Luke 15:8-10 (NRSV) 8 “Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just… Continue reading Monday, April 3rd- Repentance

(I have a busy weekend ahead, so the next few devotions are being published early.) Mark 6:30-32 30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and  taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and… Continue reading Saturday, April 1st- Rest

Isaiah 43:1-2 But now thus says the Lord,     he who created you, O Jacob,     he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;     I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;     and through the rivers, they shall not… Continue reading Friday, March 31st- Courage

Galatians 5:22-23 22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.  Our Lenten practice for today is self-control. Most of the Bible passages about self-control are directed toward controlling passions and lust. But self-control can encompass many aspects of our… Continue reading Thursday, March 30th- Self-Control

1 Peter 3:8 (NRSV) Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. When we think of being tenderhearted, we think of being kind, compassionate, sympathetic, soft, and sensitive, but with a deeper nuance. Our care and compassion are dearer, more tender; our hearts are more… Continue reading Wednesday, March 29th- Tenderheartedness

James 1:22-25 (NRSV) 22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25 But those who look into the… Continue reading Tuesday, March 28th- Obedience

Micah 6:8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? I was a young mom, heading to the check-out lines at the grocery store. A kind cashier invited me to the “express check-out”… Continue reading Monday, March 27th- Justice

Luke 10:41-42 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42 there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” When we moved from our home to a small apartment, Jim and I reduced our belongings and furniture. We… Continue reading Saturday, March 25th- Simplicity

Romans 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Here in the northern hemisphere, spring has come! There is something especially glorious about the blossoms and greenings after… Continue reading Friday, March 24th- Newness

Matthew 7:1-5 “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. 2 For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to… Continue reading Thursday, March 23rd- Goodwill