Category Archives: Daily Bread Devotional

Passing the Peace
Wendy Ballard of Forster, New South Wales, Australia

All the ends of the earth shall remember
   and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations
   shall worship before him. -Psalm 22:23a, 26-27

I am fortunate to get to share with some awesome children. Each week at our school, we have a peacemakers’ program. We include children from different faiths.

One day we placed a small piece of paper with the word “PEACE” on a table. With the use of only a plastic straw (no hands), each child had to find a way to pass the “peace” to one another.

Some blew the paper across the table; some created suction to lift and drop the paper. It was fun for them to work out the best way for them. We then talked about other ways to share peace with others. The kids came up with many ways, and their creativity impressed me.

One bright and bubbly peacemaker boldly piped up, “We pass the peace at our church, and it’s nice because everyone is talking, and hugging, and shaking hands. Passing the peace is a good thing to do!” We then practiced his way with one another.

You and I have the opportunity to pass the peace with the many people we meet in our day-to-day routines-work, school, home, and with those who serve in a commercial way. We can use words of greeting, a smile, a hug, or even friendly eye contact that says, “I care about you!”

May we pass the peace whenever and wherever we go.

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.

Come, Holy Spirit, Come
Becky Savage of Lee’s Summit, MO, USA

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. -John 14:15-17

In July 2012, 150 women gathered for the first Women Leaders Conference in the mountains above San Pedro Sula, Honduras. They came from small villages and large cities, from Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. They ranged from teenagers to women in their eighties. There were single women, mothers, and professionals. It was a remarkable group of dedicated and gifted women.

Several younger women danced to the theme song played and sung by a band specially formed for the conference. The planners spent months designing decorations and ordering supplies, chairs, tables, water, and food. They brought everything onto the rented grounds to prepare the place for the women.

The preparations made the place look wonderful. The planners converted a large pavilion into a sanctuary filled with butterflies. Butterflies were on the banner, tables, pillars, hanging mobiles, and two centering posters.

As guest minister, I was dependent on simultaneous interpretation by Geri Macias. When interpretation is needed, there is greater complexity, leaving only half the time for effective ministry.

When Geri and I arrived, we walked into the pavilion filled with joyful women and a powerful Spirit of love and gracious peace. The Holy Spirit’s abiding presence enhanced the experience. Each woman left with a butterfly, taken from the centering posters, to symbolize God’s continuing presence in their lives and ministries. The Holy Spirit continues with each one of 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.

Rooted
Brandon Neloms of Pooler, GA, USA

How beautiful upon the mountains
   are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
   who announces salvation,
   who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” -Isaiah 52:7

When my family and I first moved to Savannah, Georgia, in 2016, we were amazed at the beautiful weather, sunny beach, beautiful architecture, and the construction taking place all over the city. We both grew up in Alabama, so being near the coast and the water was amazing to see. One staple among most new construction was the presence of palm trees. They are everywhere! One day, I was watching a group of men plant palm trees, and I became curious. After they put the tree in the ground, they placed three 2\xc3\x974 stakes around the tree and anchored it to the ground. I asked one of the gentlemen why they had to brace the tree and he replied, “The braces give the palm tree roots time to grow down and out so it can withstand the strong hurricane winds. Once the roots are deep and wide enough, we remove the wood anchors because the wind won’t be able to uproot it.”

The Bible tells us in Colossians to let our roots grow down into Christ and to build our life on him. If you build your life on him, when winds/trials arise, you might lean, but you won’t fall. You might bend, but you won’t break. The wind might toss and turn you, but because you are grounded in Christ nothing can shake your faith because you have the strength/roots to stand!!!

“Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:7).

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.

The Wise and Foolish Builders
Gene Groner of Independence, MO, USA

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. -Matthew 7:24-27

My wife and I moved into our house nearly eight years ago, after searching and looking at dozens of houses in eastern Jackson County, Missouri. We had looked for months at numerous houses and found that many of them had foundation issues. They weren’t exactly built on sand, but they had breaks and cracks in the foundation which resulted in water damage over the years. Some of them had uneven basement floors and other foundation issues beyond normal settling.

Fortunately, we found a home that was just perfect for us, and it was built on a strong and solid foundation that was carefully constructed of good stone and concrete. We are glad we did. Other people we know have had ongoing foundation problems, and some have had to install additional sump pumps in the basements to prevent more flooding. We are very grateful that our foundation remains firm and strong and dry, thanks to God.

The story Jesus told in Matthew 7:24-27 is more about people than basements, but the principle is the same. Jesus wants us to be firmly grounded in God’s word, not just hearing the word but understanding and putting it into practice. That’s our strong and firm foundation. Reading the scriptures every day is the best way to know and understand God’s word. We learn to live God’s word through daily prayer, meditation, and practice. We look to Jesus for our example. He knew and quoted the scriptures, spent time alone praying to God, and went about doing good, helping and blessing everyone he met. As we follow his example and keep his commandments, we will have his Holy Spirit to be with us, blessing us with the grace to be kind and loving, serving others, just like Jesus.

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.

Bless God’s People
David R. Brock, Spiritual Formation Team

While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.  -Luke 24:51-53

How would Luke have described the ascension of Jesus in light of current understandings of the vast and ancient cosmos? How in our day do we interpret the phrase, “he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven”? On this seventh Sunday of Easter, Ascension Sunday 2021, what truths about God and creation dare we not miss in Luke’s words penned long ago?

The Rev. Terrance Klein says we shouldn’t view the ascension as “a galactic journey,” but that in the ascension, Christ became present to us in a different way: “Christ has carried our humanity into God. This means that we matter, that what happens to the least of us matters.”

On Ascension Sunday we celebrate what God “set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:9b-10).

The blessing of ascension is surrounded by several other promises and acts of blessing. The command to “stay here in the city until you’ve been clothed with power” (Luke 24:49) is followed by a two-mile trek from Jerusalem to Bethany, where Jesus raises his hands to bless his disciples. During the blessing he withdraws and departs from them. Rather than grieve or mourn his departure, however, the disciples return to the city blessed with joy-great joy! In that hope and joy, they spend time in the temple “blessing God.”

Evangelists in Community of Christ spend a lot of time considering words and acts of “blessing.” Our priesthood identity is shaped by the phrase, “Blessed to be a blessing.” We grapple with and hope to help others explore questions about blessing: What is a blessing? How does God bless us-and you, specifically? How can we then bless God’s people? And, what does it mean for us to “bless God”?

Receive God’s blessing today. Yes, you. Receive. Today. Bless one specific person with a word, deed, or both. Today. Bless another living being-a plant, an animal. Today. Bless God in your congregation. In nature. In your city, town, or farm. Today. Bless the cosmic Christ who really doesn’t ascend or descend but pervades all.

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.

The Call to “Come”
Pam Robison of Independence, MO, USA

You who are my disciples must be found continuing in the forefront of those organizations and movements which are recognizing the worth of persons and are committed to bringing the ministry of my Son to bear on their lives. -Doctrine and Covenants 151:9

A number of years ago, I was deeply hurt. It wasn’t just a personal hurt, but it left me wondering if there was a place for me in the church. I went into a very dark place and had a lot of anger, even some feelings of hatred.

I struggled with forgiving. I would take some small steps towards forgiveness, but then something would happen, and the anger and bitterness would well up again. It’s taken years-and God’s constant love and encouragement-to finally be able to completely forgive those who had hurt me so badly.

A while back I was in an experience dealing with the mystic Catherine of Sienna. As part of the presentation, we were asked to find a special place; and I found myself facing the altar in the ruins of the old Coventry Cathedral. That altar has the word “Forgiveness” and a cross of nails on it. I realized I had come to the point of forgiving where I could walk through a (nonexistent) door in the altar and down a hall with many doors, finally finding myself in front of a door that called to me.

Over the last few months I’ve found myself opening the door and taking tentative steps into the room, uncertain of what I would find or where I was being called. I have stepped into darkness, but it is not a harsh darkness, merely an uncertainty. There is something of beauty and transformation calling me to follow the Spirit’s call. And the Spirit’s call is to “come,” to move from the darkness of the uncertainty toward (and into) the increasing brightness that culminates in the wonderfully bright and powerful light of the love of God.

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.

When the Sun/Son Shines
Merna Short of Melbourne, Australia

As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. -1 Timothy 6:17-19

I have a tree in the corner of my backyard. It was a small bush for many years, nestling in the shade of my neighbour’s tall tree in their backyard.

One day my neighbour cut down his tall tree. My little bush soaked up the sunshine that now shone down nurturing its growth. From a little three-foot bush it has now grown to about twelve feet tall, with an expansive foliage for its girth and massed with flowers in season.

In my kitchen I have a small, white drinking mug. It has striped African animals etched into it and dark stripes on the animals. One day as I was enjoying the warmth of the liquid in my little drinking mug, savouring its flavour, the sun shone through my kitchen window at an angle that caught the black etched stripes on the animals. There were little crystal-like dots all along the stripes. I had never noticed that they sparkled. They were beautiful.

Neither the tree nor the drinking vessel revealed their true beauty until the sun shone on them. We can bask in the sunshine, warming us, relaxing us, comforting us, feeding us with the vitamins that it generously shares.

I have friends who are of different backgrounds, different cultures, different religious beliefs. They each hold a special place in my life. They warm my heart as I relax in their comforting presence or as we revitalise each other.

But the ones who feed my soul are the ones who have been exposed to the warmth and nourishment of the Son. Their natural personality reaches toward him. Their true beauty shines because the Son is able to be revealed through them.

Shine out of my heart, Lord Jesus.

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.

Feel God’s Peace in Your Heart
Katie Harmon-McLaughlin, Spiritual Formation Ministries

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. -Jeremiah 29:4-5, 7, 11

I was sitting in silence for morning prayer when Emma toddled out of her room earlier than usual. She snuggled up to me on the couch as we sat for a few moments in the stillness. “Mommy, what are you doing? Don’t you want to watch cartoons?” she inquired.

“I’m praying,” I responded. “You know how I like to wake up early and have quiet time with God?” She nodded her head, but continued to inquire, “Why?”

“Well,” I searched for words to try to express my intentions in prayer to a three-year-old, “when I am really still and quiet, sometimes I feel God’s peace in my heart.” In a spontaneous gesture, I closed my eyes and put my hand to my heart. When I opened my eyes, I looked over at Emma, eyes closed with her hand on her heart.

“Mommy! I feel it! I feel God’s peace in my heart!” she proclaimed excitedly. She smiled wide-eyed at her new discovery.

“You can do that anytime and anywhere you are,” I suggested to her. “Just take a breath, close your eyes, and feel God’s peace in your heart.”

I wondered if I should tell her that sometimes she will go through dry patches and strain to feel that peace, that prayer will lead her through mountains, valleys, and deserts over a lifetime. Yet, the simplicity of the moment felt like an ample starting place to introduce a three-year-old to contemplative prayer. She will learn soon enough about the rich nuances of the inner life, and I can’t wait to hear what she excitedly discovers.

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.

All Creation Groans
Adapted from Exploring Community of Christ Basic Beliefs: A Commentary

(Adapted from Exploring Community of Christ Basic Beliefs: A Commentary edited by Anthony J. Chvala-Smith, pp. 64-65. A Kindle version is available at www.HeraldHouse.org.)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. -Romans 15:13

All creation groans as it awaits the liberating touch of God’s love. Community of Christ believes it is among those called to bring healing to the world. A concept of salvation limited to a human future beyond time will miss the vital truth of our interrelatedness with all creation and the call to build the reign of God here and now. It will ignore the Bible’s own cosmic vision of salvation as the liberation of all things. That vision yet shapes Community of Christ. In its power, we must work against greed, exploitation, and violence toward others, whether those others are suffering people, plants and animals, or ecosystems. Understanding that God’s salvation is for the whole creation gives us new imagery to help work for the kind of peaceful and just communities God seeks.

In essence, to practice compassion toward the Earth and each other, we must seek the peace of Jesus Christ for all creation. God calls us today to break the bonds of fear and to live a radical kind of stewardship:

When your willingness to live in sacred community as Christ’s new creation exceeds your natural fear of spiritual and relational transformation, you will become who you are called to be. The rise of Zion the beautiful, the peaceful reign of Christ, awaits your whole-hearted response to the call to make and steadfastly hold to God’s covenant of peace in Jesus Christ.
This covenant entails sacramental living that respects and reveals God’s presence and reconciling activity in creation. It requires whole-life stewardship dedicated to expanding the church’s restoring ministries, especially those devoted to asserting the worth of persons, protecting the sacredness of creation, and relieving physical and spiritual suffering. -Doctrine and Covenants 164:9b\xe2\x88\x92c

Prayer Phrase

“Practice Resurrection” (Wendell Berry).

Spiritual Practice

Breath Prayer

During this Easter season, we invite you daily into a breath prayer focused on resurrection. With each exhale, respond in a word or phrase to the question, “What is dying?” (fear, anger, assumptions, etc.) With each inhale, notice a response in a word or phrase to the question “What is rising?” (love, courage, trust, etc.) You may choose to use the same word or phrase throughout this season, or let each day bring its own unique response to this sacred pattern of dying and rising that is central to our faith.

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.

Sacred Places
Adapted from Exploring Community of Christ Basic Beliefs: A Commentary

(Adapted from Exploring Community of Christ Basic Beliefs: A Commentary edited by Anthony J. Chvala-Smith, p. 63. A Kindle version is available at www.HeraldHouse.org.)

You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. -Matthew 5:14-16

Community of Christ values sacred places. In our past journey as a people, and in our personal stories, we associate particular experiences of God’s holiness with special locations. Our history celebrates sacred sites, like the Palmyra Grove, the Kirtland Temple, our numerous campgrounds, the Auditorium, and the Temple in Independence. These are for us what Celtic spirituality calls “thin places” where the distance between creator and creature disappears and we find ourselves vulnerable to grace in remarkable ways. These places connect us to our spiritual heritage, which calls deeper intentionality from us when we visit them. Thus, sacred places become uniquely transparent to a renewed vision of God’s purposes for the world. For many members and friends of the church our sacred sites have become centers of spiritual pilgrimage and a refuge away from the stresses of daily life. Many visit our sacred places in hope of drawing closer to God.

However, if our buildings and special sites are to represent our loving care for creation in the current ecological crisis, we must ask ourselves some challenging questions. Do they utilize energy responsibly? Do they protect or provide natural habitat for other creatures than us? Do they promote holistic concepts of peace? Do we care for these places in ways that do not further harm the environment?

Our sacred sites prompt us to ask further what would happen if we began to perceive the whole creation as a sacred place? From our unique experiences at a specific campground, for example, how might we work to transform our neighborhood into a “thin place”? How can we take what we experience at Kirtland, for example, and embody it in a transformative way in the places where we live, play, and work?

The sacred interconnection of life means that when we do things for the Earth, we do them for ourselves. Contemporary science readily sees this truth. When we improve the health of air and water, we improve our own health. To act for the well-being of a threatened species has far- ranging implications for human thriving. The poor of the earth are no longer only the human poor, for the creation itself has become impoverished. We confess that our future is linked to the welfare of all the poor: “in their welfare resides your welfare” (Doctrine and Covenants 163.4a). We cannot separate care for Earth (ecological justice) from care for people (social justice). We are made of the same stuff as the rest of creation. Whatever affects the parts, affects the whole.

Disciples have a choice to make. We can imitate God’s generosity with love for all living things. Or we can continue to walk the path toward ecological devastation, in which the few take what they want for personal benefit at the expense of the many. We are capable of thriving as a global community while at the same time cultivating, cherishing, protecting, and preserving the living systems all around us.

Prayer Phrase

“Practice Resurrection” (Wendell Berry).

Spiritual Practice

Breath Prayer

During this Easter season, we invite you daily into a breath prayer focused on resurrection. With each exhale, respond in a word or phrase to the question, “What is dying?” (fear, anger, assumptions, etc.) With each inhale, notice a response in a word or phrase to the question “What is rising?” (love, courage, trust, etc.) You may choose to use the same word or phrase throughout this season, or let each day bring its own unique response to this sacred pattern of dying and rising that is central to our faith.

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.