May 19 - May 25

10 comments:

Tim Suttle said...

I did the morning office from the Book of Common Prayer this morning...looking forward to a staff lectio divina later this morning.

peace,

-t

Kerrie said...

I was reading Luke 22:54-62 about Peter's denial of Christ. I had a great devotional to remind me who to keep my eye on. It also talked about our kids and their behavior when they "forget" as well.
Keri Wyatt Kent wrote: Sometimes I forget. And I don't make the right choices. I may not deny Jesus out loud, but my actions and attitudes do. I get proud or haughty. I put much more effort into image management than into soul connections. I focus on the wrong things. I forget about focusing on Jesus. I forget.

What will help me to remember? As hard as it is, I need to have the courage to do what Peter did: to look at Jesus. To let him see me and to see him. I need to look into the eyes of the one who loves me. Loves me even when I'm making bad choices. Loves me even when I get scared and don't stand up for him or for what's right. Loves me when I'm angry and impatient with my kids, who have "forgotten" how to behave again.

When we look at Jesus, we remember his love for us.

Beth said...

I'm in 2 Cor. 6&7 today. Paul writes, "As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." 6:16b-17 I am asking Him to show me what it looks like to 'come out of them and be separate'...yet live in this world and allow Him to bring His world here through me. It seems complicated, yet I'm sure it's so simple.

Also, I would ask for your prayers the next couple of weeks. My parents are coming today. My prayer is that God would keep my mouth shut and my heart open to my mom. She is losing her memory/mind (and won't admit it). I want to show her His grace and unconditional love...yet she makes it difficult when she gets defensive and hurt all the time. Two weeks...yikes. It will truly be God in me.

kevinc said...

the last two mornings i have reflected on Gen. 3. its the passage i'm preaching on this weekend, and have tried to spend a little devotional time in it as well. it is such a tragic chapter...it is amazing how much this chapter continues to happen in our lives and our world.

i also started a weekly accountability lunch with a couple guys from church that was great yesterday. feels like that is an important time for our community...

Kristen said...

I have been praying the hours on an irregular basis. Now that I feel like I have my feet under me again I hope to become more consistant. I hate the fact that it's the first thing I drop when life gets crazy.

Tim Suttle said...

Last night we had a really good time with the scripture in my community group. We read Isaiah 58 and Matthew 25. We talked about justice and it was really a rich time in the word.

This morning I did the BCP hours. I did an abbreviated office at 2 and 4.

Peace,

-t

Tim Suttle said...

I did the morning office from the BCP this morning - I did candles, incense and the whole nine yards!

In the lectionary, we hit on the same Psalm (18) that we read at advisory team the other night and it got me thinking... I've noticed that after a few years of reading at least one psalm everyday that I'm starting to get a feel for the psalms a little more. I'm starting to read them in ways that connect me to the story of God instead of just reading them as these interesting but not really applicable poems.

Honestly I've not really enjoyed reading/praying/singing the psalms until lately. They just sort of seemed wierd to me. I didn't connect to them like I did with the stories in the OT, the Gospel narratives, or the Epistles that were written to the church. But something's different now.

It's fun to see that a commitment to reading the psalms over time pays off in the end with a deeper, richer encounter with the word!

Peace,

-t

Kristen said...

I have hit all the hours so far today, which I am very proud and spend some time in silence and prayer.

Kerrie said...

I've been reading the story of Noah and the flood. It makes me wonder how unhappy God is with the current state of the world. I think of all the yucky things that happen in this world. I've also started a study on the Psalms of Ascent.

Tim Suttle said...

Friday Afternoon Confessional:

I confess that while I needed to either work on the yard or read this afternoon while the boys were napping, I did neither. Instead I goofed off and wasted time. For the most part goofing off included learning how to post reviews on Amazon.com so that I can try and drive up readership of the Paperback Theology blog; this is most certainly evidence there is something wrong with me. Invariably the choice to goof off will illicit deep regret when the boys start waking up (they are right now) and I realize there’s no way I’m going to get in a nap today – as though that was somehow not my own fault…

I confess to feeling worried that no one will show up to movie night tonight as though if people don’t show up it is somehow my fault or a reflection on me as a person. Again, I’m pretty sure this means I have issues.

I confess that although I worked really hard this week, I feel like working hard just makes me more neurotic about how much more there is to do. I confess that I have trouble just being content with the work I’ve done today – I’m always reaching to try and do more.

I confess to being very short with Kristin this week several times. I confess that I’m not nearly as compassionate toward her as I could be.

I confess to worry, anger, profanity, and gluttony.