My thoughts (Kay Olry):

Where are you in your faith journey? Are you in the same place you were last year at this time? Five years ago? Twenty?

None of us are the people we once were. Time marches on, and our thoughts, circumstances, and beliefs have all changed as we’ve grown (and hopefully matured). As we live and learn, we grow into new people with new ideas about who we are and our place in the world.

Our faith and our beliefs are one of the areas where growth and change are most obvious. Like 1 Corinthians 13:11 says, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put childish ways behind me.”

Figuring out what our faith means to us as adults can be one of the most difficult, yet most rewarding, journeys that we can ever take. When we begin to question the faith of our parents, and ask ourselves what all of the “God stuff” means to us, it can be a very scary road.

The amazing part of all of it is how God manages to meet us where we are. The person who has never been exposed to the teachings of Christ is met by the Holy Spirit, and their journey begins. The person who hasn’t ever known a day without God and faith at the center of their lives can pray and study and grow in their faith for the rest of their lives, and yet will still be able to continue growing. There are layers and layers of understanding that keep their journey fresh and new day after day.

We are all building on what we have learned from others. A seed gets planted in our mind and with the help, love, and prodding of the Spirit we become new creations. 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Thought for the day: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to begin, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Kay Olry):

I had never understood the whole dynamic of Mark’s account of Jesus walking up, saying a few words, and Simon and Andrew, then James and John drop everything to follow him. They leave home, family, security, the familiar — absolutely everything — and follow him.

Nothing is mentioned about making preparations, or spending time weighing the pros and the cons. No long discussions with family members and friends; they didn’t even consult their Rabbi. It isn’t as if Jesus was a well-known teacher at this point. After being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus disappeared into the desert for 40 days, spent a brief time in Galilee, and then met up with the four of them in their fishing boats. He spoke a couple of sentences, and they didn’t hesitate — they followed.

It wasn’t until I read the first chapter of the Gospel of John that it made more sense; Andrew saw Jesus as he was baptized. He spent the day with him, and tells Simon, “We have found the Messiah!” I wonder if they really knew what they were doing — or if meeting The Christ was so overwhelming that no other decision made sense.

The entire Jewish nation was waiting on the promised Messiah to come; it had been promised long before. It’s interesting that when Jesus began gathering disciples, they weren’t the best and the brightest or highly educated people — no professors or priestly types. He chose common people.

It’s incredible what transpires from these humble beginnings. Jesus started a revolution and changed the world by using very ordinary people. The first disciples had no idea what the church would look like 2000 years later; and yet from this simple beginning millions and millions of people have had their lives transformed by Christ.

Do you ever wonder how you would react in the same situation? Whether or not you could throw all caution to the wind and simply follow Him?

The call to become fishers of people for Christ is the same today as it was then. Our part is to figure out how that looks in each of our lives. He doesn’t say, “When you get time, when the bills are paid, after you (fill in the blank _____)…” The way that Christ continues to reach the world is through our hearts, hands and feet, and voices. The Living God lives through us!

Does that mean we all quit our jobs tomorrow, start wearing robes, and spend all of our time singing Kumbaya? Of course not. The world desperately needs Christ Followers in every walk of life. It does mean that each of us needs to look at our lives and figure out how we can give more of ourselves to Christ, in order to deepen our faith, and to continue changing the world.

Thought For The Day: What in my life needs to change so that I can get closer to Christ? How can I follow Him?

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Kay Olry):

“If God is in control, why is the world such a mess?”
“Why do people suffer?”
“Why is life so hard?”
“Why did Jesus have to die on a cross if he’s God? Wasn’t there another (easier) way?”
“Is that what Christianity is about? I don’t want anything to do with it!”
“What is the meaning of life? If there’s a God, why hasn’t God made it clear what we’re here for?”

Have you ever been in a conversation with a non-Christian, and had them throw questions like these at you? Do you have any idea how to answer them? The questions have been asked by many of us at one time or another. They’re honest questions, which deserve honest answers.

I used to love arguing with Christians about all of them, back when I was an agnostic and borderline atheist. I look back now and am astonished to think that I was so arrogant. It used to frustrate me even more when the response became the same refrain: “Because it’s in the Bible.” It always seemed like I needed to leave my intellect at the door.

I’ve come a long way from the days when I thought I knew everything. In fact, it was when I admitted that I didn’t know everything that God was able to begin working in my life.

I came to realize that just because I didn’t have good answers to the questions didn’t mean that God didn’t. Just because some Christians couldn’t answer the questions didn’t mean that there weren’t any answers.

Once I realized that the Creator who made the earth, moon, and stars had to be much greater than I could imagine or comprehend, I became much more humble. I also realized that my way wasn’t working anymore. So, I began at the beginning and asked myself, “Who is this Jesus guy I’ve heard about my whole life?” I’d heard many other people tell me who He was, but I needed to find out for myself.

What changed things for me was this — Jesus Christ is the only God I ever prayed to that answered. He reached down in my brokenness, and welcomed me back, even though I didn’t deserve it.

Later on, I came to realize that there are reasonably good answers for all of the questions I once had. Sometimes, we really do just need to have faith when we don’t know the answer. The difference now is that I trust that just because I don’t know the answer, doesn’t mean there isn’t one. I have faith that God knows.

What a relief! It’s nice to know that the universe doesn’t depend on me.

Here’s a song that fits with today’s thoughts:

Thought for the day: Are you willing to let God be God, and trust that everything is under control?

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to begin, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Kay Olry):

As a child growing up, this time of year was so magical — not because we had so much, but because my mom was so good at remembering everyone’s favorite things.

I have seven sisters and brothers, so my mom really had her hands full trying to keep us all happy. We lived in a house with three bedrooms and only one bathroom; money was scarce a lot of the time, and we learned early on that expensive presents weren’t possible.

It never seemed to matter much, though. My mom would make sure each of us had one “big” present, lots of smaller packages to open, and a full stocking — even if she needed to put in an apple and an orange to make it fuller. She made sure that each of us also had the same number of gifts to open. She spent so much time and care in putting it all together, that every Christmas was full of joy.

The weekend after Thanksgiving was when the holiday started, with big, colorful lights, Christmas streamers hanging from the ceiling, bus rides downtown to see the light displays, and cookies from Scotland (which is where she was from). Looking back, I hardly remember any of the gifts that I received. Whatever was so important to me at 10 has long ago been forgotten.

There was, however, one more gift that she gave to each of us, which we never even realized we were getting until we became adults. We always knew that Christmas was really about the baby born in Bethlehem, and that what we were truly celebrating was His birthday. We would go to church as a family, and the love and peace of the Christ Child filled our souls with wonder.

My mom passed away about ten years ago. I remember a night in the hospital a couple of days before she died. She was hallucinating (maybe), but it was also obvious that she was reviewing her life. I heard bits and pieces of words as the night grew longer. None of what I was able to make out was about things — only memories of family.

Most of my sisters and brothers have children of their own — even grandchildren. We continue to pass on the gift that Mom gave to us, and that has proven to be the most special gift of all: It is the gift of our faith. She taught us that there was a God in the universe, and that His Son humbled Himself enough to become one of us.

If cash is tight this Christmas, and you’re worrying about all of the things that you can’t buy for your kids, stop worrying! Just make some memories the best you know how — and remember, the Grace and Peace of Jesus are available for free.

As the commercial says, some gifts are just priceless. . .

Merry Christmas!

Thought for the day: During this Advent season, are you preparing your heart to understand “the reason for the season”?

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to start, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.

My thoughts (Kay Olry):

“Did you hear about Jesus of Nazareth? They say he was in Bethany the other day, and raised some guy from the dead!”

“No way!”

“It’s incredible, the things He’s been doing. I was there with around 5,000 others one day when he was speaking. We’re in the middle of nowhere, and everyone was getting hungry. He borrowed some kid’s lunch basket, and fed us all! How’s he doing these things?”

“No idea… Some say He could be the Messiah! The Scribes and Pharisees are trying to shut that kind of talk down real quick! Oh look — He’s coming! Grab some of those palms and hand them out! Maybe today’s the day the revolution begins!”

It’s hard to know exactly what people were thinking when they welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem with an impromptu parade on that first Palm Sunday. The scene had to have been pandemonium. Families with kids, Roman soldiers trying to keep order, religious Jews of all stripes, merchants selling their wares — a crazy scene made even crazier by Jesus riding in on a donkey, and people waving palms in the air and celebrating his arrival. What a triumphant moment!

The disciples of Jesus were probably convinced that this was when Jesus was going to show His great power, raise an army, and send the Roman soldiers packing! If it were happening today it might have looked a little bit like this:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I find it incredible that in one short week, we humans went from recognizing Jesus as King to crucifying Him on a cross. Surely, if I had been alive then, I would have recognized Jesus for who He was, and would have tried to stop it!

I’m sure of it!

Uhhmm, I think?!

Uhmm, I don’t know for sure…

Time and again we humans go back and forth with God. We praise Jesus as Savior and Lord; then we turn around and crucify him all over again. We act selfishly, or hurt each other, or ignore the least among us. We so often find ways to deny each other love and forgiveness.

The Good News is that God knew we were never going to be able to save ourselves, and so out of love, mercy, compassion, and grace, did it for us. Now that’s a miracle.

Thought for the day: Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to start, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

As you read, consider these questions: What might God be saying to me in this passage? What jumps out at me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two before reading on.

My thoughts on this passage (Kay Olry):

The Message puts it this way:

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

I remember when I first started reading scripture seriously (back when I was a “baby” Christian), and coming across this prayer from Paul to the Church at Ephesus. It was so different from much of the scripture that I was familiar with. This passage talked about the immensity of love that God has for His people, and for those that love Him. It shared the Good News that Gentiles were considered “good enough” to be considered heirs, along with Israel, of the promise in Jesus.

Many of us have known a person who live their lives in fear, or as Thoreau said, “…lives of quiet desperation”. Because they have never been able to believe in a Creator who loves them as they are, they keep trying to find the one person, thing, or substance that will fill the hole in their heart that can only truly be filled by the Spirit.

When I was in my early twenties I was out one night in a bar, doing my best to get drunk and wash away my troubles from the previous week (weren’t we all in a bar in the early eighties?). It was during a period in my life when I was just beginning to understand my sexuality, and the societal ramifications of being GLBT in a straight world. Somewhere in there, I had decided that if the world wanted to treat me as an outcast, I’d show them how outcast I could be.

I tried to strike up a conversation with an attractive woman who, quite honestly, didn’t want to engage in a conversation with my drunken self (I can’t imagine why). She did manage to tell me where she went to school… Taylor University. I remember being surprised that any GLBT person would choose to attend a Christian University. I asked her, “Isn’t being gay and Christian a contradiction in terms?” I’ve never forgotten her response, as simple as it was… “No, it isn’t.” That was all she said, and then she walked away. She didn’t feel called to explain or justify her response; sometimes, I wish she had.

It took me another six years before I was able to rebuild my own relationship with Christ. I wasted a lot of time, doing the whole bar scene. I was in the Air Force for much of it, literally traveling around the world, from Sicily to the Philippines. Every so often, my mind would try to figure out how she was able to integrate her sexuality with her Christianity. What I was really wondering was, how could I? How did she reconcile these two (what seemed) diametrically opposed tenets, especially as I had heard so many Christians say that God wasn’t interested in knowing me unless I changed, or chose celibacy. The Air Force would have thrown me out (or in jail) had they found out. In the Catholic Church, where I was raised, they were very clear on how they felt about people like me.

Eventually I was able to see God differently, with the help of a retreat I attended, put on by Catholics no less. God eventually succeeded in calling me back to my faith. It was prayers and scriptures like the passage above that helped me to understand, “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.” I realized that regardless of what other people told me, that Christ was telling me something else — and that He loved me, too.

I often wondered what happened to that woman in the bar. I wonder what she’s doing today, what she’s become. What a gift she was given to have her head on that “straight” so early (pun intended).

Is there anyone in your life telling you that you aren’t “good enough” for relationship with God? Don’t believe them! Don’t lose years wondering how to integrate your whole life with Christ and the Church. Take Him at His word. He invites each of us into relationship, assuring us that Perfect Love is ours too.

Along with Paul, it is my fervent prayer “–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Thought for the day: In what ways do I need to feel the enveloping love of God in my life? Do I believe that the promises are for me too?

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to start, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.