April 1, 2025

2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

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God, I'm so grateful that in you we don't have a spirit of fear…
that we are not walking around “shaking in our boots,”
hearts racing, palms sweating, because we are afraid.

God, I thank you
that it is by your power and your love
that you give us the self-confidence
to put one foot in front of the other today, and to keep going.

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
It is by your power.
It is by faith in your Name
that we believe that you will care for us
and that we don't have to worry.
We are not timid!
We don't have a spirit that walks around with us
as a shadow that keeps us in doubt
with our heads hanging down.

Thank you –
that you, God,
you did not give us that kind of spirit,
but rather, you give us power and love
and a sound mind and self-control.
And we're going to walk in the gifts that you give us,
because every good and perfect gift comes from above.

And we thank you for being so lavish with your gift,
that you give them to us abundantly ,
so we can walk and we can skip and we can run!

And because of this, today we are not afraid.
We trust you and thank you
for the ability and the gift to trust you,
and to shake off all of those things that would hold us down.
Blessed be your name, O God!

And we thank you and we praise you in Jesus’ name,
Amen.

March 31, 2025

Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

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O God, I thank you
that I don't have to be anxious every day.
God, I thank you
that in every situation, by prayer and petition
we can make our requests known to you
and give thanks.
God, I thank you for the peace that only you can give.

I thank you that you hold our hearts and our minds.
I pray that no matter what we're going through,
it doesn't matter what it looks like,
that we still have Jesus on our side.

I thank you that you hear every prayer and petition.
I thank you that you turn your ear from heaven.
I thank you that you hear us,
no matter how we sound,
even when our voices can be hoarse from shouting and from crying,
and our bodies can be exhausted from lying prostrate on the ground.

But no matter what state you find us in, you hear our prayers.
And we don't have to be anxious.
We don't have to worry.
You have already taken that from us.
And as your people, we just want to say thank you
that we can rest in your presence.

We want to say thank you.
Because everything, everything in you
transcends all that we will ever understand.
Because you're guarding us.
You're guarding our hearts and you're guarding our minds.
And you're guarding our thoughts.

And with you,
we know that everything's going to be all right.
And we pray in faith and thanksgiving!
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.

March 30, 2025

John 16:33
[Jesus said] “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation,
but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

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Job spoke in scripture
that “a man born of a woman
is of a few days and full of trouble.”
But listen, my friends: as Jesus reiterates,
in this world you will have trouble.
But take heart.
Jesus says, “I have overcome the world.”

Hallelujah! That is good news.
Don't let this world overcome you
and take your eyes off Jesus.
Jesus has already, on our behalf, overcome the world
with all its troubles and heartache and disappointment.

Jesus tells us
not only does he have the world under his control,
but he has us, and he is our peace.
Jesus is our peace,
and he tells us repeatedly that he will never leave us.

We are not without a God,
not without a Comforter,
not without the Spirit of truth.

He reminds us: it is in him that we have our peace,
not the things that are advertised about
on the television or the radio.
It's not the human-made things that we worship,
but Jesus is the Savior who enfolds us
into his awesome presence of peace and joy
and goodness and grace.

And he calms our fears.
Because Jesus lives in me and in you,
we are not afraid.
Jesus is our peace
and we are encouraged, because we know
that he has already conquered the world!

And we give thanks In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

March 29, 2025

John 14:27
Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor afraid.

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Loving Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
We, your people, come simply to say thank you for the “transplant”--
Thank you for removing
the heart and the spirit of fear that has gripped us.
Thank you for infusing our souls
with new life and new hope and new dreams.

A new life where fear is not even in the vocabulary!
I thank you that we are not orphans, not knowing who will take us in,
and instead you allow us a place at your table.
Instead, we sit around your table of grace!

Jesus calmly and firmly tells us,
“I leave my peace with you,
and I give my peace to you.
And my peace will not look like the world's peace.”

My peace, Jesus is saying,
my peace will calm your greatest fears
and soothe any of your uneasiness and lingering doubt.

Come to Jesus, my friends,
and bask in the peace that only Jesus can offer.
Sit in the presence of Jesus and listen for Jesus' voice
to calm the troubling waters of your soul.
Jesus is speaking to you and to you
and to you, to bless abundantly.

O Lord Jesus,
we’re your people who patiently wait for you.
May you pour gently the waters of baptism over us,
that we may open our eyes and see afresh and anew,
see people differently?
See you differently.
That we may be transformed
because your presence sticks out all over us
and we thank you for that!

In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.

March 28, 2025

Isaiah 41:10-13
Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will also help you,
I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored;
Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.
You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them,
Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.
For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand,
Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’

---

Lord. It's so easy to fall into fear.
It's that half step to the left,
and then we go
tumbling down a narrow winding shaft
with slippery slopes.
Then I have heard with my “spiritual ears”
you speaking, as you did to Isaiah,
and saying, “Don't fear because I am with you.”

“Don't be afraid, for I am your God!”
Your word promises strength and hope.
And that if we just hold on to your strong, righteous hand,
you will grasp our hand and the promise.
Help is on the way!

Sometimes we read too many posts on social media
forecasting doom and gloom,
and we clutch our rapidly beating hearts
where the palpitations just won't stop.

We bend over in pain
because the fear has paralyzed us.
But when we look back
at how you brought us over
and how you brought us through.
You brought us through a “Red Sea”
with waters standing up on both sides.
You defeated army after army without any weapons.
You spoke and the wind quit misbehaving.
I was in error! My own focus has often been misplaced.

Now that my eyes are on you,
I can sing with confidence.
My help is on the way.
The Son of God, Jesus Christ is his name.
May your name be praised always.
Amen.

March 27, 2025

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

---

O God,
my understanding and comprehension give me
such a limited, cloudy view of who you are.
Occasionally I become like the “Lone Ranger,”
thinking I can do things on my own
without consulting the wisdom of the Spirit.

Seems like I can understand the physical all right.
But somehow, when I consult with you,
my understanding is deepened,
and there is a miraculous clarity that had eluded me.

I realize how my understanding has been shallow.
But my perception and my grasp,
after consulting with you, are opened.
Your wisdom and your insight
were hiding in front of me in plain sight.
But when I came to myself
and I discerned the things of God,
things like lovingkindness and mercy and goodness and love,
it occurred to me that being in the presence of God
is where I always want to be.

You encouraged my soul
through music and song and words from poetry
and your ever-present Spirit.
Sometimes I feel like the deer on hind’s feet ,
climbing to higher and higher spiritual heights,
just to get closer to you.

Thank you for stimulating and inspiring my soul
to want to be closer to you, always.
Every day I seek your face.
And I pray in faith and thanksgiving.

In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.

March 26, 2025

Psalm 34:4
I sought the Lord and He answered me,
And rescued me from all my fears.

---

Lord, you have dried all my tears.
You have held my quivering hands
and comforted my trembling heart.

When I called out
with racing heart and shaking hands,
I was so afraid.
There were moments I was utterly terrified.
But God, you took my fears
of job insecurities rising
and questionable insurance costs
and diminishing savings accounts…

You answered me
and you said, “I am here.”
You reminded me you are Jehovah Jireh: “The Lord will provide!”
You provide for all of our needs
according to your riches in glory through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Then I remembered:
God, you own the cattle on a thousand hills.
Somebody ought to say “Amen!”
All the gold, the silver, the land and the resources are yours.

Then I was comforted.
My assurance returned.
You are the way-making God.
You are the ultimate deliverer from all of our fears.
Thank you for listening to my heart,
when I've been unable to articulate my needs.

Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus,
Amen.

March 25, 2025

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

---

As the Holy Spirit overwhelms you
with help by his great power,
may the hope of Jesus Christ fill you
with the peace that passes all understanding
and a joy that is more than unspeakable.
May your trust in him cause overflow
wherever you go and in everything that you do.

May God's grace brim over every tap,
overflow every saucer,
and drip with goodness
into every life that seeks revival in his presence.

May the overwhelming surge of his goodness
consume your thoughts.
May his mercy slosh
in your every footstep that you leave:
tracks of God's mercy in your wake.

May the Spirit and power that rest upon you
be a tender, sweet blessing
to those around you.

If you are the only Bible some people will ever “read,”
allow the Spirit to shine through you today with radiant joy

Come, Holy Spirit,
and work in us,
that we may be changed for your glory.

In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.

March 24, 2025

Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

---

Feel the Spirit in your own heart as we pray—
the universe is not vast enough!
The enormous volume of countless bodies of water
that cover the earth
are not massive enough.
The greatest inferno cannot burn into the hearts
of God's people.

Enough!
There is no comprehensible force
that can instill into our hearts enough
the depth and breadth, the width and height
of God's love for God's people.

That's astounding news.
That's phenomenal.
That's overwhelming.
That's a big “Amen!”
I can live and move and have my being
knowing a God who loves us,
who loves us completely,
more than we could ever love ourselves,
is so incomprehensible.

God's understanding is immeasurable,
and God's gifts of grace are unfathomable.
My soul is light.
I can run on and see what the end will be
with this consequential news

It's good news!
I can tell the world that we have the only God
who can love us to abundant life,
and fill us with inexpressible joy.

Blessed be the name of our Lord Jesus.
Amen.

March 23, 2025

Romans 4:19-21
Without weakening in his faith, he [Abraham] faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

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Lord,
when we have moments of doubt and insecurity,
remind us of your servant Abraham.
His 100-year-old body was pretty much dead,
according to the natural law of nature.
But he believed what you told him,
in spite of what was obvious;
his faith in your promise to him
caused him to believe
what he could not see or imagine.

His faith caused him to stand flat footed and firm.
Knowing that all things are possible with you
in his vision and conversation with you, God.

God, you told Abraham to count the stars if he could--
because that's how many descendants he would have,
though he had no heirs with a seemingly dead body.

He still believed, though it seemed impossible.
He believed you, God.
and we are called to believe God
with that same unwavering faith of Abraham,
that whatever God has spoken to us in his word,
Lord, it shall be so.

We have got to stand as Abraham,
flat footed, firm, with our head held high.
Looking to the hills from whence cometh our faith.

Because all of our faith,
and all of our hope,
and all of our encouragement
comes from the Lord.

We give you thanks, Lord Jesus.
Amen.

March 22, 2025

2 Corinthians 1:20
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

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Yes, Lord.
Yes, Lord….
Every single one
of your promises to us
is a loud, resounding yes!

Through your son Jesus,
where everything is possible.

Yes, Lord…
My heart and my lips speak Yes,
affirming your word and reflecting your glory
in the shouts of my heart.

Let it be so,
In the name of Jesus!

Yes, Lord—
My spirit agrees with the spirit of the Holy One.

The Lord says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
My soul says: Yes, Lord!

The Lord says, “If you remain in me
and my word remains in you,
ask for whatever you want, and it will be done for you.”

Yes, Lord, you are our promise!

Yes, our manna to my hungry soul.

Yes, Lord--may it be so.

Amen

March 21, 2025

Isaiah 40:31
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

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Gracious God,

though the journey sometimes gets weary and arduous,
sometimes where it's difficult
to place one foot in front of the other,
I am reminded of your precious promises to us.

Those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength!

Just hearing those words—
they resonate in my spirit and reverberate in my heart.
I know you will give me the strength
to go just a little bit farther.
Hallelujah!

You are my hope and my joy.
Thank you for filling my soul
with the hope of endurance
to see my way through.

I thank you today
that I'm not tired or weary yet.
I thank you
that my walk is steadfast and strong.
I feel my help coming on.
Hallelujah—
and his name is Jesus.

And we give thanks in that name.

Amen

March 20, 2025

Colossians 1:3-5
We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we pray for you, we've done this since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all God's people. You have this faith and love because of the hope reserved for you in heaven.

You previously heard about this hope through the true message, the good news which has come to you.

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My friends,

I just can't stop praising God for you.
Your faith is such an encouragement
and inspiration.
Knowing we walk this path together
Gives me such hope
that I never walk alone.
So grateful!

God’s love knows no boundaries,
is not filtered by time or distance, culture,
or life's frivolous notions.

Grateful to the Lord Jesus Christ
for the overflow of his goodness through you.

May God richly and abundantly bless you
for the wealth of your love
for the people of God
through Christ Jesus.

Amen.

March 19, 2025

Philippians 3:20-21
Our citizenship is in heaven. We look forward to a Savior that comes from there. The Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform our humble bodies so that they are like his glorious body, by the power that also makes him able to subject all things to himself.

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Lord Jesus, what a gift:
I am a citizen of heaven.
Hallelujah!

Heaven….
A place where there is no sickness and no sadness.
No crying and no dying.
Not only am I a citizen
with my name recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life,
but I will also have a new body.
No more aches and pains.
No more need
for blood pressure pills or insulin injections.

No need for clinics or hospitals.
Glory!
My body will be transformed, so that it is like Christ.
Glorious body:
what a day of rejoicing that will be.

Hallelujah to the Lamb of God!
We give you thanks.

Amen.

March 18, 2025

1 John 2:1-6
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you don't sin. But if you do sin, we have an advocate with the father. Jesus Christ, the righteous one. He is God's way of dealing with our sins, not only ours, but the sins of the whole world.

This is how we know that we know him if we keep his commandments. The one who claims I know him while not keeping his commandments is a liar. And the truth is not in this person. But the love of God is truly perfected in whoever keeps his word. This is how we know we are in him. The one who claims to remain in him ought to live in the same way as he lived.

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Gracious God,
thank you for your son,
our wonderful, wonderful Savior.

Thank you that when we mess up,
and we do,
we have an Advocate:
we have someone who is for us when we fall.

Thank you for this strength to rise,
Dust ourselves off,
and stay on the journey.

Because Jesus,
the Advocate who is righteous and holy and good,
is for us,
and he holds us securely in his arms.

As a mother hen hatches her chicks under her wings,
so am I hidden in you!

Thank you for being my covering,
now and always.

Amen.

March 17, 2025

Acts 7:30-34
Forty years later an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush in the wilderness near Mount Sinai.

Enthralled by the site, Moses approached to get a closer look and he heard the Lord‘s voice:  ‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Trembling with fear, Moses didn’t dare to investigate any further. The Lord continued, ‘Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have clearly seen the oppression of my people that they have experienced in Egypt and I have heard their groaning. I have come down to rescue them. Come, I am sending you to Egypt.’

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Lord,
you know the pain and heartache
of oppression.

You remind us:
you are the God of our ancestors.
Just like you didn’t forget them,
you have not forgotten us.

Like the flame of a bush that burned,
but was not consumed in our hearts,
continue to burn away our fear
and replace it with the joy of the Lord,
who is our strength.

Help us to get closer to you,
like Moses did to the burning bush,
so that the light of your presence will guide our way.

Every conversation with you
is holy ground!

We are so grateful
that you are a God who hears us,
knows us, loves us,
and comes to see about us.
For this we are grateful.

Bless the name of the Lord!

Amen. 

March 16, 2025

Psalm 18:1-3
I love you, Lord my strength. The Lord is my solid rock, my fortress, my rescuer. My God is my rock. I take refuge in him…. He's my shield, my salvation’s strength, my place of safety. Because he is praiseworthy, I cried out to the Lord, and I was saved from my enemies.

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Lord God,
we thank you so much
that you hear us when we call.

That you are our solid rock!

That you protect us!

That you put a wall of protection around us,
a hedge around us.
You are the rock on which we stand.

That even when the winds and the waves come,
we are standing on your solid rock!

Thank you for being my strength,
when I can't carry myself.
You carry me.

Lord, we love you so much.
You are so good to us.
Even when we can't hear you,
we know that you hear us.

Thank you for being everything we need
all the times that we need it.

We give you thanks
and we give you praise
for being our God and our salvation.

I love you, Lord,
and I give thanks in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

March 15, 2025

Numbers 13: 17- 24
When Moses sent them out to explore the land of Canaan, he said to them, “Go up there into the arid southern plain and into the mountains. You must inspect the land. What is it like? Are the people who live it strong or weak, few or many? Is the land in which they live good or bad? Are the towns in which they live camps or fortresses? Is the land rich or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Be courageous and bring back the land’s fruit.” It was the season of the first ripe grapes.

They went up and explored the land from the Zen desert to Rehob, near Lebo-hamath. They went up into the arid, southern plain and entered Hebron where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai,  the descendants of the Anakites lived.  (Hebron was built seven years before Tanis in Egypt.)  Then they entered the Cluster ravine, cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and carried it on a pole between them. They also took pomegranates and figs. That place was called the Cluster ravine because of the cluster of grapes that the Israelites cut down from there.

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Please send us out, O Lord!

Let us explore new surroundings,
new opportunities
and new people!

Give us new adventures
so we can come back
and tell of the bounty of your blessings!

You have given us
clusters of family and friends,
clusters of abundance and richness,
clusters of joy and laughter.

Thank you for going before us and preparing our way.
There is absolutely no place we can go from your Presence!
Hallelujah!

No matter what land and opportunities
lie before us,
you are already there.

Grant us 40 days of exploration:
of reading, studying,
meditating, praying,
and being of service
to our sisters and brothers.

Help us to be cluster people —
always bringing back
the bounty of your generosity in our lives.

Thank you for your amazing love.
Amen.

March 14, 2025

Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation. Should I fear anyone?  The Lord is a fortress protecting my life.  Should I be frightened of anything? 

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Perfect Love,
cast out fear!

God is love,
external, eternal,
internal, omnipotent,
extravagant,
LOVE!

Where there is love,
there is light and life!

A fortress,
strong, and tall,
and towering to the heavens,
with the breath of God being my shelter.

How can I be afraid
when the power who rules both heaven and earth
is my shield?

In you, O Lord,
I place all my fears and trepidations,
insecurities,
and even my heart’s desires.  

Be my rescue!
Be my guide!
I love you, Lord,
more than life itself.  

Amen.

March 13, 2025

Joel 2:12-14
Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your hearts,
With fasting, with weeping, and with sorrow; tear your hearts and not your clothing.

Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate,
Very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive.

Who knows whether he will have a change of heart and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?

---

God, we are so very sorry
that we have strayed away from you
and from your Word.
But we come now
with weeping and with fasting
and with great humility asking for forgiveness.

God, there are times that we have fasted
and our behavior has not changed.
We have called on you
but we have had our fingers crossed behind our backs
knowing that what we were saying,
we really didn’t mean!

Sometimes we call the words of prayer
because it is something we are supposed to do;
not something that we really feel in our hearts.

So today, O God,
we want to empty ourselves
of all things that are not of you.
And we want to pray to you with pure hearts.

You are a great God!
You are full of compassion and mercy
and you love us
more than we could ever love ourselves.

Give us a changed heart
so that we will be able to help others
along the way in their journey.

Give us changed hearts
so that the world would be a better place
because we have put down wickedness,
and we have put down evil 
and our hearts are pure
not only toward you
but toward our brothers and sisters.

God,
when we tear our clothes but not our heart,
we have done nothing!

Tear our hearts wide open
and let all things that should not be there spill out!

But then, God,
when you put our hearts back together,
fill it and stuff it with LOVE!

And when we love
we know that love covers a multitude of sins.

With all that we are,
and all that we have,
and all that we will ever be,
we give it all to you,
because we LOVE you
And we thank you!

Blessed be your Name, O God.

Amen.