Do you ever feel at a loss for words in prayer? Unsure what to say or how to say it? What if Jesus walked up to you and asked you directly what you wanted...In our Scripture reading this morning, this is exactly what happens. Jesus is walking toward Jericho when a blind man cries out to him. Jesus asks the man plainly, "What do you want from me?" even though he certainly could have guessed. But Go...  Read More

 It can be easy to think of prayer as a solo event, after all, Jesus did tell us to go alone to a room to pray in secret! But there are seasons when we are weary from battle, and times when we just aren't sure we can keep praying for something. In this morning's passage, we see that God sets us in community for that very reason.Read.Joshua 17: 10-13So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had orde...  Read More

Let's take this week to talk about prayer. Some of you may feel like you've got a great prayer life, that you hear from God throughout the day, and you feel confident in prayer. Others may feel like they never know what to say, or start with good intentions and get side tracked, or never really take the time. Many of you will be somewhere in between these.Have you ever heard someone pray out loud ...  Read More

We've made it to another Friday! We're a month into this daily rhythm of morning reflection & prayer and I would love to hear what you're noticing through it. I'll include the weekly questions at the bottom of this post for you to use sometime this weekend.This morning we will spend one last day thinking about the image of water. It is probably one that you will be quite familiar with. This passag...  Read More

Consistency in our lives (matching our inner and outer selves) is one of the hardest things to accomplish in our spiritual walk. The consistency in our lives reveals the depths of the roots we talked about at the beginning of last week. In the passage we will read this morning, James doesn't mince words about the inconsistencies in our lives.Read these words with an open and honest heart:Read.Jame...  Read More

A few weeks ago, Jonah told me a story about a science class with a substitute teacher. The teacher was talking about how oil and water cannot mix. Jonah, thinking he would be funny, asked, “So if I put enough oil on my feet, could I walk on water like Jesus?” The teacher must not have recognized the humor, because he went on to explain why that wasn’t scientifically possible. (Jonah was very disa...  Read More

We're moving back to the Old Testament today, reading an indictment from God against the people of Israel. Notice how God describes himself in this passage - as living water (we'll hear that again this week from Jesus!).Note - The word "cistern" in this verse is sort of like a well. It is a human made reservoir, usually cut out of limestone. In ancient times it had a small opening but went 15-20 f...  Read More

Good morning! It's Monday, and you may be extra tired this morning because we lost an hour this weekend, but you're here! So let's settle our minds before we begin to worry about all this week may hold and pause to spend some time with God this morning.We will continue with the image of water as we go through this week. Today we're looking at a passage from Acts 8, where Phillip is traveling and n...  Read More

We're officially halfway through out journey today! Three weeks of the daily rhythm of morning prayer, quiet, and reflection. Use the weekly review questions at the bottom of this post to reflect on this practice and how it's shaping you!___Yesterday we talked about God taking us by the waters that restore our souls, today I want to share a time when Jesus challenged his disciples to go out into d...  Read More

We are going to read a very familiar passage this morning. To help you keep from skimming over it, I am going to post it in a few different translations. As you read them, make note of what stands out to you in each!I'm sure you've heard someone say "I just want to run away and sit beside an ocean somewhere"... I know I've said it at least half a dozen times this week! There's something about sitt...  Read More

I don't know what each of you are facing in life right now, but I am confident that many of you are facing situations that feel impossible. These might be family situations, financial fears, medical issues, or questions about what to do with your life. Whatever it is, these seasons can be isolating and rock our faith. This morning, I want to read a passage from the Old Testament story of the Israe...  Read More

Jeremiah's words yesterday promise us that, if we remain "planted by the waters", we will not wither when the heat comes. These prophetic words don't promise that we won't ever face these difficult seasons, only that they will not destroy us. Today, the prophet Isaiah is speaking a word  about that dry season. Read below what promise God is making to the people.Read.Isaiah 58:11The Lord will guide...  Read More