Matthew 6:5-8

Jesus, may you be my reward.

Matthew 6:16-18

Jesus, may you be the only person in my audience.

Isaiah 58:5-10

Make me a yoke breaker, that I may be guarded by Your glory

1 John 5:14-15

Lord, according to your will, grant me the right confidence towards you

Hebrews 11

Let me be sure of Your hope, Jesus.

Psalm 51:1-4

According to your steadfast love, God, have mercy on me.

1 Peter 2:9-12

wow, can I just say: breath prayer really changes the way you think

I kept finding myself forgetting the simple prayer that I had gotten for the day, and it kept coming back at just the right moment, helping my mind to shift back to where God wanted me. incredible power in such a simple package.

today's breath prayer was a little harder to come up with: "Jesus, help me remember that I am yours"

Philippians 4:4-8

Breath Prayer: "Help me find my joy in You always"

Got back from an awesome retreat yesterday with tons of tools. One of them: breath prayer.

Above is my breath prayer for today. I can already feel the challenge of changing my mindset from one that disconnects quiet time with daily life, to one that infuses daily life with an awareness of God's presence.

Hebrews 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Colossians 2:20-3:4

First reading: pay attention to text as if reading for the first time.

Second reading: listen for words and phrases that seem to resonate with you. Make a note of these bright spots as you meditate on them.

things that perish as they are used
no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh
your life is hidden with Christ in God
Christ who is your life

Third reading: Become aware of your emotional response to what you have noted. Contemplate what are you feeling.

Definitely distracted by the things that need to be done today
feeling nervous that something's going to go wrong
frustrated by the things that aren't going the way I want them to

Fourth reading: Reflect upon what God is saying to you through this text. What is God’s invitation to you today?

"Seek the things that are above, where Christ is..." 

Luke 12:13-21

Lord, may I be rich towards you and you alone

Philippians 4:10-13

"Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be nor miracle, but you shall be a miracle"

- Phillips Brooks

"They are making a living; they might be making a life."

- Samuel Zwemer

Mark 16

Gearing up for the week by praying for all who I'm planning on meeting today

...

and those that I haven't planned to meet, but God has planned for me to meet

Psalm 66

May I proclaim Your Name not only on Sundays, but every day

1 Peter 5:6-11

"humble yourselves...under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you" 

How can I humble myself in this way? If anything I see myself as someone who rarely feels the need to lift myself up over others, and yet I see that there is more for me to learn about humbling myself under God's hand...what does this look like?

"Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world." 

I see this every day. Our battle in following Christ isn't the trials, but giving up in the midst of those trials.

Philippians 2:1-18

It's one of those days again. Feeling swamped, underwater on a lot of things.

Thankful for the chance to pull back and refocus on God, get his perspective on things.

Philippians 2 a great place to go. 

"Do all things without grumbling or questioning...be glad and rejoice with me." (vv 14, 18) 

This verse reminded me of the fact that the work that I am doing is really God's work. I don't have to get mad about things, even when they don't go my way, because ultimately it doesn't matter if it goes my way...it matters only if it's going God's way...and that's not really in my control. I am called to put my whole being into it, but I'm not called to control the results. They belong to him. 

Thank you, Jesus, that you're an awesome master. I can give you my life, and it is in good hands. 

Mark 15

Easter's still a month away but I left my usual reading plan at home by accident, so today I went to spu.edu/lectio to see what they were going through over there.

Turns out that they're already on Mark 15, and so I decided to check it out and see what God might have to say to me through it. 

Mark 15, which is the account of Jesus being crucified, is one of those passages that we usually read closer to Easter. It was a good reminder to me today, though, of what we're spending Lent prepping for: Jesus' act of love and grace for us done on the cross.

In a sense, Lent helps us to make the connection between suffering and love. When you love someone, you're not only willing, but joyful to suffer on their behalf, which is exactly what Jesus did for us.

God, thank you that you love us so deeply that no amount of suffering was too much for you to bear on our behalf. Let me gladly take on the suffering of others that my heart might be transformed to be more and more like your Son's, and so that this world may come more and more under the power of your Kingdom.  

Ephesians 3:14-21

Today began as one of those days when I had a bunch of plans but then unexpected appointments started to launch themselves into my schedule and every minute of planning/prep time got obliterated.

It wasn't a good feeling. 

As I've been doing more and more over the past few years, I quickly turned to prayer as I began to feel overwhelmed, and God in turn pointed me back to his word. 

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father...that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" 

Exactly what I needed to hear. 

His Spirit is in me, Christ dwells in my heart. In moments like these when I feel weak, I am that much closer to not relying on myself and relying only on Him, which is what I should have been doing from the start! 

God is good: he wants to provide for us. He wants to be our strength. 

Psalm 19

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes" 


"Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults." 


Forgot how good this psalm was! 


So often the law seems like a burden to us, but it's actually meant to revive us.

Living in obedience to God refreshes, recharges, and revives us. 

Psalm 139:1-5

First reading: pay attention to text as if reading for the first time.

Second reading: listen for words and phrases that seem to resonate with you. Make a note of these bright spots as you meditate on them.

Wife's favorite chapter! 

Ministering to the Lord. This was on my heart all day today. Full day of ministry: not just preparing for worship and preaching, but also leading a relationships counseling session, meeting with people after service, coordinating a dinner at our place, and emceeing a testimony after service. Not to mention cleaning up the dinner (14 people over for hamburgers hot off the grill!).

Full Day. 

Ministry = service. Worship = ministering to the Lord, serving the Lord. When I serve my brothers and sisters I serve Jesus. 

"Before a word is on my tongue...Lord, you know it" 

"You hem me in, behind and before"

Third reading: Become aware of your emotional response to what you have noted. Contemplate what are you feeling.

I have a God who knows me. 

I feel secure. Sometimes I feel like things are falling apart around me, but knowing this gives me the assurance to not trust my instincts at times. I think about my cat: often I want to help my cat, but his instincts tell him to run from me. If he doesn't trust his instincts, but instead trusts me, I can pick him up and bring him to safety. But if he listens only to his instincts, he will run from me and only make things worse for himself. 

God behind and before me. Nothing can get to me or shake me. I am secure.

I feel worn, but happy knowing this. 

Fourth reading: Reflect upon what God is saying to you through this text? What is God’s invitation to you today?

So thankful for the chance to spend some time with a few folks from church that we don't know as well. Had a blast! What a blessing it is to serve a God who loves it when his children live in unity, feeding each other, having fun with one another, getting to know one another better. 

Am feeling called to begin encouraging other folks in our ministry to invite brothers and sisters over, especially the ones they don't know as well! 

Hebrews 5 and 6

The foundation

• repentance from dead works
• faith toward God: 
• instruction about washings/baptisms
• laying on of hands (receiving the Holy Spirit) 
• resurrection of the dead
• eternal judgment 

Hebrews calls this spiritual milk. Milk is not bad. In fact it is essential. 

"For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God...He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness" 

And Jesus is our high priest, able to understand all of our weaknesses, he deals wisely and expertly with our ignorance and rebellion, like a skilled surgeon, a compassionate father. 

We can, we must be fully vulnerable with him. 

And one of the best things we can give a friend is Him. 

Psalm 103:1-5

First reading: pay attention to text as if reading for the first time.

Second reading: listen for words and phrases that seem to resonate with you. Make a note of these bright spots as you meditate on them.

Bless the Lord, O my soul
All that is within me
His name 
Youth is renewed

Third reading: Become aware of your emotional response to what you have noted. Contemplate what are you feeling.

Bless the Lord - can I do this when I'm feeling stressed out, overwhelmed? 
All that is within me - I can't tiptoe in. I've got to dive in. 
His name - God's going to open my mind to something really important and awesome with regards to his name
Youth is renewed - even as a 32 year old, I feel the effects of age. My body doesn't recover as fast. My neck was ridiculously sore yesterday, could barely turn around to check my blind spot while driving. But hope in God will renew my youth. 

Fourth reading: Reflect upon what God is saying to you through this text? What is God’s invitation to you today?

Remember the truth: God is tossed to and fro by the wind. No storm can touch him. He is solid, and his plans are solid. And, best of all, he is for me, for us. He is working out our salvation, our good. Though I may mess up, though things may not break my way, I can trust that if I remain obedient to him, awesome things are going to happen.

And I need to tell my soul this. I need to remind every fiber of my body of this. 

Lenten Engagement: Psalm 40:1-5

First reading: pay attention to text as if reading for the first time.


Second reading: listen for words and phrases that seem to resonate with you. Make a note of these bright spots as you meditate on them.


I waited
He heard my cry
He drew me up from the pit of destruction
He set my feet upon a rock
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to him
Blessed is the man who does not turn to those who go astray after a lie
You have multiplied...your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us
I will proclaim them

Third reading: Become aware of your emotional response to what you have noted. Contemplate what are you feeling. 


A sense of peace and calm
Relief: my feet are set upon safe ground
Frustrated and yet also hopeful: when will we sing a new song? Am I doing something to hold back?
Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord: He is accomplishing this. It doesn't depend on me. A sense of calm once again.
Happy to see that those who deceive will not succeed.
I will proclaim: I feel like I'm behind the pace. I don't think I proclaim enough.

Fourth reading: Reflect upon what God is saying to you through this text? What is God’s invitation to you today?


The Lord knows my problems. I will not be overcome. It is wise to cry out to him and wait for what he will do.

He's waiting for me to cry out for help so that he can show his love and power.

Writing and singing the song of God's faithfulness and goodness leads those who hear the song to trust in God as well.

The Lord is always thinking about me. How can I share this with others?