may be thriving in unexpected places that we are just now learning to see?

Lenten Reflection Questions:

• What way is being prepared in you, in us, in these wilderness times?
• How is God waiting to meet you, here and now?
• What else may be thriving in unexpected places that we are just now learning to see?

Prayer Phrase

Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One?

Lenten Spiritual Practices

Moving Toward the Peaceful One

As Jesus was nearing the final days of his life, he wept over the city and proclaimed, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace” (Luke 19:41-42).What are the things that make for peace in our lives, communities, and around the world? During the Lenten season, spend time in silent refection or journaling each day to notice: Am I moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One? Pay attention to your attitudes, actions, and relationships this day. When did you most embody the peaceful One in your daily living? When were your thoughts or actions contrary to the peace of Jesus Christ? How might Jesus, the peaceful One, who is always near to you, be inviting you to draw nearer to him through your daily living?

Fasting and Giving-$40 in 40 Days

A Lenten fast gives us an opportunity to make space in our lives so that God can live in and through us.  It’s a time to evaluate what we hunger for most and what we consume. This year, we’ve been invited to tithe as a spiritual practice by setting aside $40 during the 40 days of Lent. If you are participating, pay attention today to the dollar you have given. What might you have done with that dollar otherwise? How does Lenten generosity invite you to reflect on what is “enough” in your life? Who might you invite to join you in this practice? How might your gift be magnified by the many others responding to the same call?

You can make your $40 offering anytime during the Lenten season online or through your offering envelope for Worldwide Mission Tithes.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Meet God in the Wilderness, Part 5
Katie Harmon-McLaughlin, Spiritual Formation Ministries

Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, in order that they may see the food with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'” -Exodus 16:32

If we look at our history, we can notice a pattern. Every time our spiritual ancestors were in the wilderness, it felt hard, there can be no doubt; but it was always a precursor to some infusion of clarity, integrity, hope, calling that changed their trajectory and deepened their faith. We, too, can wander and lament about what appears to be sparse conditions, or we can choose to see what is here and imagine what thriving even in these conditions might look like.

In fact, some of our ancestors chose the desert, on purpose, as the place to live their spiritual callings. The desert mothers and fathers in fourth-century Egypt moved to the desert when Christianity became the religion of the empire. They were concerned that something essential and transformative might be lost as Christians got more comfortable. They moved into “cells” and lived disciplined lives of radical simplicity. Craving the substance of this simple way, crowds of people began to move into the desert to join them. This was the birthplace of early monasticism and most contemplative prayer forms (including centering prayer and lectio divina) that are still shaping us today.

Lenten Reflection Questions:

• How does the pattern of our spiritual ancestors speak to our own time? What can we learn?
• How might the simple way of the desert be transformational for you or your community?
• What does the witness of the early desert mothers and fathers say to you about the power of faithfulness even in challenging conditions?

Prayer Phrase

Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One?

Lenten Spiritual Practices

Moving Toward the Peaceful One

As Jesus was nearing the final days of his life, he wept over the city and proclaimed, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace” (Luke 19:41-42).What are the things that make for peace in our lives, communities, and around the world? During the Lenten season, spend time in silent refection or journaling each day to notice: Am I moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One? Pay attention to your attitudes, actions, and relationships this day. When did you most embody the peaceful One in your daily living? When were your thoughts or actions contrary to the peace of Jesus Christ? How might Jesus, the peaceful One, who is always near to you, be inviting you to draw nearer to him through your daily living?

Fasting and Giving-$40 in 40 Days

A Lenten fast gives us an opportunity to make space in our lives so that God can live in and through us.  It’s a time to evaluate what we hunger for most and what we consume. This year, we’ve been invited to tithe as a spiritual practice by setting aside $40 during the 40 days of Lent. If you are participating, pay attention today to the dollar you have given. What might you have done with that dollar otherwise? How does Lenten generosity invite you to reflect on what is “enough” in your life? Who might you invite to join you in this practice? How might your gift be magnified by the many others responding to the same call?

You can make your $40 offering anytime during the Lenten season online or through your offering envelope for Worldwide Mission Tithes.

Today‘s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Meet God in the Wilderness, Part 4
Katie Harmon-McLaughlin, Spiritual Formation Ministries

When one of us says, “Look, there’s nothing out there,” what we are really saying is, “I cannot see.” -Terry Tempest Williams, Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert, p.69

Did you know there are over 2,000 plant species and 700 animal species in the Mojave Desert? Encounters with this seemingly barren desert wilderness might have you guessing otherwise. The conditions can be harsh. The habitat is exposed. But sit atop a rock for a while, and you may be surprised at what you see. What at first appears uninhabitable is actually teeming with life that knows how to be sustained in precisely these conditions.

It certainly feels like a desert time for many individuals and communities of faith. Much has gone dry in us. There is a strong urge in the desert moments of our lives to avoid this uncomfortable spiritual terrain for the lush green of familiar experience and cool water plentiful for quenching our thirst. And yet, here we are. However much we may wish for a return to what was, we cannot be other than where we are right now. The wisdom of the spiritual journey would even say to us-growth comes from moving through what is actually happening, not by trying to evade it.

Lenten Reflection Questions:

• What feels dry in you or in your community right now?
• What landscape currently describes the spiritual journey of your own life or of your community?
• How have you experienced growth by moving through what is actually happening?

Prayer Phrase

Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One?

Lenten Spiritual Practices

Moving Toward the Peaceful One

As Jesus was nearing the final days of his life, he wept over the city and proclaimed, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace” (Luke 19:41-42).What are the things that make for peace in our lives, communities, and around the world? During the Lenten season, spend time in silent refection or journaling each day to notice: Am I moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One? Pay attention to your attitudes, actions, and relationships this day. When did you most embody the peaceful One in your daily living? When were your thoughts or actions contrary to the peace of Jesus Christ? How might Jesus, the peaceful One, who is always near to you, be inviting you to draw nearer to him through your daily living?

Fasting and Giving-$40 in 40 Days

A Lenten fast gives us an opportunity to make space in our lives so that God can live in and through us.  It’s a time to evaluate what we hunger for most and what we consume. This year, we’ve been invited to tithe as a spiritual practice by setting aside $40 during the 40 days of Lent. If you are participating, pay attention today to the dollar you have given. What might you have done with that dollar otherwise? How does Lenten generosity invite you to reflect on what is “enough” in your life? Who might you invite to join you in this practice? How might your gift be magnified by the many others responding to the same call?

You can make your $40 offering anytime during the Lenten season online or through your offering envelope for Worldwide Mission Tithes.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Meet God in the Wilderness, Part 3
Katie Harmon-McLaughlin, Spiritual Formation Ministries

The church’s future is related directly to our willingness to go where the Spirit is calling us to go. -Stephen M. Veazey, “Time to Act!”

Lenten Reflection Questions:

• What currently impedes your willingness to go where the Spirit is calling us to go?
• How might the Lenten season be a time to let go of what restricts our free and faithful response to God?
• Spend a few minutes prayerfully imagining what it might look like if your community felt free enough to follow the Spirit wherever you were called to go.

Prayer Phrase

Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One?

Lenten Spiritual Practices

Moving Toward the Peaceful One

As Jesus was nearing the final days of his life, he wept over the city and proclaimed, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace” (Luke 19:41-42).What are the things that make for peace in our lives, communities, and around the world? During the Lenten season, spend time in silent refection or journaling each day to notice: Am I moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One? Pay attention to your attitudes, actions, and relationships this day. When did you most embody the peaceful One in your daily living? When were your thoughts or actions contrary to the peace of Jesus Christ? How might Jesus, the peaceful One, who is always near to you, be inviting you to draw nearer to him through your daily living?

Fasting and Giving-$40 in 40 Days

A Lenten fast gives us an opportunity to make space in our lives so that God can live in and through us.  It’s a time to evaluate what we hunger for most and what we consume. This year, we’ve been invited to tithe as a spiritual practice by setting aside $40 during the 40 days of Lent. If you are participating, pay attention today to the dollar you have given. What might you have done with that dollar otherwise? How does Lenten generosity invite you to reflect on what is “enough” in your life? Who might you invite to join you in this practice? How might your gift be magnified by the many others responding to the same call?

You can make your $40 offering anytime during the Lenten season online or through your offering envelope for Worldwide Mission Tithes.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.