Category Archives: Daily Bread Devotional

Hold on to Your Hair!
Noelle Gaffka of Mount Pleasant, MI, USA

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. -Luke 6:36

The stars called me outside around 3:00 a.m. They were bold and magnificent. As I stood staring up at the sparkly sky, my inner voice acknowledged the view would be better if I lowered the patio umbrella. I’m glad I listened to that inner voice, or I would have missed what came next.

Silent, enormous dark wings flew just a few feet overhead as a creature swooped down over me and then up to the roof peak. There sat a huge owl. I stood in complete awe and stared at it trying to make out every detail of its face in the dark shadows of the early morning. It never made a sound. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until it silently flew off and I exhaled. I continued to stare at the spot it once sat for several minutes debating whether I should follow it. The smell of a nearby skunk answered that question for me.

It’s been a little while since I’ve had the privilege of being in the presence of an enormous owl. As much as it made me yearn for trees to run through, it gave me a sense of appreciation for the wildlife I do have nearby.

As I reflect on the experience, I chuckle as I think of how connected we are to creation and the Spirit that intertwines us if we listen. It was as though I could hear that Spirit say, “You think the stars are cool? Put your umbrella down and watch this! Hold on to your hair!”

Prayer Phrase

Help us see beyond our dark places and find our way closer to your loving light.

Spiritual Practice

Healing for Broken Spirits

Begin with quiet prayer. Ask God to help you detect some “sore places” in the body of Christ and God’s creation. Become aware of people who feel separated, wounded, or left out. Reflect on or write a short journal entry of healing words to at least one person who comes to mind. Ask God for words that will touch this person’s broken spirit like healing ointment. Keep this person in your heart and prayers today and act on any ideas that come to bring blessing and wholeness.

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.

The Exodus Journey
Barbara Carter, Council of Twelve Apostles

Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. -Exodus 14:30-31

I grew up only blocks from the Pacific Ocean. I could hear the roar of the waves and smell the salty air from my room. Some nights I would listen to the repetitive crashing of the water and allow myself to fall asleep to the rhythmic sound. Much of my spiritual formation is shaped by the steadfastness of this vast presence in my life.

As a child I had a recurring stress dream about a large wave, 30-40 feet tall, chasing my family as we drove along a beach road. There was overwhelming fear that the wall of water would crash down and engulf us. The dream would end as we drove up a hill at the end of the road. We always outran the water. The wave never touched us.

My experience influences how I envision the Israelites standing on the edge of the Red Sea and Moses telling them to cross to the other side. I can frame this story in light of the nightmares of a child, or I can claim the steadfastness which points me to God’s chesed love (Hebrew for foundational, inclusive, expansive). The Israelites stood on the edge of their unknown future where fear and trepidation could overwhelm them, but they stepped forward and discovered a new future with God.

When we recognize God calling us into something new, we experience the exodus journey. We take steps away from what is known toward an experiment with God and each other.

Prayer Phrase

Help us see beyond our dark places and find our way closer to your loving light.

Spiritual Practice

Healing for Broken Spirits

Begin with quiet prayer. Ask God to help you detect some “sore places” in the body of Christ and God’s creation. Become aware of people who feel separated, wounded, or left out. Reflect on or write a short journal entry of healing words to at least one person who comes to mind. Ask God for words that will touch this person’s broken spirit like healing ointment. Keep this person in your heart and prayers today and act on any ideas that come to bring blessing and wholeness.

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.

Fifteen Minutes
Grace Andrews of Independence, MO, USA

May the Lord give strength to his people!
  May the Lord bless his people with peace! -Psalm 29:11

In her book A Simple Gift of Comfort: Healing Words for Difficult Times, Jane Kirkpatrick shares these ideas: Instead of giving up an hour to think of what could or should have been, the wise soul makes a phone call to a friend; reads a book that brings laughter; ..and fills the time with what they decide will give them strength (Harvest House Publishers, 2008, ISBN 978-0736922326).

During the pandemic, I had eye surgery. Following surgery, my recovery depended on me staying in bed 24 hours around the clock with only 15-minute breaks every hour for up to two weeks.

What can you do in 15 minutes? I soon had to face the fact that it was not nearly enough time to do much of anything. Not enough time to prepare a meal and eat it, take a walk, vacuum floors, do the dishes, or get involved in a TV program. Lying in bed during the daytime I thought and planned what could be accomplished during my next 15-minute reprieve. Setting an alarm at the beginning of the 15 minutes, I bound out of bed only to have it ring incessantly before I could manage to get much of anything done. It was frustrating, yet I knew the treatment was necessary for healing.

Time is a gift, and 15 minutes is enough time to call someone who is suffering; it is enough time to find joy, peace, and thankfulness in having that time to heal; it is enough time to appreciate a wonderful husband who had food prepared and ready for each meal. It is enough time to look outdoors where life goes on and appreciate nature and birds singing. It is enough time to repeat daily, “This, too, will pass.”

What could you accomplish during a single 15-minute portion of every hour? What are your priorities? Try setting an alarm for that small segment of time and determine what you might do to bring happiness for you or someone else. Now that I am past that part of my healing, I have so much more appreciation for the gift of time that God has given me. I pray that I will not forget to use it well.

Prayer Phrase

Help us see beyond our dark places and find our way closer to your loving light.

Spiritual Practice

Healing for Broken Spirits

Begin with quiet prayer. Ask God to help you detect some “sore places” in the body of Christ and God’s creation. Become aware of people who feel separated, wounded, or left out. Reflect on or write a short journal entry of healing words to at least one person who comes to mind. Ask God for words that will touch this person’s broken spirit like healing ointment. Keep this person in your heart and prayers today and act on any ideas that come to bring blessing and wholeness.

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.

Wilbert’s Welcome
Jeannine Ward of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. -Ephesians 4:22-24

When I was young boy, my mother would always make us get up early and clean the house on Saturday mornings. She had loud gospel music playing in the background, usually Shirley Caesar. I had the mom that vacuumed a few times a week just to see the lines in the carpet, so you know my Saturday mornings involved rubber gloves, furniture polish, and a lot of window cleaner. It was a weekly tradition my entire adolescent life.

Every March, we would DEEP clean. This included everything from getting rid of old items, giving away clothes, cleaning cobwebs, and rearranging furniture. Most people would call this “spring cleaning,” but my mom would just say, “We need to freshen up our home.”

Her words still ring in my ear today whenever I’m cleaning or donating something or making big decisions. Sometimes we need to freshen up our lives by getting rid of old ways that hold us back. We need to reassess some relationships that aren’t benefiting our future. We need to think about the habits that are destroying us. We need to develop new mindsets from the ones that keep us locked in place and not getting better. It may be time for some of us to freshen up our choices. Doing this may show us that sometimes a quality “spring cleaning” or “life cleaning” is good for us all.

Prayer Phrase

Help us see beyond our dark places and find our way closer to your loving light.

Spiritual Practice

Healing for Broken Spirits

Begin with quiet prayer. Ask God to help you detect some “sore places” in the body of Christ and God’s creation. Become aware of people who feel separated, wounded, or left out. Reflect on or write a short journal entry of healing words to at least one person who comes to mind. Ask God for words that will touch this person’s broken spirit like healing ointment. Keep this person in your heart and prayers today and act on any ideas that come to bring blessing and wholeness.

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.

Freshen Up
Brandon Neloms of Pooler, GA, USA

You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. -Ephesians 4:22-24

When I was young boy, my mother would always make us get up early and clean the house on Saturday mornings. She had loud gospel music playing in the background, usually Shirley Caesar. I had the mom that vacuumed a few times a week just to see the lines in the carpet, so you know my Saturday mornings involved rubber gloves, furniture polish, and a lot of window cleaner. It was a weekly tradition my entire adolescent life.

Every March, we would DEEP clean. This included everything from getting rid of old items, giving away clothes, cleaning cobwebs, and rearranging furniture. Most people would call this “spring cleaning,” but my mom would just say, “We need to freshen up our home.”

Her words still ring in my ear today whenever I’m cleaning or donating something or making big decisions. Sometimes we need to freshen up our lives by getting rid of old ways that hold us back. We need to reassess some relationships that aren’t benefiting our future. We need to think about the habits that are destroying us. We need to develop new mindsets from the ones that keep us locked in place and not getting better. It may be time for some of us to freshen up our choices. Doing this may show us that sometimes a quality “spring cleaning” or “life cleaning” is good for us all.

Prayer Phrase

Help us see beyond our dark places and find our way closer to your loving light.

Spiritual Practice

Healing for Broken Spirits

Begin with quiet prayer. Ask God to help you detect some “sore places” in the body of Christ and God’s creation. Become aware of people who feel separated, wounded, or left out. Reflect on or write a short journal entry of healing words to at least one person who comes to mind. Ask God for words that will touch this person’s broken spirit like healing ointment. Keep this person in your heart and prayers today and act on any ideas that come to bring blessing and wholeness.

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.

Feed My Lambs
Grace Andrews of Independence, MO, USA

…Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” -John 21:15

Just picture Jesus gathering the chosen few disciples around him, teaching them, listening to their hopes, dreams, and fears, and loving them unconditionally.

I can still see in my mind’s eye the unforgettable experience of the close of the day growing up. At bedtime, it meant baths had been taken, teeth were brushed, and pajamas were on. As I walked into the living room from the kitchen, drying my hands on a towel, the sight that greeted me was always the same-our five children lying in a circle on their tummies on the big oval rug in the middle of the living room floor, leaving a space only for me. They already had whatever book we were reading, prominently waiting and open to the right page, in the center of the circle. It had become our routine to read to them from a variety of books each night. These included Bible stories for children, None to Give Away by Elsie Doig Townsend, Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney, and many other wonderful uplifting children’s stories.

As something emotional would come up in a story, I could not help my voice faltering, and I would tear up. A small voice, or voices, would immediately protest, saying, “Mommy, don’t stop now; we want to hear what happens.” So I would compose myself and read on. At the end of two or three chapters it was time for hugs and kisses and prayers. Then I would watch as my precious children all happily trundled off to bed. That time was all too short, but it lives on in memory.

They have all grown now with wonderful families of their own, families with their own traditions and nurturing. If I had one message today it would be this: If you are young, feed Jesus’ little lambs. Teach them; listen to their hopes, dreams, and fears; and above all, love them unconditionally. Like those honored disciples, they will reap great rewards. If you are old, gather up each one of these treasured memories as they come to the surface like cream, and hold them in your heart. These are joyous moments well worth remembering and savoring.

Prayer Phrase

Help us see beyond our dark places and find our way closer to your loving light.

Spiritual Practice

Healing for Broken Spirits

Begin with quiet prayer. Ask God to help you detect some “sore places” in the body of Christ and God’s creation. Become aware of people who feel separated, wounded, or left out. Reflect on or write a short journal entry of healing words to at least one person who comes to mind. Ask God for words that will touch this person’s broken spirit like healing ointment. Keep this person in your heart and prayers today and act on any ideas that come to bring blessing and wholeness.

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.

Deep Discussion
Jan Hill of New Brighton, MN, USA

Click here to comment or read online.

Called by God
David Nii, Council of Twelve Apostles

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”  -Exodus 3:11-12

Much of my life is lived on auto-pilot. Other than specific projects, tasks, and conversations, much of my routine daily activities are done without my full attention and awareness. I probably miss many opportunities to experience God because of my inattention. Fortunately, the Spirit persists.

I am blessed to live near a nature trail I often walk. It is a 2.7-mile journey from my home, around the trail, and back. Walking this trail in under 45 minutes is a mild form of exercise good for my physical well-being. More important, walking this trail invites me to be more open to important insights and an awareness of life around me. On these walks I seem to be more aware of the air, the sky, the mountains in the distance, the joggers and fellow walkers, the dogs, the sound of wind and flowing water, the prairie grass, and pine trees. On these walks I am reminded to be grateful for trail-groomers, family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and the many life opportunities with which I am blessed. Walking this trail reminds me to limit my life spent on auto-pilot mode, and be more alert to experiencing God.

I came to think of my trail walks as similar to Moses’ experience on Mount Horeb. His routine task of tending sheep was disrupted by a burning bush of awareness and insight. He was standing on holy ground. God called him from the ordinary and routine into a life of amazing service and sacrifice for the benefit of others, and the presence of God journeyed with him. Although I certainly am not a Moses figure, I suspect God calls me, calls all of us, nonetheless, to amazing service and sacrifice for the benefit of creation if we are willing to pay attention. I would miss the point of my trail walks if I perceive it as one of only a few times and places where God speaks. My invitation is to pay more attention and be more aware of the Spirit’s presence in each moment and see all spaces as sacred. This invitation is not uniquely mine but for all of us.

Prayer Phrase

O God, rain down your blessings, wash away our troubles, flow over us with your Spirit.

Spiritual Practice

Flowing Water

If possible, sit where you can hear water-a fountain, stream, the sea, (perhaps a recording of water sounds). Listen to the sound as you thank God for the life-giving, life-shaping power of water. Pray for God’s blessing on all the parched places of the Earth where there is injustice, oppression, violence, and disregard for life. Pray for God’s justice to be released, and imagine it flowing over the Earth, restoring righteousness and wholeness. Now, get up and drink a glass of clear, cold water as you pray, “God, let your justice flow through me as a disciple of Christ Jesus.”

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.

The Social Service Center
From The Journey of a People

[Excerpted from The Journey of a People: The Era of Worldwide Community, 1946 to 2015, Mark A. Scherer, Community of Christ Seminary Press, 2016, pp. 97-98]

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are those who wait for him. -Isaiah 30:18

Each generation of the church has performed tangible acts to assist the poor and the needy. In the earliest days of the movement Emma Hale Smith considered such important ministry as a personal calling. The creation of storehouse ministry called for in Doctrine and Covenants 42 was expressly for this purpose. During the early Reorganization years careful stewardship of limited resources ensured that needs were met. In the early twentieth century a store house effort emerged in Independence, Missouri. The program for collection and distribution of clothing for the needy was known by many names-the Commodity Shop, Home Arts and Industries, and the Campus Shop. Its location moved from place to place, at first in a room in the Auditorium to the basement of Bartholomew Hall across the street from the Stone Church, and finally to the church-owned Swope Mansion on the Campus.

By the spring of 1950 the Campus Shop moved across Independence to a fireproof building and changed its name to the Social Service Center. Clothing goods and home furnishing stored there were distributed to the poor at nominal cost or no cost at all. Volunteer workers repaired or remade various donated items necessary for living. Under the supervision of the Presiding Bishopric, all proceeds from sales were returned to the Center to sustain the program and benefit the poor.

By the end of summer the Social Service Center had become a big business that included 150 volunteers working in 30 departments ranging from laundry and dry cleaning to quilting, furniture refinishing and repair, a button department, and an apron and millinery department. Volunteers shipped tons of goods to postwar Europe. “The end goal,” stated Norman Hield, director of the Center, “is to help make life [for impoverished people] more abundant…, both materially and spiritually.”

The Social Service Center program expanded from being a one-day operation on the Campus to being open six days per week. The initiative represented the same social awareness felt by each generation of church members. Although located in Independence, Missouri, the Center modeled for other jurisdictions important church values that volunteers hoped would be replicated. The center provided important service to the community until it closed in 1968.

Prayer Phrase

O God, rain down your blessings, wash away our troubles, flow over us with your Spirit.

Spiritual Practice

Flowing Water

If possible, sit where you can hear water-a fountain, stream, the sea, (perhaps a recording of water sounds). Listen to the sound as you thank God for the life-giving, life-shaping power of water. Pray for God’s blessing on all the parched places of the Earth where there is injustice, oppression, violence, and disregard for life. Pray for God’s justice to be released, and imagine it flowing over the Earth, restoring righteousness and wholeness. Now, get up and drink a glass of clear, cold water as you pray, “God, let your justice flow through me as a disciple of Christ Jesus.”

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.

Simcha
Douglas Graves of Burbank, CA, USA

For you shall go out in joy,
and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. -Isaiah 55:12

I’ve been having several conversations with friends about grief, and how we all are grieving during the pandemic. We may usually associate grief with the passing of a loved one, or the devastation of a place, or the ending of something meaningful. However, in these times we may be grieving for our routines, the events that were canceled, and even our ability to gather in large groups safely, plus many more.

I had the honor of officiating a friend’s wedding, and he has a Jewish background. Sadly, his father passed less than a week before his planned wedding. My friend’s mother had announced, at the time of his father’s passing, that the wedding would be happening. In the Jewish tradition, the body is buried as quickly as possible, and I was in attendance for the funeral.

The rabbi knew of the upcoming wedding and spoke to those gathered at the funeral and shared this word: simcha. Simcha is a word for happiness. The rabbi explained that joy always trumps sorrow. Therefore, even shiva (the mourning of the dead) should be broken for birthdays, weddings, births, and so on. Any occasion of joy must always surpass mourning.

So, as we grieve during these times of uncertainty, and grieve those moments that have passed, allow us to find those moments that need to be celebrated, so we can be fully present for them. May we be forgiving of the fact that things aren’t like they were supposed to be, and that our plans were forced to change. May we be grateful for what we have, and whom we are with in these times. We can mourn and grieve but let us have joy in those moments of celebration.

Prayer Phrase

O God, rain down your blessings, wash away our troubles, flow over us with your Spirit.

Spiritual Practice

Flowing Water

If possible, sit where you can hear water-a fountain, stream, the sea, (perhaps a recording of water sounds). Listen to the sound as you thank God for the life-giving, life-shaping power of water. Pray for God’s blessing on all the parched places of the Earth where there is injustice, oppression, violence, and disregard for life. Pray for God’s justice to be released, and imagine it flowing over the Earth, restoring righteousness and wholeness. Now, get up and drink a glass of clear, cold water as you pray, “God, let your justice flow through me as a disciple of Christ Jesus.”

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.