Category Archives: Daily Bread Devotional

The Joys of Spring
Joy Leasure of Wellsburg, WV, USA

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. -Jeremiah 31:33

How I disliked the last days of winter, when we would visit my in-laws who lived in the country. As things started to thaw, I remember the dirt driveway had turned to a thick mud. It was difficult to get to the house without getting our shoes muddy. Being a city girl didn’t help.

I now look back and realize that the thawing was a sign that spring was on its way, and soon there would be a dry driveway and the beautiful blessings of warmer weather and new leaves and beautiful flowers.

We hurt as we recall the pain of Passion Week, but then comes Sunday morning, in power, glory, and love of God.

After the clouds…the sunshine,
after the winter…the spring,
after the shower…the rainbow,
for life is a changeable thing.
After the night…the morning, bidding all darkness cease,
after life’s cares and sorrows…the comfort and sweetness of peace.

-Helen Steiner Rice. AZQuotes.com, Wind and Fly LTD, 2021
https://www.azquotes.com/quote/563068, accessed April 14, 2021

Prayer Phrase

“Attention is the beginning of devotion” (Mary Oliver).

Spiritual Practice

Holy Attention

Engaging in the practice of holy attention allows us to suspend our inner conversations and agendas and give reverent and receptive focus to a specific person or portion of God’s creation. Regarding another as an unrepeatable miracle whose life journey is unique and sacred brings awareness to and affirmation of God’s presence in all creation. We do this in the spirit of Christ who saw into the deep hearts of people and recognized their true identities as God’s beloved. Spend time this day in prayerful attention to God’s creation, to the people in your life, and to your daily surroundings.

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.

Here Am I, Send Me
Jane M. Gardner, presiding evangelist

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” -Isaiah 6:8

The second-graders in a circle around their teacher are in various states of energy. “Pick me!” “I know how!” “I want to do it!” They raise hands and bounce up and down in their seats. Others sit quietly, staring at the floor, hoping the teacher won’t choose them. What is a teacher to do?

I have experienced both scenarios-times when I was prepared, full of energy, and ready to volunteer. Other times, responding to the call did not appear to be an option, I felt inadequate, convinced that others were better prepared.

It is a difficult lesson-God calling when we don’t think we are ready. An educated guess about the nature of divine calling is that God never stops calling-we are the ones who stop listening. The dynamic, ever-creating God calls through nature, through music, through other people, through art, through science, through books, and on and on. Every day. Every moment. God calls.

The spiritual practice of Holy Attention is a type of prayer that acknowledges everything in the universe is sacred. In this practice we slow down and use our senses to perceive God’s presence. Notice what we hear, see, smell, feel, and taste. Observe the details and intricacies of whatever is before us. Appreciate what is for what it is. Recognize and encounter God.

When we move into this sacred space and go deeper with God, it always results in transformation. Just like Isaiah in the temple, we immediately become aware of our unclean lives. Like Isaiah, this awareness leads to repentance and forgiveness, which form the basis for what comes next: GOD CALLS.

“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Sometimes it’s a loud wake-up call. Sometimes it’s a whisper. Sometimes the timing is perfect. Sometimes it comes at what seems like the worst possible moment. What is God to do? Apparently, ready or not, God continually calls. It’s up to us to be tuned in and aware. It may require surrendering doubts and inertia. It may be energy-filled, bouncing up and down. Whatever the conditions, God is calling, and our faithful response is, “Here we are, Lord, send us!”

Prayer Phrase

“Attention is the beginning of devotion” (Mary Oliver).

Spiritual Practice

Holy Attention

Engaging in the practice of holy attention allows us to suspend our inner conversations and agendas and give reverent and receptive focus to a specific person or portion of God’s creation. Regarding another as an unrepeatable miracle whose life journey is unique and sacred brings awareness to and affirmation of God’s presence in all creation. We do this in the spirit of Christ who saw into the deep hearts of people and recognized their true identities as God’s beloved. Spend time this day in prayerful attention to God’s creation, to the people in your life, and to your daily surroundings.

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.

An Evangelist’s Psalm
John Bonney of Springfield, OR, USA

The Lord is exalted, he dwells on high;
   he filled Zion with justice and righteousness;
he will be the stability of your times,
   abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
   the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure. -Isaiah 33:5-6

Hear me, eternal Presence, in hours of distress and discomfort. Hear my cries and sighs-expressions of my longing for connection. My words and thoughts go outward to creation, yet they descend to become the whining of an aging man. My querulous voice becomes a grating chant, a scratching of the limb on the windowpane in the winds of evening.

Ah, if I look, I shall find myself on the lap of the Eternal, receiving the proffered balm. I shall count myself blessed among peoples. I have a sense of Presence, wonder of eternal creation, bliss of that love and grace.

The glory is the glory that honors that which creates. The praise is for the Ground of all being. Eternity has come among us…No, Eternity is always among us. How is it that my ears are so calloused, my eyes so blind, my senses so dulled that I do not ever and always sense that Presence?

Yet how glorious those moments are when I do sense creation and glory in its holiness. How dimly I see, but how much I hope for the moment when I will see more clearly. Now I know of the love that has borne me, if even my understanding is in part, and very small part. Yet still, I know I am loved. How precious is a reminder that I am cherished and cradled in the bosom of eternity? I am no longer alone, no longer cast off in my own eyes. I am wanted and loved.

There is light beyond light, music beyond the sweetest of sounds. There is the eternal and consummate Lover of my soul. In this I find my rest. To this I owe sacred allegiance. Amen.

Prayer Phrase

“Attention is the beginning of devotion” (Mary Oliver).

Spiritual Practice

Holy Attention

Engaging in the practice of holy attention allows us to suspend our inner conversations and agendas and give reverent and receptive focus to a specific person or portion of God’s creation. Regarding another as an unrepeatable miracle whose life journey is unique and sacred brings awareness to and affirmation of God’s presence in all creation. We do this in the spirit of Christ who saw into the deep hearts of people and recognized their true identities as God’s beloved. Spend time this day in prayerful attention to God’s creation, to the people in your life, and to your daily surroundings.

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.

Committed Community
Scott Blair of Clinton, MO, USA

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. -1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 26-27

When I was 15, I joined Community of Christ. Since then, I’ve been going to family camp (reunion), and I love it. Even though I go only once a year, this camp helps shape me into someone who is passionate about discipleship. The people at these camps have encouraged me, taught me, guided me, loved me, held me accountable. Now they work beside me in ministry. They have committed to me, and I am committed to them.

One year the camp experience was even more significant. My wife and I recently had our first child, and we took her to camp with us! She was only six weeks old, but we could not imagine not going to camp or not bringing her with us. It was a little more work than usual on our part, but well worth it. Everyone fell in love with our little girl. We could see the people around us commit to our child.

We know there will be a time when our little girl won’t be so little. She’ll lean on others for advice and guidance. I know the same community that has helped shape me since I was 15 can greatly affect her life. No longer is camp just about hanging out with friends, going to campfires, and doing the practices that fill my spiritual needs. It’s now about keeping a little girl involved in a community of people that can help her become a self-sufficient woman with a sense of value and self-worth.

I now understand the importance of my church family on a new level. I hope the members understand how much my family needs them, as I now understand how much they need me. We commit to Christ and his faithful community. It’s one of the most sacred actions we can take as individual disciples and as a church. May you have a deeper understanding of your role in your sacred community and commit to your divine call.

Prayer Phrase

“Attention is the beginning of devotion” (Mary Oliver).

Spiritual Practice

Holy Attention

Engaging in the practice of holy attention allows us to suspend our inner conversations and agendas and give reverent and receptive focus to a specific person or portion of God’s creation. Regarding another as an unrepeatable miracle whose life journey is unique and sacred brings awareness to and affirmation of God’s presence in all creation. We do this in the spirit of Christ who saw into the deep hearts of people and recognized their true identities as God’s beloved. Spend time this day in prayerful attention to God’s creation, to the people in your life, and to your daily surroundings.

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.

Break Bread Together
Rick Maupin of Lee’s Summit, MO, USA

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles 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, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. -Luke 24:13-16

Sports analogies don’t draw my attention, typically. However, the first scene of today’s scripture, the two men walking down the road to Emmaus, always brings an analogy to my mind.

The team members practiced hard all season, working tirelessly to learn and complete all the plays well. They respected their coach and followed his guidance. This night they came into the game with a strong belief they would come home victorious. But the game was now over, and they were on the bus taking that long ride home.

It was an extra-long and miserable ride this night because of their defeat. The team could not understand what went wrong. Some may even have wondered if they should stay on the team or continue to play at all. However, after words of reassurance and support by the coach the next morning, the team began to turn its sights to the next game.

I wonder if these two walking on the road to Emmaus were feeling a little like those on the ride home after the game, hearts heavy with despair, feeling hopeless, defeated. And maybe their walk to Emmaus was an act of escaping. Going back to old ways, old habits, back to old comfort zones, back to the way it was “before Jesus.”

Is that ever your reaction in difficult times? Do you retreat, pull back to the familiar and comfortable, or hide from the world? Many of us spend time on our own Emmaus road. Maybe the danger is not so much going down that road periodically, but rather when we start living out our life on our Emmaus roads.

One of the most important lessons of the resurrection is to realize there is a God who wants to fold us in love if we choose resurrection over the road to Emmaus. There is hope when we recognize the Living Christ in our journey, and we continue with the Christ to the place of breaking bread. The road to Emmaus may be part of our journey, but because of the resurrection, it does not have to be our destination.

Prayer Phrase

“Attention is the beginning of devotion” (Mary Oliver).

Spiritual Practice

Holy Attention

Engaging in the practice of holy attention allows us to suspend our inner conversations and agendas and give reverent and receptive focus to a specific person or portion of God’s creation. Regarding another as an unrepeatable miracle whose life journey is unique and sacred brings awareness to and affirmation of God’s presence in all creation. We do this in the spirit of Christ who saw into the deep hearts of people and recognized their true identities as God’s beloved. Spend time this day in prayerful attention to God’s creation, to the people in your life, and to your daily surroundings.

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.

Common Ground
Flo McDonald

(Archived story)

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
   Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
   to the voice of my supplications!

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
   Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you,
   so that you may be revered.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
   and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
   more than those who watch for the morning,
   more than those who watch for the morning. -Psalm 130:1-6

I witnessed what it means to have harmony amid adversity. Not long ago I attended a celebration dinner for a family member who had achieved a goal in education. The attendees were uncomfortable because of past conflicts, but they were there because of the young man-a perfect opportunity for reconciliation and making peace.

In the beginning, there was an air of hostility and withdrawal. The young man didn’t notice, and he thoroughly enjoyed his family being together in his honor. Before the evening was over, everyone was talking, taking pictures, and visiting as old friends.

I looked at those around the table and noticed the congeniality. I thanked God for love and blessing. I knew this happened because God was at work during that time. It came about because of our common love-love for the young man grew into love for all who loved him. We came together, and love found its way to the table.

Thanks be to God for continual blessings of joy, hope, love, and peace-and for allowing me to see the possibilities of harmony amid adversity.

Prayer Phrase

“Attention is the beginning of devotion” (Mary Oliver).

Spiritual Practice

Holy Attention

Engaging in the practice of holy attention allows us to suspend our inner conversations and agendas and give reverent and receptive focus to a specific person or portion of God’s creation. Regarding another as an unrepeatable miracle whose life journey is unique and sacred brings awareness to and affirmation of God’s presence in all creation. We do this in the spirit of Christ who saw into the deep hearts of people and recognized their true identities as God’s beloved. Spend time this day in prayerful attention to God’s creation, to the people in your life, and to your daily surroundings.

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.

Fault Line
Danny Belrose of Independence, MO, USA

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. -Romans 8:22-27

Beneath my iffy beliefs and fleeting hopes faith’s fault line never sleeps.

Rumbling here then there its troubled dance divides my head and heart-hiding, shifting, shaking, awakening questions posed and answers sought.

While dreams of feathered angels’ wings soar far beyond veracity in search of simple certitude stamped sure by childlike psalms and prayers that push the dark away.

Astride this deep divide, each foot a world apart, I fix my gaze on treasured times when wonder ruled my heart.

Sweet memories of mysteries of miracles and fantasies, of words and deeds and prophesies-where crumbs of bread and drops of wine cupped within Love’s healing hands spun promises of pearly gates, a never-land of joy and peace for lion, lamb, and child.

But comfort’s kiss of yesterday is fleeting and benign and sacredness cannot be bound by magic’s sleight of hand.

Foundations deeply shaken by probing of the mind have silenced songs of make-believe and stirred within my revelry the witness of eternity:

The Spirit breathes beyond our creeds, and Love is not a dream.

Stripped clean of measured litanies, of strained beliefs and fantasies, the mystic will not die.

Faith’s whispered invocation forever calls my name.

\xc2\xa9 Danny A. Belrose, 2011, used by permission

Prayer Phrase

“Attention is the beginning of devotion” (Mary Oliver).

Spiritual Practice

Holy Attention

Engaging in the practice of holy attention allows us to suspend our inner conversations and agendas and give reverent and receptive focus to a specific person or portion of God’s creation. Regarding another as an unrepeatable miracle whose life journey is unique and sacred brings awareness to and affirmation of God’s presence in all creation. We do this in the spirit of Christ who saw into the deep hearts of people and recognized their true identities as God’s beloved. Spend time this day in prayerful attention to God’s creation, to the people in your life, and to your daily surroundings.

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.

Embody Sacred Community
David Anderson of Redmond, OR, USA

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” -Mark 12:28-31

During the times my family moved, we always sought contact with Community of Christ. While we lived on the Japanese island of Okinawa, a sacred community blessed our young family-my wife, Gail; our baby daughter, Robyn; and me.

When we first arrived, a group of disciples warmly welcomed us into their culture and graciously included us in their companionship. Despite language and cultural barriers, we shared together often. We also smiled and gestured a lot. Each Sunday when we arrived, church members happily cared for Robyn, allowing Gail and me to enjoy worship and companionship.

The church members and friends were patient with us. On one occasion, without much thought, we brought a gelatin dessert for the church potluck. This dish does not work well with chopsticks! No one said a word, but they all politely tried to eat their portion.

On another occasion, while sharing in fellowship at a home, everyone had taken off their shoes at the door, a normal practice in Japan. Being a typical toddler, Robyn decided to try on all the shoes, mixing, and misplacing them throughout the house. When it was time to go home, everyone searched patiently to find their shoes, chuckling as they walked throughout the house.

Our family is thankful for that community. It touched our lives by embodying the sacred gift of hospitality.

Prayer Phrase

“Attention is the beginning of devotion” (Mary Oliver).

Spiritual Practice

Holy Attention

Engaging in the practice of holy attention allows us to suspend our inner conversations and agendas and give reverent and receptive focus to a specific person or portion of God’s creation. Regarding another as an unrepeatable miracle whose life journey is unique and sacred brings awareness to and affirmation of God’s presence in all creation. We do this in the spirit of Christ who saw into the deep hearts of people and recognized their true identities as God’s beloved. Spend time this day in prayerful attention to God’s creation, to the people in your life, and to your daily surroundings.

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.

Testify
Andrew Bolton of Leicester, Leicestershire, England

You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. …When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth… -John 15:27; 16:13a

Brought up a Roman Catholic, I had some vague idea about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was part of the Trinity, and we prayed to the Holy Spirit when we needed wisdom.

As a young adult I met Community of Christ members, first in Germany and later in South Wales. I heard testimonies from ordinary people talking about a Living Presence who had blessed them with a sense of love, joy, and new direction. Sometimes testimonies involved working through considerable struggle and change. They were dramatic. Huw Evans, for instance, had stopped drinking. I loved hearing these testimonies.

There came a point when I felt I, too, must decide whether to be baptized. I was afraid of the leap of faith into the unknown of a kingdom/Zion way of life. It meant possible ridicule from family and friends. But it offered hope.

I went for hope and asked to be baptized. It was Huw Evans, then an elder and pastor of the Penllergaer Congregation in South Wales, who baptized me on a cold, wet, January day. Apparently, the sun briefly shone through the window as I emerged from the water.

My confirmation two weeks later was quiet, gentle, prayerful. Three months later a teenager called Kim was to be baptized. I prayed for her, the congregation, and finally myself all to be blessed by her step of faith. All three parts of that prayer were answered wonderfully. I had an experience of the Holy Spirit that lasted 13 hours and was so real, surprising, moving, and astonishing that I confessed, “God is real, God is real to me.” I was moved to tears that I could not control. Pentecost happens also today to ordinary people trying to find their way.

Prayer Phrase

“Attention is the beginning of devotion” (Mary Oliver).

Spiritual Practice

Holy Attention

Engaging in the practice of holy attention allows us to suspend our inner conversations and agendas and give reverent and receptive focus to a specific person or portion of God’s creation. Regarding another as an unrepeatable miracle whose life journey is unique and sacred brings awareness to and affirmation of God’s presence in all creation. We do this in the spirit of Christ who saw into the deep hearts of people and recognized their true identities as God’s beloved. Spend time this day in prayerful attention to God’s creation, to the people in your life, and to your daily surroundings.

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.

Recycling Prayers
JoAnn Condit of Phoenix, AZ, USA

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings should be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. -1 Timothy 2:1-2

As the years fly by, I feel as though funerals and memorial services come more rapidly. I am always struck by the beauty and artistry of the bulletins and prayer cards printed for the services, with photographs, flowers, and beautifully decorated poems and prayers.

When a service is over, we pay our respects and often shed tears for the loss we feel. We arrive home with the service bulletin and prayer cards in our pockets or purses. What do we do with them? It is not possible to keep all these mementos, and there is no practical need. We have the memories of that person etched on our hearts. Still…are we simply to toss them in the recycling bin?

I have found a solution for the slender prayer or inspirational cards, often decorated with flowers and butterflies. I put them in the top drawer of my bedside table, where they join dozens of other bookmarks. Each time I pick up a new book, it receives a fresh bookmark. When I finish the book, the bookmark takes its place at the bottom of the stack.

I read many books over the course of a year. I find great joy in remembering anew, with each bookmark, the friend, relative, or acquaintance who touched and enriched my life. It reminds me to pray for their families. My heart is made whole again and again. The peace of Christ comforts me.

Prayer Phrase

“Attention is the beginning of devotion” (Mary Oliver).

Spiritual Practice

Holy Attention

Engaging in the practice of holy attention allows us to suspend our inner conversations and agendas and give reverent and receptive focus to a specific person or portion of God’s creation. Regarding another as an unrepeatable miracle whose life journey is unique and sacred brings awareness to and affirmation of God’s presence in all creation. We do this in the spirit of Christ who saw into the deep hearts of people and recognized their true identities as God’s beloved. Spend time this day in prayerful attention to God’s creation, to the people in your life, and to your daily surroundings.

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.