Challenge: Walk with Jesus
Challenge: Give
Member Spotlight, Amber Beckermann
One of Amber’s hidden talents is cooking. She doesn’t have a single special dish so you could say her specialty is trying new things. “I cook really well and I love to cook. I like trying new recipes,” she says. Happily, Daniel is not a picky eater, and he enjoys the new recipes.
Easter Sunday, April 16, 2017
Easter Prayer
Day 40: Holy Saturday, April 15, 2017, #Lent Devotion
Rev. Sela Finau
Devotion: As we journey through life, we encounter multitude of people. Some we quickly bond with and embrace. Others we simply do not know how to connect with, nor do we make an honest attempt, and we simply walk by and pretend they are not within our sight. Some we admire and long to imitate. Others we wish they would change their way of life. Some we welcome into our homes. Others we simply ignore and secretly do not invite. What would Jesus have done? I think we all know the answer to that question. Yet, many times, we do the un-Jesus thing of doing only what is comfortable, of doing only the popular things, of doing only things that will benefit us. As the season of Lent comes to an end, and we look forward to Easter, pause for some time to reflect on what Jesus had done. In our popular culture, we rush from Good Friday to Easter without serious reflection. Pause for a moment and be in silence. Take a deep breath in. Pause for 5 seconds. Breathe out. Repeat it for several minutes. 5 minutes. Feel and hear your breath. The breath of life. Give thanks, for it is the basis of all things, from the beginning, from Creation, to the life of Jesus, and to our own breath and beyond. Feel the presence of God. Feel the breath of God.
The Hebrew word ruach could mean wind, spirit, or breath. Recall the Genesis story of how the earth was formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while “the breath of God” swept over the face of the water. This day, Holy Saturday, is such a day for me as I reminisce of what it must have been like thousands of years ago. Yet, just as the Book of Genesis tells the story of creation, that “the breath of God” swept over the face of the water, so it must have been that the breath of God was also present this day, with Jesus. Meditate on that story a while, not just today but throughout your journey in life.
Day 39: Good Friday, April 14, 2017, #Lent Devotion
A Good Friday Prayer for Meditation
Challenge: Pray
Day 38: Maundy Thursday, April 13, 2017, #Lent Devotion
Day 38: Thursday, April 13, 2017
A Maundy Thursday Prayer for Meditation
Day 37: Wednesday, April 12, 2017, #Lent Devotion
Rev. Sela Finau
Day 36: Tuesday, April 11, 2017, #Lent Devotion
Rev. Sela Finau
Devotion: While in seminary I worked at nights, and before you start wondering “what kind of job?” I will soon explain. Needless to say, working at nights had not always been a pleasant experience, especially working 12-hour nights and being up for more than 24 hours at a time. That is never good for the body, mind, and spirit. Nevertheless, that had been my work schedule for about 5 years. I had to find employment that would work with my seminary school schedule. How I managed seminary work, work in a church, and that overnight job was beyond me. That is one of those things I consider a God thing.
In any case, I realized early on, working in the financial industry specifically a brokerage firm, that while America slept, the rest of the world was awake, from Asia to the Pacific to Europe, and that we were all connected in this global network, financial or otherwise. That meant that what happened around the world affected the U.S., and vice versa. I thought what happens to us as individuals and a people affects God.
One of the benefits of having worked from evening till dawn (7 to 7) was that I was privileged to see many sunsets, sunrises, endless clouds and skies in incredibly astonishing colors and forms. Each time I saw it, whether I was on my way to work or on my way home, I was always in awe of the beauty of creation and how fortunate we are to be given the opportunity to witness the splendor and magnificence of this world that we live in. Since moving here to Taylor, I have enjoyed the sunsets. I pondered on how amazing it is that we’re all connected to the sun and endless clouds in the skies, giving us a glimpse of God’s glory.
I am reminded of how humanity seem insignificant in the midst of vast stretches of the cosmos and time and space. I thought about how we’re all tiny specs in this big cosmos, but I am always comforted in knowing that God takes notice of us and journeys with us each and every day and watches over us whether we’re asleep or awake.