Prayer – Listening To His Voice

United with Christ

May 22, 2026 Jeff1 Comment

Today is Friday, the twenty-second day of May, 2026, in the seventh week of the season of Easter.

May the peace of Christ surround you, today, and drive away all of your anxieties and fears.

It is day 142 of 2026, with 223 days remaining in the year.

Day 24,907 of my life

21,614 days since I was baptized into Christ

Only two more days until Pentecost Sunday, after which we will be in Ordinary Time until the beginning of Advent.

Ooh! Today is Buy A Musical Instrument Day. As much as I would love to do that, I already have all the musical instruments that I need.

It’s also National Title Track Day. So give a listen to your favorite title tracks. For all you youngsters out there, we used to listen to “albums,” which had anywhere from eight to twelve (sometimes more, if they were “double albums”) on “record players.” And the albums had titles. There wasn’t always a title track, but there usually was. And sometimes the title track was the best track on the album. If you click on the link, you will see relics of days gone by, which were called “vinyl records.”

Maybe I’ll just play solitaire today, since it’s National Solitaire Day.

Daily writing prompt

What’s a word or phrase that annoys you?

View all responses

I’ll give you two phrases. Both of them are phrases that people commonly say, believing that they are from the Bible. Neither one of them is. First, one that has been wildly popular for a number of years, now, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” That, my friends, is a lie from the pits of Sheol. If God never gave us more than we can handle, we would never need God, would we? Not in the Bible. Anywhere. Second, “God helps those that help themselves.” Pfft. Not in there. If we had to “help ourselves” before God would help us, we would all be without any hope. We were “dead in trespasses and sins” before Christ saved us. A dead person can’t help themself. A dead person can’t do anything. In the words of Paul, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15)! GIFT!! I think my favorite definition of “grace” is that it is God doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

It’s a normal Friday, today. C is working from home, and I will be working at the library computer center from 9:15-6:15 today. I haven’t decided what tonight’s dinner will be. It will either be an H-E-B Meal Simple family meal with salad and Texas Toast, or Chicken Tortilla Soup (also H-E-B Meal Simple) with grilled cheese sandwiches.

My first cup of joe, this morning, is CAFE Olé by H‑E‑B Taste of San Antonio, one of the Favorite Five. “For a trio of cinnamon, chocolate and vanilla flavors, try CAFE Olé by H-E-B Taste of San Antonio coffee.” My second cup is Hazelnut Spread, by Angelino’s, a limited edition. “Chocolaty fudge and roasted hazelnut flavored coffee.” That one is still in stock and available.

JESUS TIME

Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, my Savior, I approach You in this morning hour, beseeching You to let Your grace and mercy go with me through the day. Let Your presence give me the blessed assurance of Your divine protection amid dangers, guidance amid uncertainty, and strength against temptations. Bless the labors of my hands. Bless our home with Your continued presence. Bless our nation, and let righteousness and peace prevail. Bless Your Church, and keep her in Your Word and truth. Bless our schools, and grant that boys and girls may grow in grace and knowledge of You and Your will. Remember not the sins of my youth nor my many trespasses. Bring me safely home tonight, and keep me steadfast in faith; through Jesus Christ, my Redeemer. Amen.
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 28, Friday Morning)

Heavenly Father, the week has been long and arduous as I tended to the many needs in front of me every day. It is so tempting to let self-pity direct my day. Give me grace for this day, I pray. Help me to faithfully perform the tasks and duties before me. Keep me attuned to the needs of others instead of turned inward to my own wants. Help me be aware of how You are at work in the lives of all people I encounter today, and enable me to respond with grace and kindness in all situations so that I reflect Your love and point people to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Portals of Prayer, Prayer for Friday Morning)

Father, in glorifying Christ and sending us your Spirit, you open the way to eternal life. May our sharing in this gift increase our love and make our faith grow stronger. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Friday of the Week of Easter 7, Opening Prayer)

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV)
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
(Galatians 5:13 ESV)

Today I am grateful:

That the Holy Spirit, the Second Person of the Trinity, is always interceding for me in prayer
That because the Lord is my Strong Tower, my Fortress, my Deliverer, my Strength, and my Salvation, I have nothing to fear; not even death
For the freedom I have in Christ; not as an opportunity to satisfy the flesh, but a means to serve others in and through the love of Christ
For the ability to be thankful in all circumstances, to rejoice always, and to pray without ceasing
For the privilege of worshiping Christ with my musical talents, both instrumentally and vocally
That my soul is united with Christ and, in that, takes on all that is His, just as He has taken on all of my sinfulness

Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

Once again, I am faced with having to decide what to write, this morning. I have read a number of good things, both in Scripture and in my devotional books.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
(Romans 8:26-27 ESV)

I started out reading this passage, which has been a favorite of mine for a long time, because I don’t always know how/what to pray for people. I get a number of prayer requests, but don’t always know how to pray for them. I also have loved ones that I am constantly praying for, and don’t always know how to express those prayers. And, as I’m sure many others do, I sometimes fall into the trap of believing that if I say the right words or combination of words, it will get better results.

My brothers and sisters, first of all, that is an attempt at manipulating God. We cannot manipulate God. And it is a very dangerous idea to even try. Second of all, I do not for one nanosecond believe that God is that petty, to hold us to a particular “style” of prayer or a set “formula” of prayer that will cause Him to answer our prayers the way we want Him to.

But here, we have the promise that the Spirit is there for us. The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, helps us in our weakness. God, Himself, intercedes for us when we don’t know what to pray, “with groanings too deep for words.” Oh, and also? This is NOT “praying in tongues.” That right there is some serious hermeneutical gymnastics.

Some days my prayers sound like fragments of desperation. “Half-sentences. Long pauses. A sigh you didn’t mean to release.” In those moments, the Spirit is interceding. God, Himself, is interceding for me!

“He does not crush you with condemnation. He does not coerce you into obedience. He does not disappear when you falter. He stays.

“Sometimes His work feels like quiet steadiness when you expected fire. Sometimes it feels like courage you didn’t manufacture. Sometimes it feels like conviction that stings and heals at the same time.” (Quotes by Jen Weaver, in You Version Bible Plan – From Promise to Presence: 50 Days of Living the Resurrected Life)

I am never praying alone! And it is in my weakness where the Spirit leans in close to me!

Not only am I not praying alone, but I also don’t have to face this life alone, because God is always standing with me. That same Spirit that intercedes for me also dwells within me and protects me against fear. I have heard it said that the Bible contains some version of the words “fear not” at least enough times for once a day for a year. I have not verified if that statistic is accurate, but it is certainly in there more times than any other phrase.

Here are some Scripture passages that were featured in For All the Saints, today.

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
(Jeremiah 31:31-34 ESV)

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
(Ephesians 5:18-32 ESV)

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”
(Matthew 9:14-17 ESV)

Pay very close attention to the last verse in that Ephesians passage. And here is an excerpt by Martin Luther that astonished me, this morning. I will say that I have been fascinated by the concept of the Bride of Christ for a long time, now, and really need to have a conversation about this with my pastor. But these words from Luther bring a whole “new” (new for me, mind you, but written centuries ago!) dynamic to the concept.

“The third incomparable benefit of faith is that it unites the soul with Christ as a bride is united with her bridegroom. By this mystery, as the Apostle teaches, Christ and the soul become one flesh (Eph. 5:31-32). And if they are one flesh and there is between them a true marriage – indeed the most perfect of all marriages, since human marriages are but poor examples of this one true marriage – it follows that everything they have they hold in common, the good as well as the evil. Accordingly the believing soul can boast of and glory in whatever Christ has as though it were its own, and whatever the soul has Christ claims as his own. Let us compare these and we shall see the inestimable benefits. Christ is full of grace, life, and salvation. The soul is full of sins, death, and damnation. Now let faith come between them and sins, death, and damnation will be Christ’s, while grace, life, and salvation will be the soul’s; for if Christ is a bridegroom, he must take upon himself the things which are his bride’s and bestow upon her the things that are his. If he gives her his body and very self, how shall he not give her all that is his? And if he takes the body of the bride, how shall he not take all that is hers?”
(Martin Luther, The Freedom of A Christian, 1520)

O Lord, when the darkness covers us, let Thy righteousness dawn upon our souls, that we, who now prayerfully render thanks unto Thee after the labors of another day are done, may also come before Thy face in the morning, to pay Thee the vows of thanksgiving; through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Friday of the Week of Easter 7, Closing Prayer, J.K. Wilhelm Loehe)

God, You know the fears that live in my heart. Remind me today that I am not facing life alone. Give me courage to trust You and strength to move forward even when the path feels uncertain. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
(Grant Fishbook, A Miracle Every Day)

Dear Holy Spirit, I thank You that You are interceding for me when I pray. I thank You, as well, my Christ, because Scripture also tells me that You intercede for us, as well. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I thank You that I am never alone . . . not when I pray, not when I live, because You dwell within me, all the time. I have nothing to fear in my life because of Your presence with me. And in Your presence there is fullness of joy, so therefore, my joy should always be full.

I praise You for this discussion of Christ and His Bride. I long for the day when I can see Your face, my Lord. That doesn’t mean that I am quite ready to leave this life. It just means that I love You and want to see Your face. My pastor has encouraged me that I will see Your face when You decide it is time. In the meantime, I live to serve You and my fellow humans, and live to love You and them. You have given me a love that is amazing, Lord. Yet I still struggle with loving everyone. I pray for Your Spirit to fill me and complete me, to remove any obstacle from my person, my brain, my soul, my spirit . . . anything that prevents me from loving all people with the love that You have for us (my opinions come to mind . . . ).

Lord, I love You. I praise You. I worship You. All that I have is Yours. My life is Yours. You own me, body and soul. Everything I think and feel and do and say belongs to You. You have given me ultimate freedom, and in that freedom, I am free from anything that would enslave me, free to love and to serve. Make me a better image bearer of Yourself, my dear Christ. Make me a clear window through which people can see Your love for them. Please keep giving me transformation and maturity by Your Spirit and mold me by Your holy and precious and beautiful Word until I stand in Your presence.

There is still too much Jeff in here.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Christ.
May your salvation, Lord, be ever with us.
(The prayer of St. Patrick)

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters! Drink deep!

CHRIST IS EVERYTHING!!!

Dwelling In Us

May 20, 2026 Jeff

Today is Wednesday, the twentieth day of May, 2026, in the seventh week of the season of Easter.

May the peace of Christ dwell within you today!

It is day 140 of 2026, with 225 days left in the year.

Day 24,905 of my life

21,612 days since I was baptized into Christ

Four days until Pentecost Sunday (the beginning of Ordinary Time, or the Time of the Church)

Today is National Band Director’s Day. I have a lot of friends who either are or used to be band directors. So happy day to you all!

Daily writing prompt

What’s a moment that made you realize you were stronger than you thought?

View all responses

Here’s the thing. I am not. I will never consider that I am “stronger than I thought,” because it is not I who am strong. Boy, that sentence feels weird. Anyway. It is Christ in me who is strong. Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

But the moment that I truly began realizing the reality of this truth was February 17, 2025. There have been many moments between that day and today where that has become more and more obvious in my life.

Today is the first of the “new normal” Wednesdays for us. C is at the office, as she is now required to be on campus on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but can work from home Monday and Friday. She was really tired when she left, but arrived safely. S and I will be heading up to our church at about 10:00 this morning, to assist with the Preschool Graduation Lunch for Love One Another Preschool. We should be done with that and back home by early afternoon, depending on how long the cleanup takes afterward. S really enjoys watching the preschoolers graduate.

We don’t have choir practice tonight, as that season is over until September. I am singing a solo at church this Sunday, though, in both services, so I will need to be there around 8:10 or so to rehearse the song one more time, with the flautist. That sounded very lovely Monday evening, by the way. I’m quite excited about this one. Here is a video of the song I will be singing.

I tried to get the director to let me recite the Prayer of St. Patrick at the end, like Kristyn does, but she wouldn’t go for that. But the flautist is playing the violin part. The congregation will be singing along on the third verse.

My first cup of coffee this morning, is Jamaican Me Crazy, by Angelino’s, my favorite of their varieties. “Caramel, vanilla, & chocolate flavored coffee.” My second cup is Banana Nut Bread, also by Angelino’s, a limited edition. “Nutty banana bread flavored coffee.” Dinner tonight will be breakfast food.

I’m already emotional this morning. Let’s see what Christ has for me, today.

JESUS TIME

Lord God, You have given me another day, a day to live in Your service and for the good of my fellowmen, I am indeed a poor tool in Your hand and deserving to be cast aside. Forgive me all my sins for Jesus’ sake, and by Your Spirit grant me the fitness to work for You this day. I beseech You to make me mindful, dear Lord, that I am but a stranger and a pilgrim in this present world. Let me not devote my efforts today to purposes unworthy of You; let me not gather treasures merely for this world; let me not serve mammon. This life is but a vain show; let me not search for an abiding city here. But, Lord, fasten my heart and hope on the life that is in You, and let my strivings and desires be directed to the treasures of Your love. As long as I am in the land of my pilgrimage, hold my hand, Lord; keep me from every straying path. If I should stumble in sinful weakness, grant me repentance and faith; for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 24, Wednesday Morning)

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for Your devoted servants who spread the Good News of Your death and resurrection and preach the forgiveness of sins. Provide faithful pastors and bless congregations who honor the pastoral office and support their ministers, even when they stumble. Help missionaries understand the peoples they are sent to and present the Gospel in a culturally relevant way while staying true to sound doctrine. Give pastors and missionaries strength and courage in the face of persecution. Be with me and all members of Your family as we encourage those You have called to these positions. I pray this in Your name. Amen.
(Portals of Prayer, Prayer for Wednesday Morning)

God of mercy, unite your Church in the Holy Spirit that we may serve you with all our hearts and work together with unselfish love. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Wednesday of the Week of Easter 7, Opening Prayer)

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
(1 Peter 2:24 ESV)
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
(Galatians 5:16 ESV)

Today I am grateful:

For an opportunity to serve others, this morning, as we help with the Preschool Graduation Lunch
For the Holy Spirit, God’s indwelling presence within us, not earned, but given; not just visiting, but dwelling
That He bore our sins on the tree, that we might live in righteousness; by His wounds, we are healed
That it is not the size of the mountain or the house that matters, what matters is that god dwells there
For the Church, the communion of saints, as described in the Creed; the Body of Christ

Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

I thought I had figured out where this was going, today, having read the Psalms portion for the day, along with the devotional from Chad Bird’s Untamed Prayers. But then I got to FAtS (For All the Saints) and everything took a sharp turn. I had to leave to go help with the graduation lunch, which went very well, by the way, and spent part of that time trying to process it all.

The thing that threw me was when one of the Scripture passages for FAtS was Ephesians 4:1-16, in which Paul quotes part of Psalm 68 (verse 18). I’m still actually trying to suss out what I’m writing, here. Let’s see if I can make sense of it all and figure out the message.

First, we have something about the Holy Spirit. Looking at John 14:16-17 (which, ironically, is my pastor’s sermon text for this coming Sunday morning, which happens to be Pentecost Sunday), we Jesus promising the arrival of the Spirit, after He leaves. We know that this occurred on the day that we celebrate as Pentecost, the fiftieth day after the Resurrection. Here’s the verses.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
(John 14:16-17 ESV)

Jesus also said this, in Luke.

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
(Luke 11:13 ESV)

So we see that the Holy Spirit was promised and given to the Church. He is not earned by the Church, and His arrival was planned. He didn’t wait until the disciples were mature enough, or had stopped doubting, or were praying enough. He was not coaxed to come to us. He was given to us. He is not visiting us for a season. He dwells within us. Within every single baptized believer. He is not a “bonus” or a power boost that we tap into when we feel weak. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God, dwelling within us. And Pentecost was the birth of the Church of Jesus Christ. (Much of this was in Jen Weaver’s devotional, From Promise to Presence: 50 Days of Living the Resurrected Life, in the You Version app.)

And I can relate this to the devotional on Psalm 68.

O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;
    O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,
    at the mount that God desired for his abode,
    yes, where the LORD will dwell forever?
The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,
    thousands upon thousands;
    the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.
You ascended on high,
    leading a host of captives in your train
    and receiving gifts among men,
even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.
(Psalms 68:15-18 ESV)

In Untamed Prayers, Chad Bird wrote, “What matters . . . is not the elevation or grandeur of the mountain, but that the Lord is there. . . . His holy tent, made from the spoils of the Egyptians, and dedicated back to God, was where the Lord dwelt among his people to receive offerings from them, and to give them gifts of cleansing and forgiveness.”

We are that “holy tent,” now, with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t matter how tall I am or how fit I am or how pretty I am. It doesn’t even matter how “good” I am at anything. What matters is that God dwells within me. Everything else will be taken care of.

And then I get to this passage, in the FAtS devotional.Wait. First, I read this passage from Isaiah.

In that day the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning. Then the LORD will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.
(Isaiah 4:2-6 ESV)

That, in itself, is a beautiful passage! I have been “recorded for life in Jerusalem,” and have had my filth washed away and been cleansed. Christ is my refuge.

Then I read this, in Ephesians.

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”

(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
(Ephesians 4:1-16 ESV).

Not only does Paul quote that passage from Psalm 68, he goes on to talk about the Church, the ministries that Christ has given to us in order to build us up, and how we are to grow. This was followed up by the following passage from Martin Luther.

” . . . The Church is called the assembly of all the believers in Christ upon earth, just as we pray in the Creed: ‘I believe in the Holy Ghost, a communion of saints.’ This community or assembly consists of all those who live in true faith, hope and love; so that the essence, life and nature of the Church is not a bodily assembly, but an assembly of hearts in one faith, as St. Paul says, Ephesians iv, ‘One baptism, one faith, one Lord.’ Thus, though they may be a thousand miles apart in body, yet they are called an assembly in spirit because each one preaches, believes, hopes, loves, and lives like the other. So we sing of the Holy Ghost: ‘Thou, who through divers tongues gathered together the nations in the unity of the faith.’ That means in reality a spiritual unity, because of which men are called a communion of saints. And this unity is of itself sufficient to make a Church, and without it no unity, be it of place, of time, of person, of work, or of whatever else, makes a Church. On this point we must hear the word of Christ, Who, when Pilate asked Him concerning His kingdom, answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’ This is indeed a clear passage, in which the Church is made separate from all temporal communities, as not being anything external.”
(Martin Luther, “The Papacy at Rome: An Answer to the Celebrated Romanist at Leipzig,” 1520)

We are the assembly of all the believers. The Church is worldwide. Each of us attends a local body of believers, a “church,” in our city or one nearby (in my case, my local body is between 15-20 miles from my house). We are the “communion of saints.” And when we recite the Apostles’ Creed every Sunday morning, when one of our pastors says, “Let us rise and confess our faith,” We are declaring this with bodies of believers all over the world. And I now confess it loudly and proudly, every Sunday morning. Except lately, I have been having a problem skipping a line, it seems. I’ve been going straight from “on the third day He rose again,” to “is seated at the right hand of the Father,” without getting Him ascended. That’s embarrassing when one is reciting out loud.

The Church is beautiful. There’s an old Twila Paris song that says, “How beautiful is the Body of Christ.” I love the Church. The Church has been a huge part of my life, for my whole life.

I really need to wrap this up, because it has gotten longer than I want it to be. And I’m not sure that I have adequately tied it all together. But it all boils down to the Holy Spirit, the presence of God, dwelling within us. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity. He is God. And He is for you and for me. He dwells within me, and if you are a follower of Christ, He dwells within you. All the time. And in this dwelling, we get the unity of the Body of Christ. There is a piece of God . . . no. That’s a terrible analogy. I don’t have a “piece” of God in me. I have God in me. You have God in You. And, consequently, we are in Him, too. The communion of saints. All of us. All over the world.

And that is what that glorious, beautiful worship service in Revelation is going to look like, when we finally are all together. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for that day.

Almighty God, since so many of the people who have been gathered by thee have fallen away, and have by their ingratitude alienated themselves from the hope of eternal salvation, grant that they may be reunited with us, and hold with us the true unity of faith, so that with one heart and one mouth we may profess thee as our God and Father. May we learn to live under thy name, acknowledge thee as our Judge, and ascribe to thee all power over us, until we shall at length enjoy that eternal inheritance, into the hope of which thou hast called us and daily invitest us, through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Wednesday of the Week of Easter 7, Closing Prayer, John Calvin)

Truly, Lord Christ, I pray that You draw all people to You, that all people would be saved and come to the knowledge of Yourself. You did say that if You were lifted up, You would draw all people to Yourself. So I pray that this happens, and that, through the testimony of those of us who believe, that many more would be saved. I love Your Church, my Jesus, and have for as long as I can remember. I pray that You strengthen us in Your Spirit, that we might be free from idolatry. Keep our eyes fixed on You, Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, and help us to know Your presence as Your Spirit dwells within us.

I love You, Lord, and I love Your Word, and I love Your Church. All glory and power to You, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters! He dwells within you!

CHRIST IS EVERYTHING!!!

All Is Grace

May 19, 2026 Jeff2 Comments

Today is Tuesday, the nineteenth day of May, 2026, in the seventh week of the season of Easter.

May the peace of the Lord be with you always!

It is day 139 of 2026, and there are 226 days left in the year.

Day 24,904 of my life

Five more days until Pentecost Sunday!

Today is National Devil’s Food Cake Day. I’m a fan of that. I mean, it’s just another word for “chocolate,” innit? And I love chocolate. There’s an interesting history of Devil’s Food Cake in the article. Apparently, the boxed mixes weren’t available until 1948. I also did not realize that Ding Dongs were allegedly Devil’s Food Cakes. Now I feel the need to get some Ding Dongs.

Daily writing prompt

What’s a simple pleasure in life that brings you joy?

View all responses

Reading. You can’t get much simpler than that. And there are so many ways to get joy out of reading. Starting a new book; finishing a really good book (although that has actually brought me great sadness, too). There is even joy in finishing a really bad book, hahaha! There is a certain comfort that occurs in sitting in one’s favorite chair under a reading lamp, savoring an excellent book. And, if you make use of your local library, it is a very inexpensive pleasure.

Today is a back-to-the-old-normal Tuesday. C is at the office, and I will be working my four-hour shift at the library, this evening, from 4:15-8:15. Speaking of shifts at the library, my bestie and I had a wonderful day, yesterday. She is recovering well from her emergency appendectomy a couple weeks ago, and also from the trauma of having to put down their family dog last Friday. I think yesterday was good for her. We only spoke of the dog once, in the morning, and that was it. The rest of the day, we did our respective jobs and chatted about many other things. It was a great day. We also read a picture book together, one that was recommended to me by our youth department manager, who is another of my favorite people at the library. The book was called Little Blue Truck, and you can read my review of it at the link provided. We just might read another one on Saturday, when we work together again.

My first cup of coffee, this morning, is back to CAFE Olé by H‑E‑B Taste of DFW, my favorite of the Favorite Five. “Offering the delicious flavor of caramel, chocolate and pecans, CAFE Olé by H-E-B Taste of DFW coffee is a medium roast variety.” Honestly, it is still a very close call between DFW and San Antonio, as I love both varieties. The second cup is Midnight Mocha Blueberry, by Angelino’s, my favorite of their limited editions. “Dark chocolate covered blueberry flavored coffee.” And today, I go back to preparing lunch for the family and putting C’s portion in the refrigerator for her dinner. It will be one of the H-E-B Meal Simple family meals, today, along with a Caesar Salad and some garlic Texas Toast.

JESUS TIME

Again, O heavenly Father, You have granted me strength to rise to the tasks of the day. I thank You for Your mercy and love. Without Your power upholding me I should be unable to live. Give me a spirit of gratitude for all Your gifts. Above all, dear Father, keep me grateful for the gift of the forgiveness of all my sins through the merits of Jesus Christ, Your Son and my Savior. Grant that whatever need, whatever sorrow may beset my day, my faith in this forgiveness may remain steadfast and firm. Let not grief or pain, no doubt or gloom, come between me and the certainty of Your love. If it is Your purpose to try me this day with difficulties for the body or the heart, grant that I may, by Your Spirit, conquer in this trial and hold fast to Your mercy, knowing that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory You have in store for me. Make Your Word my joy, Your counsel my guide, Your presence my peace; in Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 22, Tuesday Morning)

Gracious heavenly Father, I thank You for keeping me safe through the quiet hours of this past night. As a new day dawns, help me to see, through the eyes of faith, that the challenges that might be in front of me today are not greater than the power behind me. Help me to see that everyone I engage with today was created in Your image and thus worthy of respect. If someone has a need, help me to meet that need where I am able. Enable me to trust the promise that You have the power to work all things for my good. In the name of Jesus, Your dear Son, I pray. Amen.
(Portals of Prayer, Prayer for Tuesday Morning)

God of power and mercy, send your Holy Spirit to live in our hearts and make us temples of his glory. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Tuesday of the Week of Easter 7, Opening Prayer)

“Hallelujah
Glory be to our great God
Hallelujah
Glory be to our great God”

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
(Romans 12:10 ESV)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
(Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)

Today I am grateful:

For the grace that has saved me through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9)
That even my transformation and growth in God’s Word comes through grace, as I faithfully make myself available to His Spirit
For the love that Christ has poured into my heart, helping me to do better at loving others
For the peace that Christ has given us
For my pastors and their faithful preaching of God’s Word
That NOTHING can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39)!

Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

As I look over everything I read, this morning, I’m trying to decide what to write. There was a lot of good stuff. One big portion of it, though, was quite specific to pastors, so I copied and pasted it into an email to my two pastors, and then in a Facebook post to another pastor that I know well. I may included it here, in case you want to share it with your own pastor.

But at this point, I want to focus on something that we might all struggle with. Let’s start with these verses.

Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
(Galatians 3:2-3 ESV)

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
(Colossians 2:6-7 ESV)

This is really good stuff, today, focusing on how we fall into the trap of believing that transformation comes through our own efforts. This life begins with grace, but soon after, we feel like we have to switch over to effort. We think that our growth is up to us. “As if the life that started as a gift could be sustained by grit” (Jen Weaver, You Version Bible Plan – From Promise to Presence: 50 Days of Living the Resurrected Life)

As I look back on my own transformation journey, none of the big “whooshes” came as a result of my own striving. One of the biggest ones was my deliverance from lust, and I almost didn’t even notice it! I still remember waking up one morning and realizing that it was gone, and I couldn’t even identify when it happened! And then the day that I realized that Christ had shined His Light into my life and chased the darkness out of my mind . . . none of my own doing. My efforts did not “cause” any of these things to happen. It is all grace. 100%.

I’m reminded of Matthew 6, at this point, where Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:26-30 ESV)

I realize, of course, that these verses are about worry and anxiety. But does not the thought that we must strive for our growth and transformation create its own kind of anxiety? Those birds of the air . . . they don’t have to work to grow; those lilies of the field . . . same thing. Why do we believe it is different for us?

What I do need to do is stay in His Word, faithfully reading, praying, meditating, and so on. I need to be available, ready, and willing to be transformed. The big difference between us and the birds and the lilies is that we have choices. So, yes, I do need to choose wisely. But even the grace to do that has been a gift from the Lord!

Blessed are all thy saints, our God and King, who have traveled over the tempestuous sea of our mortality, and have at last come into the port of quiet and felicity. Cast a gracious eye upon us who are still on our dangerous voyage; strengthen us when we are exposed to the rough storms of trouble and temptation. Defend us from our own negligence and cowardice and from the treachery of our unfaithful hearts. We are exceeding frail and indisposed to every gallant and virtuous undertaking. Grant, O Lord, that in thy good times we may bring our vessel safe into our desired haven: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Tuesday of the Week of Easter 7, Closing Prayer, Church Service Book)

Thank You, my Lord, for the gift of grace in my life. Grace has sustained me for all of my life, and I was so unaware of this for so long! But this grace began even before I was born. I did nothing to deserve it, I have done nothing to earn it, but I have received it. I suppose I could have rejected it? But I’m not really even 100% certain of that! I am, however, eternally grateful for it, and refuse to fall into the trap of thinking that my transformation is my work, or that it is contingent upon my own striving. What I do strive to do is stay connected, but, my dear Jesus, even that is so dependent upon Your faithfulness and love, because mine is fickle, at best. I am weak and inconsistent, and fail daily. But You are always there with me, walking beside me, behind me, in front of me . . . I am so very grateful!

Thank You, as well for my pastors who are so very faithful in their walks with You and their preaching of Your Word. Protect them, Lord, from error, from self-confidence, from getting too focused on self. And may we as their congregation, support them fully and faithfully, as well.

I thank You and pray these things in Your holy, precious, and most beautiful name, Amen!

For anyone who is interested, here is the excerpt to which I was referring.

“You have undertaken the office of bishop, and now, seated at the helm of the Church, you are steering the ship in the teeth of the waves. Hold fast to the rudder of faith, that you may not be shaken by the heavy storms of this world. The sea, indeed, is vast and deep, but do not fear for ‘He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waves.’ [Psalm 24:2]

“Rightly, then, the Church of the Lord amid all the seas of the world stands immovable, built, as it were, upon the apostolic rock. On that solid foundation it endures the force of the raging billows. The waves pour over it, but it is not shaken. Although this world’s elements often dash against it only to be thrown back with a mighty roar, still it offers a secure harbour of safety to receive the distressed. It is tossed on the sea, but rides the floods, and perhaps chiefly those floods of which it is said: ‘The floods have lifted up their voice.’ [Psalm 93] For there are rivers which shall flow out of the belly of him who has received to drink from Christ and partakes of the Spirit of God. These rivers, then, when they overflow with spiritual grace, lift up their voice.”
(For All the Saints, Tuesday of the Week of Easter 7, Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, A letter)

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters! Walk in His grace!

CHRIST IS EVERYTHING!!!

He Has Always Been There

May 18, 2026 Jeff

Today is Monday, the eighteenth day of May, 2026, in the seventh week of the season of Easter.

May the peace of the Lord be with you always!

It is day 138 of 2026, and there are 227 days left in the year.

Day 24,903 of my life

Six days until Pentecost Sunday.

Today is International Museum Day. Interesting fact. Our library has a Museum Pass that can be checked out for a week, that, I believe gets one into all of the main museums in Fort Worth. It is a very popular item.

It’s also I Love Reese’s Day. Now, I do love me some Reese’s peanut butter cups. But I will tell you a secret. H-E-B’s peanut butter cups are better.

Daily writing prompt

If you could erase one movie from your memory and watch it again for the first time, which one would it be?

View all responses

It’s hard to think of just one, because I believe there are several that would fall into that category. However, the first one that came to mind was Jurassic Park (the OG). It is still, over thirty years later, my all-time favorite movie. Another one, though, that came straight on its heels in my memory, was Amadeus. That will always be in my top five. It would be very cool to be able to watch either one of those again, for the first time.

Today is a work Monday for me, so I will be in the circulation department of the Hurst Public Library from 9:15-6:15. If you are in the area, come see me and get a library card! It’s free, and you don’t have to live in the city to get one. My library bestie will be working with me today, so that will be very cool.

Immediately after work, I must go to Grapevine, to the church, to practice my solo for this Sunday morning. We have a flautist that will be joining us, who is not a member, so she couldn’t practice with us yesterday. That shouldn’t take too long, though, so hopefully, I won’t be home too late. C will either get our dinner heated up or she might make a run to McDonald’s. I told her either one would be fine.

My first cup of coffee, this morning, is CAFE Olé by H‑E‑B Snickernut Cookie. The flavor is supposed to resemble a snickerdoodle cookie, I think (I still haven’t figured out what a “snickernut cookie” is). I think have maybe two or three more cups of this one, then I will go back to Cinnamon Hazelnut for this spot in the Favorite Five. My second cup is Costa Rica Volcanica, by Angelino’s. “Silky cacao, tropical fruit, & vibrant citrus notes.”

JESUS TIME

I thank You, heavenly Father, for the gift of rest and for the refreshment of body and soul that You have granted me in my worship of yesterday and my slumber of the night. I pray, make me ready to commit restored energies to the tasks that lie before me. Forgive me all my sins for Jesus’ sake, and purge from my heart all selfish desires and purposes which would wrongly use my gifts and powers. Grant that I may, day by day, put forth efforts pleasing to You, helpful to my fellowmen, and sufficient to provide for my daily needs. Keep me mindful that my service to men is service to You. Help me to remember that in all things my sufficiency is of You and that whatever I do is to be done to Your glory. Give me joy in my labor, sincerity in my service, and unselfishness in all my striving. Help me to be faithful in all things; for the sake of Him who died for me. Amen.
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 20, Monday Morning)

With You, Lord, I begin my task, praying You direct it. For Your aid and counsel, I ask, knowing You will perfect it. Every morn with You I rise, and when this day is ended, in Your name I will close my eyes and be to You commended (see LSB 869:1). Lord Jesus, may such words always jubilantly ring in my ears that I never lose confidence or hope. Amid the stresses that arise with work and life, let my heart not be filled with anxiety or impatience with You or others. Bless all my family and especially protect all those whose work is dangerous or life-threatening. Amen.
(Portals of Prayer, Prayer for Monday Morning)

Lord, send the power of your Holy Spirit upon us that we may remain faithful and do your will in our daily lives. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Monday of the Week of Easter 7, Opening Prayer)

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
(1 Timothy 6:6-8 ESV)

Today I am grateful:

For the level of contentment in my life at this time
That with Christ as my Shepherd, I lack for nothing
For a wonderful day of worship and fellowship, yesterday
For friendship
That God has been walking with me my whole life, through even the most ordinary and mundane parts, as well as through the confusing and unsettling parts

Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

I’m changing things up a little today. I’ve threatened to do in the past. We’ll see how it goes. As it turns out, though, I’m going to use the Scripture passage from today’s Psalm reading, to begin.

O God, when you went out before your people,
    when you marched through the wilderness, Selah
the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,
    before God, the One of Sinai,
    before God, the God of Israel.
Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;
    you restored your inheritance as it languished;
your flock found a dwelling in it;
    in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
(Psalms 68:7-10 ESV)

Here, we see the psalmist recollecting the events around Mt. Sinai when Moses was given the Ten Commandments. Earthquakes, lightning, thunder . . . so upsetting that Moses said, “I tremble with fear” (Hebrews 12:21).

And, as we approach Pentecost Sunday, we remember the scene on that first Pentecost, when disciples from all over were gathered together, and the Holy Spirit made His first appearance, birthing the Church. Tongues of fire, a rushing wind, quite a commotion.

But those kinds of events are few and far between. I mean, sure, we see a lot of them in the Old Testament, and we see miracles and other “disturbances” in the New. But the Lord tends to veil Himself “in the ordinary” (Chad Bird, Untamed Prayers). “Jesus typically shows up under simple, earthly things like words preached, baptismal waters outpoured, bread and wine consumed in the Lord’s Supper. . . . The divine extraordinary is camouflaged in the human ordinary.”

One event, though, of which there was nothing veiled “in the ordinary,” was the resurrection of Christ. Both the crucifixion and the resurrection were accompanied by earthquakes (Matt. 27:51-54; 28:2). Here was God for us, no longer on Sinai to boom down words of law, but to enliven us with words of hope, peace, and forgiveness from him who fulfilled the law in our stead.” (Bird)

Speaking of the Holy Spirit, that pouring out of the Holy Spirit was promised, as we know, centuries before Christ, by the prophet Joel.

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.”
(Joel 2:28-29 ESV)

Jesus, Himself, then gave a promise of the coming Spirit.

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”
(John 16:7 ESV)

And it is important to note the word “pour” in that OT prophecy. Not a sprinkle, not a little bit, but abundance. And, contrary to some erroneous teachings, the Holy Spirit is not “a bonus feature of the Christian life. Never an upgrade for the spiritually ambitious” (Jen Weaver, You Version Bible Plan – From Promise to Presence: 50 Days of Living the Resurrected Life). Our future in Christ always included His presence. God promised Himself to us. Always and forever.

And this promised presence is constant. Maybe I should have said “prevalent” or “pervasive” so I could be more alliterative, there. The promised presence is prevalent. Anyway . . . Not just in those “dramatic scenes of life – He is present in the ordinary ones, too” (Grant Fishbook, A Miracle Every Day). Ironically (if I’m using the word right), my pastor/sister/friend and I were talking about this very thing, last night. As we looked back at our past, she being raised Catholic and me Baptist, we agreed that we would not go back and change anything from that, because everything we have gone through has brought us to this exact moment. And the Lord has walked with us the entire time.

Sure, there are moments that don’t make sense, and times when it seemed that things were going awfully. But here we are, still standing, still breathing, still moving forward. Not an accident. The same God that walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden has been walking with us throughout our entire lives. Even when (and, perhaps, especially) we didn’t recognize His presence. God was with me, then, and He is with me, right now. And He will be with me for all eternity.

Almighty God, Merciful Father, who art the giver of all good, enable me to return Thee due thanks for Thy great mercies, for relief from diseases, for all the comforts and alleviations with Thou hast provided; and O my gracious God, make me truly thankful for the call by which Thou hast awakened my conscience, and summoned me to Repentance. Let not Thy call, O Lord, be forgotten or Thy summons neglected, but let the residue of my life, whatever it shall be, be passed in true contrition, and diligent obedience. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Monday of the Week of Easter 7, Closing Prayer, Samuel Johnson)

Thank You, my Christ, for Your continual presence in my life. I thank You for being there with me since the beginning. You have always been my Brother, a truth that I realized a few weeks ago, and You have been with me since I was born. I thank You for parents that instilled Your love into me, and taught me to love and trust You. I thank You for many friends along the way, who have walked with me. I especially thank You for the pastors that now lead me in this walk with You.

I also thank You that You are with us in all of the ordinary, mundane events of our lives, and that we can, like Brother Lawrence of days gone by, practice Your presence in the smallest of tasks, even things like washing dishes and cooking meals for people. Anything we do can be worship, when we keep our minds focused on You. Help me, Lord, to go through this day with that in mind. Remind me today, as I serve you at the public library, that everyone I encounter is created in Your image, and worthy of love and respect in Your name.

Thank You for the love that You have poured into me, and for the gift of Your Holy Spirit, and Your Word and Sacrament, which sustain me from week to week.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters! Walk in His presence!

CHRIST IS EVERYTHING!!!

Into the Light

May 17, 2026 Jeff

Today is Sunday, the seventeenth day of May, 2026 in the seventh week of the Easter season. It is the seventh and last Sunday of Easter.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Today is the fifteen month mensiversary of the beginning of my transformation.

It is day 137 of 2026, with 228 days remaining in the year.

Day 24,902 of my life

193 days until Thanksgiving!

Today is National Graduation Tassel Day. I think we may be celebrating graduates in one of our worship services, this morning. Today focuses on that swishy little dangly thing that hangs from the weird hat that graduates wear. It’s also Emergency Medical Services Day. If you know someone who does that, show them some love. And it’s National Idaho Day. Why May 17th? That’s a really good question.

Daily writing prompt

How do you stay motivated when learning something new?

View all responses

That’s also a really good question. At this stage of my life, it’s not difficult to stay motivated when learning something new, because if I’m learning something new, it’s because I really want to learn something new. For example, I’ve been learning Spanish for close to a year, now. One way I stay motivated is by doing it in community. I use an app to learn, and I have several friends who also use the app (they are not all learning Spanish; some are learning French and other languages). But the app makes a game out of it, so there are motivational “quests,” some of which involve my friends, and we also have “friend streaks” to keep alive, so we “nudge” each other, along the way.

Today, S and I have to be at church by 8:05, to practice with the choir and instrumental ensemble. We sing in both services. I also have a solo rehearsal between services. It is right after the first service, so I should be able to be present for most of the Sunday School class, as it is the final one for this season. Then, right after the choir sings in the second service, we will leave and pick up our grocery order on the way home.

My first cup of coffee, this morning, is CAFE Olé by H‑E‑B Taste of San Antonio, one of the Favorite Five. “For a trio of cinnamon, chocolate and vanilla flavors, try CAFE Olé by H-E-B Taste of San Antonio coffee.” My second cup is Moka Java, from Angelino’s. “Full-bodied with nutty and chocolate notes.”

JESUS TIME

Heavenly Father, who on this first of days called forth light out of darkness, shine into my soul with the power of Your love, give me a new heart, and create a clean spirit within me. Enlighten also my heart through Your Gospel to know You.

Glorious Savior, on this day You rose from death and the grave and proved Yourself the Redeemer of all the world; give me faith to trust You wholly for the forgiveness of all my sin, and grant me grace to rise to newness of life.

Holy Spirit, who on this day charged the Church with joyous faith and vigor, fill me also with Your healing, Your gift to speak, and Your strength to love.

O Holy Trinity, my glorious God, my strength and shield, set apart my heart to Your service this day, give to my worship sincerity and earnestness, and to my praise joy; grant that my fellow believers and I be kept at all times in the unity of faith, and refresh me with Your Word; in Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 18, Sunday Morning)

Heavenly Father, this is the day of resurrection and rest. Thank You for this day to hear Your living Word and obtain the blessed Sacrament of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ! Forgive me all my sins and prepare me rightly in heart and mind to joyfully receive all Your generous gifts so that I may serve You well in Your kingdom. Bless all pastors who powerfully proclaim the truth of Christ’s death and resurrection that all may come to repentance and new life! Bless Your church throughout the world in order that it may be a burning lamp, attracting all who see it to You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
(Portals of Prayer, Prayer for Sunday Morning)

Father, help us keep in mind that Christ our Savior lives with you in glory and promised to remain with us until the end of time. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Sunday of the Week of Easter 7, Opening Prayer)

“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
(John 7:38 ESV)
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
(Romans 11:33 ESV)

Today I am grateful:

For another opportunity to gather with the community of saints, worship the Lord, sing His praises, and be fed by Word and Sacrament
That rivers of living water flow out of my heart
For the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God
That I am not fighting for freedom, but learning to live from it
That it is promised: We WILL be like Him! (1 John 3:2)
For breathing new life into me!

Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

Psalm of the Day – Psalm 68:4-6

Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
    lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;
his name is the LORD;
    exult before him!
Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
    is God in his holy habitation.
God settles the solitary in a home;
    he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
    but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
(Psalms 68:4-6 ESV)

Untamed Prayers – Father of the Fatherless, by Chad Bird

“Our God is the ‘Father of the fatherless and protector of widows . . . [who] settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners into prosperity’ (Ps. 68:5-6). This does not mean, of course, that he is deaf to the prayers of millionaires, or that he leaves healthy, intact families to fend for themselves. No, our Father is concerned for all, from the highest to the lowest, the haves and the have nots. The lowest, however, such as widows and orphans, the hungry, and the weak, are often singled out as the special recipients of divine compassion – and as those who are to be the recipients of our compassion. The Lord is near to the broken-hearted; let’s make sure we are, too.”

“Father of the fatherless is he, as well as Friend of sinners. He makes us his own, fills us with his Spirit, and bids us love and care for those around us.”

For All the Saints – Sunday of the Week of Easter 7

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
(Exodus 3:1-12 ESV)

For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
(Hebrews 12:18-29 ESV)

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
(Luke 10:17-24 ESV)

“[Writing in a novel about the curate, Thomas Wingfold] The weeks passed and seemed to bring him no light, but only increased the earnestness of his search after it. He would have to find an answer before long, he thought, or he would have to no choice but to resign his curacy and look for a position as a tutor.

“Of course all this he ought to have gone through long ago. But how can a man go through anything till his hour is come? Wingfold had all this time been skirting the wall of the kingdom of heaven without even knowing there was a wall there, not to say seeing a gate in it. The fault lay with those who had introduced him to the church as a profession, just as they might introduce someone to the practice of medicine, or the bar, or the drapery business – as if the ministry were on the same level of choice with other human callings. Never had he been warned to take off his shoes for the holiness of the ground. And yet how were they to have warned him when they themselves had never discovered the treasure in that ground more holy than libraries, incomes, and the visits of royalty? As to visions of truth that make a man sigh with joy and enlarge his heart with more than human tenderness – how many of those men had ever found such treasures in the fields of the church? How many of them knew, except by hearsay, whether there be any Holy Ghost? How then were they to warn other men from the dangers of following in their footsteps and becoming such as they? Where in a community of general ignorance shall we begin to blame? Wingfold had not time to accuse anyone. He simply had to awaken from the paralyzing struggle between life and death. He thought afterward, when the time had passed, that surely in this period of darkness he had been visited and upheld by a power whose presence and even influence he was completely unaware of. He did not know how else he could have gotten through it. Strange helps had come to him from time to time. The details of nature wonderfully softened toward him, and for the first time he began to notice her ways and shows and to see in them all the working of a different humanity. He later remembered how a hawthorne bud once set him weeping; and how once, as he was walking miserably to church, a child looked up in his face and smiled. In the strength of that smile, he had been able to confidently approach the lectern. He never knew how long he had been the agony of his most peculiar birth – in which the soul is at the same time both the mother that bears and the child that is born.”
(George MacDonald, The Curate’s Awakening)

I include this excerpt from George MacDonald, today, because of its relevance to the day. Again, I note, it is the 15th mensiversary of the beginning of Christ’s transformation of me, that began in February of last year. And MacDonald’s excerpt seems so on point to that event. 60+ years, I went . . . I do believe I was “in Christ” through all of that, having been baptized into Him at the age of 9 (March 19, 1967). But missing so much, because I had no one to “mentor” me through all of that. Then I got to this Lutheran church, with this pastor of discipleship that blew into my life like a hurricane, with her vibrant, living love of Christ and His Word! Through her influence, the Holy Spirit began breathing new life into me, and hasn’t stopped since.

Jesus,
You came not to be ministered unto
    but to minister.
Your ministry was your presence,
    and it still is.
So we thank you for your presence
    among us and within us.
Since we are most ourselves
    when we are most attentive to you
    and obey you,
Help us to go about our daily business
    with your spirit
and to know that when we pray,
    it is you praying within us.
So may we carry out our ministry
    and yours.
Amen.
(For All the Saints, Sunday of the Week of Easter 7, Closing Prayer, John B. Coburn)

Thank You for loving me, Jesus; thank You for filling me with Your Spirit; thank You for teaching me to love others as You have loved me (I’m still learning that one). Thank You for being near to the broken-hearted and working on me to do the same. You are the Friend of sinners, of whom I am one of the worst. You have loved me, You have made me love You more than I ever have before, and You are helping me love others.

Thank You, thank You, thank You. And even though it often looks like the light is not making progress, not winning, You have kept on loving us. We have faith and confidence that the Light will win. The Light has come and shined into the darkness, and the darkness will never overcome it. You have loved us; we are the beloved, even though we are still sinners, and You have made lovers out of us.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Breathe it in, soak it up; You’re surrounded by beauty and love!”

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters! Drink deep of His love!

CHRIST IS EVERYTHING!!!

Christ Leads Us Forward

May 16, 2026 Jeff1 Comment

Today is Saturday, the sixteenth day of May, 2026, in the sixth week of the season of Easter.

May the peace of Christ dwell within you today!

It is day 136 of 2026, and there are 229 days left in the year.

Day 24,901 of my life

223 days until Christmas!

Today is World Wisky Day. That looks weird. I spell whiskey with an “e.” Oh, well. It’s also Wear Purple for Peace Day. I can do that. And I am going to leave the house today for something, but more on that later.

Today is also the official beginning of my library’s Summer Reading Club! This year’s theme is Dig Up A Story! If you live in Texas, you can get a Hurst Public Library card and join the challenge!

Daily writing prompt

What’s a book that completely surprised you?

View all responses

Speaking of reading! Probably my favorite topic. Maybe even more than music. But that’s a close call, there. A book that completely surprised me . . . there have been so many. I think I will say The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. I had no idea what to expect going into that book, and it totally floored me. I cried because it ended. I think it’s the first book that ever did that to me.

Today is an off-work-Saturday for me. C has successfully worked two days, this week, and gets to work from home on Monday, before heading back to the office for three consecutive days. We will have to make some adjustments to our Wednesday schedule, but our last choir practice has already happened, so Wednesday evenings will be clear for the summer. I will be cooking burgers for dinner tonight (that reminded me that I needed to get the meat out of the freezer!), and I will also be going to the kickoff event of the Summer Reading Challenge, which is happening at an area football field, from 10:00-1:00 today. So I’d better get moving with the devotionals.

My first cup of coffee is Cinnamon Twist, by Angelino’s. Very simply, “Cinnamon infused flavored coffee.” Probably my second-favorite of their varieties. My second cup is Mad Professor, also by Angelino’s. “Dark chocolate, nectarine & plum notes.”

JESUS TIME

I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me! Protected by Your mighty hand, I have passed the night. Lord, I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies You have shown me. As I thank You for all the gracious protection, I think of all those who are in sorrow and tribulation, in sickness, in poverty, in shame, in anguish of soul. I beseech You, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, to comfort my brothers and sisters with the assurance of Your unchanging grace and loving-kindness. Strengthen their faith. Preserve them from misbelief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Teach them to humble themselves under Your mighty hand by recognizing Your gracious purpose to work through tribulation patience, through patience experience, through experience hope that will not make them ashamed. Help all sufferers to best their trials until at last Your kingdom comes. Deliver us all from every evil work and preserve us unto Your heavenly kingdom; in the name of Jesus. Amen.
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 16, Saturday Morning)

Father, today is another gift from You. Every good thing I enjoy is from You, and I thank You for Your abundant blessings. All I own is Yours, to be used for Your good purposes and especially for the good of others. Where I would take these blessings and use them selfishly, move me instead to generosity, kindness, goodness, and love. Among the greatest gifts You’ve given me are the people in my life—especially my family, friends, and neighbors. I want them to know Your love and to feel cared for and blessed when they are with me. Fill me with Your Spirit that they see Jesus through me today. In His name. Amen.
(Portals of Prayer, Prayer for Saturday Morning)

Father, may we always give you thanks for raising Christ our Lord to glory, because we are his people and share the salvation he won, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Saturday of the Week of Easter 6, Opening Prayer)

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
(Hebrews 4:12 ESV)
The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
(Zephaniah 3:17 ESV)

Today I am grateful:

For the Word of God, living and active, molding me constantly until the day when I stand in His presence
That He is in our midst, loving us, singing over us (Zephaniah 3:17)
That God showed this love for us, in that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8)
That Christ goes before us, just as the ark went before Israel, leading us homeward, to our eternal reward, our Promised Land
For friendship

Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

Psalm of the Day – Psalm 68:1-3

God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered;
    and those who hate him shall flee before him!
As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;
    as wax melts before fire,
    so the wicked shall perish before God!
But the righteous shall be glad;
    they shall exult before God;
    they shall be jubilant with joy!
(Psalms 68:1-3 ESV)

Untamed Prayers – Let God Arise, by Chad Bird

When Israel finally left Mt. Sinai, the ark of the covenant led the way, according to Numbers 10:33. Whenever the ark would begin to move, Moses would sing out, “Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you” (Numbers 10:35).

That little chant was adapted into the opening line of Psalm 68. The NASB translates it, “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered, and let those who hate him flee before him.”

“The ark, where God was present for and with his people, where the blood of atonement was sprinkled on Yom Kippur, which encased the word of the Lord, and led the people forward, was a foreshadowing of Jesus. He is God for us and with us, the one ‘whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood’ (Rom. 3:25 NRSV), ‘the Word [who] became flesh and dwelt among us’ (John 1:14). He leads us forward through the wilderness of this life to the promised land of rest in his Father’s kingdom. All the wicked who reject him will perish, melting like wax in the fire. But those who are righteous in him, baptized into his body, shall exult everlastingly before God, jubilant with joy. Let God arise! Indeed, he has. Jesus has risen from the dead, and we live in him.”

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
(Ephesians 2:11-22 ESV)

A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for adversity.
(Proverbs 17:17 ESV)

A man of many companions may come to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
(Proverbs 18:24 ESV)

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 ESV)

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 straight your paths.
(Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV)

Lord, help me trust you even when your instructions challenge my pride or my plans. Give me the courage to obey you fully. Teach me to surrender my understanding and follow your wisdom. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
(Grant Fishbook, A Miracle Every Day)

My Lord, I do trust You; I trust You with my life, my family, my everything. All that I have belongs to You; I belong to You! I thank You for Your Word, Lord; Your Word is Truth; Your Word is Life! It is Life everlasting, and it endures for all time, Your steadfast love endures forever, just as Your Word will never pass away or fail us. Thank You, Lord! It is living and active and constantly at work within me to transform and mold me.

I thank You that You are in our midst, always; that You are constantly showering Your love down upon us and singing over us, as that beautiful verse in Zephaniah tells us. I will always trust You, Lord, and when that trust falters, I believe that You will stay near and that Your Spirit will remind me of that trust.

I thank You that Christ, our Savior, Your dear Son, goes before us, just as the ark went before Your people Israel, leading us to our Promised Land, our eternal inheritance, that cannot be corrupted or stolen from us. Keep me faithful, Lord, as I follow Christ in my life. Keep me walking in that easy yoke, into which He invited us.

I will give thanks to You, O Lord my god, with my whole heart, and I will glorify Your name forever. Thank You, thank you, thank You!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters! Drink deep of the love of God!

CHRIST IS EVERYTHING!!!

Blessings

May 15, 2026 Jeff

Today is Friday, the fifteenth day of May, 2026, in the sixth week of Easter.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

It is day 135 of 2026, with 230 days remaining in the year.

Day 24,900 of my life

Nine more days until Pentecost Sunday

It is National Bike to Work Day. I can tell you for sure that’s not happening. It’s a lot more likely that I would celebrate National Chocolate Chip Day. Or National Pizza Party Day. I wish I could celebrate National Work From Home Day, but at least C can do that.

Today’s writing prompt was something about building a fitness routine. The way I feel about “fitness” as a topic is summed up by this line from an old hymn, “Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy”:

Let not conscience make you linger,
nor of fitness fondly dream;
all the fitness He requireth
is to feel your need of Him.

Today, we are back to normal Fridays. I will be at the library computer center from 9:15-6:15. C is working from home. My first cup of coffee, this morning, is Jamaican Me Crazy, by Angelino’s, one of their top-selling flavors and one of my Favorite Five. “Caramel, vanilla, & chocolate flavored coffee.” The second cup is Banana Nut Bread, also from Angelino’s. It is a limited edition, “nutty banana bread flavored coffee.” Tonight’s dinner will either be one of the HEB Meal Simple family-sized meals or leftovers from last night. Based on how much everyone loved last night’s, I think I know what will be decided.

JESUS TIME

Send me, O Lord, into the tasks of this day with a rejoicing heart. Teach me to labor diligently, to eat and drink to Your glory, and to think and plan to the ends You have laid out before me. That I may be truly fitted for the day, remind me again of the mighty work of my Savior, Jesus Christ, who redeemed me and in whom my sin is forgiven and my place with You forever assured. Impress upon my heart this day that while there is nothing holy about my life, my speech, or my faith without Your grace and mercy surrounding me, that with You I can faithfully help my neighbor and be of service to him. Teach me to look upon my life today as yet another opportunity to serve my fellowmen. Let me see in the routine of my daily tasks, in the need of my family and those who depend on me, in the want and struggle of the world about me, the good work You have prepared in advance for me to do. Grant that I be ready to forgive, earnest in rejoicing with those who are happy, quick in sympathy, and zealous in bearing the burdens of my fellowman, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 14, Friday Morning)

Father, you have given us eternal life through Christ your Son who rose from the dead and now sits at your right hand. When he comes again in glory, may he clothe with immortality all who have been born again in baptism. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Friday of the Week of Easter 6, Opening Prayer)

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
(1 Corinthians 15:20 ESV)
Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
   will find life, righteousness, and honor.
(Proverbs 21:21 ESV)

Today I am grateful:

That we are not waiting for eternity to begin; our eternity began at the resurrection of Christ
That whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor
That the Lord is gracious to us, blesses us, and makes His face to shine upon us in the presence of Christ (Numbers 6; Psalm 67)
That God, being rich in mercy, has made us alive together in Christ (Ephesians 2)
That all of my efforts in devotion and prayer do not serve to bring God down to me; rather they lift me up to Him

Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

Psalm of the Day – Psalm 67

May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
that your way may be known on earth,
    your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you judge the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you!

The earth has yielded its increase;
    God, our God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
    let all the ends of the earth fear him!
(Psalms 67:1-7 ESV)

Untamed Prayers – May God Be Gracious to Us and Bless Us, by Chad Bird

Bird begins by referencing the Aaronic blessing from Numbers.

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
(Numbers 6:22-27 ESV)

But then, notice the similarities between that blessing and this psalm. It begins with the same verbs, “be gracious to us and bless us,” and “shine upon us.” And just as we hear each of those verbs with the name, “The LORD,” we see a threefold “God” in the last verse of the psalm. “God, our God . . . God shall bless us.”

“But an amazing universalization happens in Psalm 67, for this smile of God beams outward from Israel to every nation. As the Psalm says, ‘that your way may be known on earth . . . Your saving power among all nations’ (67:2; italics added). Thus, the whole earth stands graced, blessed, and enlightened before the beaming face of our loving God.

” . . . The Father makes his face to shine upon us when we look upon the face of his Son, who is lifted up upon the cross, to face our punishment, to have his face covered with the spit of enemies, and to face death itself as he defeats it in his resurrection.”

The Lord makes His face to shine upon us in the face of His Son, Jesus Christ.

And Hannah prayed and said,

“My heart exults in the LORD;
    my horn is exalted in the LORD.
My mouth derides my enemies,
    because I rejoice in your salvation.

“There is none holy like the LORD:
    for there is none besides you;
    there is no rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly,
    let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the LORD is a God of knowledge,
    and by him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
    but the feeble bind on strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
    but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
The barren has borne seven,
    but she who has many children is forlorn.
The LORD kills and brings to life;
    he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich;
    he brings low and he exalts.
He raises up the poor from the dust;
    he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes
    and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s,
    and on them he has set the world.

“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
    but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
    for not by might shall a man prevail.
The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces;
    against them he will thunder in heaven.
The LORD will judge the ends of the earth;
    he will give strength to his king
    and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
(1 Samuel 2:1-10 ESV)

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
(Ephesians 2:1-10 ESV)

On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
(Matthew 7:22-27 ESV)

“The Trinity is nigh unto all things, and yet not all things are nigh unto It. Only with holy prayers and pure minds and with souls prepare for union with the Godhead do we come nigh to It; for It is not in space, so as to be absent from any spot, or to move from one position to another, and to speak of It as omnipresent does not express this all-transcendent and all-embracing infinitude. But let us press on in prayer, always thirsting for the divine benignant rays.

“As if a luminous chain hung suspended from the heights of heaven and reached down to this world below, and we by seizing it, first with one hand, then with the other, seemed to be pulling it down, but in very truth instead of pulling it down, we found ourselves carried upward to the higher splendors of the shining rays.

“Or as if we were on a ship, clinging to the ropes which bound the ship to some rocks, and we were pulling on the ropes, but we would not be drawing the rocks toward our ship, but in very truth we would be pulling the vessel closer to the rocks.

“Or as if we were standing on a ship pushing away the rock on shore, but we would not be affecting the immovable rock, for in very truth we would be separating ourselves from it, and the more we push it, the more we would be warding it off.

“So it is, before every endeavor and especially those endeavors which concern divinity, we must begin with prayer: not to pull down to ourselves what is nigh both everywhere and nowhere, but to commend and unite ourselves to God by these invocations and remembrances.”
(Dionysius the Areopagite, De devinis Nominibus, III)

Lord of life, Thou art not the dead Christ, or we were of all men most miserable. Our tears are turned into joy as we remember Thy glory in Thy triumph over death and the grave, and say: “Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ In Thy triumph we mortals of yesterday can face death, the last enemy, rejoicing in the final and complete victory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Ascended Lord, fulfill in us the last promise of Christ and send upon us, we beseech Thee, the power of the Holy Spirit, that we may be witnesses to all men of Thy power, the Crucified, to lead captivity captive, and to receive gifts for men, and to give man life in abundance, Almighty God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shine in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of our Risen Ascended Lord, and make us to live in Him, the living One, who was dead and Lo! He is alive forevermore. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Friday of the Week of Easter 6, Closing Prayer, Henry S. Lunn)

One thing have I asked of the LORD,
    that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
    all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
    and to inquire in his temple.
(Psalms 27:4 ESV)

My Lord, I praise You for blessing us as You have. You have blessed us with Your grace; You have blessed us with the presence of Your face upon us, through our Savior. I thank You, my Lord for these blessings. I also thank You that, You allow me to draw near to You, not only allowing but encouraging, and making it possible for me to do so. It would be a simple thing for You to hide from us, if You so desired, Lord. But You do not; You do not hide from us, You are easy to find. I pray that all people would seek You, Lord, seeking Your face while You may be found, for there will come a day when there will be no more seeking. I am awed in Your presence, Lord; constantly surprised by the fact that You desire any fellowship or relationship with me. But You do, and have made it possible in Christ. I thank You for this, Lord. May all of my efforts continuously draw me closer to You, Lord. Let me not falter nor fail in my devotion to You, Lord.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters! Drink deep!

CHRIST IS EVERYTHING!!!

Come and Hear

May 14, 2026 Jeff

Today is Thursday, the fourteenth day of May, 2026, in the sixth week of Easter.

May the peace of the Lord be with you always!

It is day 134 of 2026, with 231 days left in the year.

Day 24,899 of my life

38 days until Father’s Day

Today is Ascension Day, the day that the Church celebrates the ascension of the resurrected Christ, as recorded in the first chapter of Acts. I have believed, for a number of years, that it is a quite underrated “holiday.” As a matter of fact, my church’s Thursday Morning Devotional just happens to be on the subject!

Daily writing prompt

What’s a classic book that you think is overrated?

View all responses

That’s easy for me. Or maybe not so easy, because I have more than one to choose from. But I’m going to pick one, because I do intend to give the other one a second chance. The one I am picking is Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger. I read that a couple years ago, as I have made it a goal to read at least one “classic” novel each year. I have read Jane Eyre, East of Eden, The Once and Future King, and the above-mentioned book in recent years, as well as The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, by Anne Bronte (I loved that one, by the way).

Not only do I not comprehend what the big deal about Catcher is, I can’t even figure out why it was “banned.” (Of course, things are quite different now, than they were in the fifties, I suppose.) Holden Caulfield is one of the most annoying, self-indulgent characters I have ever read in a book. I literally hated his character and felt no empathy with him whatsoever. Was that the point? Was that the author’s intent?

Today is a banner Thursday. C has gone back to the office, today, for the first time since her hip-replacement surgery in January! I have received word that she made it there just fine, but haven’t heard from her since then. A few things have changed since she went out for surgery, so I’m hoping her adjustment period won’t be too strenuous. She’s supposed to be having a big meeting, probably as I am writing this, with her old boss and new boss together (not really “new,” per se, just different).

I’m off work today, as usual, and will be back at the library tomorrow. Our Summer Reading Club kicks off this Saturday, which is our big event for the year. I will be taking S to get her weekly shot before noon, at which time we will, of course, stop by Sonic for our ubiquitous drinks. Tonight’s dinner will be Cowboy Spaghetti, with a side of Grandma’s Corn Pudding, and maybe a salad.

Today’s first cuppa is CAFE Olé by H‑E‑B Taste of DFW. My favorite of all of the flavors that I have, and number one of the Favorite Five. I guess that was a bit redundant. And it’s not like I get paid by the word, here. Or at all. “Offering the delicious flavor of caramel, chocolate and pecans, CAFE Olé by H-E-B Taste of DFW coffee is a medium roast variety.” The second cuppa is Golden Peach Cobbler, by Angelino’s, a limited edition. “Peach cobbler flavored coffee.”

JESUS TIME

Lord Jesus, by Your regenerating grace given in Baptism, You have made me a new creature through Your redeeming blood. I confess to You, Searcher of hearts, that in me also, that is in my sinful flesh, dwells all manner of evil thoughts, wicked desires, and sinful wishes. This evil is with me constantly and tarnishes my best efforts to do Your will; it plagues my conscience with guilt and shame. I come to You this morning confessing my own weakness and asking You, for the sake of Your suffering and death, to forgive me, to overlook my shortcomings, and to help me in my daily struggle against the old sinful nature. Do not let my flesh direct my thoughts and actions. Lovingly strengthen me so that I can daily put off the old man and all that he works against me, and put on the new man born in Baptism and created after You in righteousness and holiness. Daily make me purer in my desires, cleaner in my speech, and holier in my actions, so that I may be blameless in Your sight and a shining light in the world until You call me home and to perfection. Amen.
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 12, for Thursday Morning)

Omnipotent, heavenly Father, as I awake to a new dawn, I entrust my life to Your care and favor. I thank You for another day to serve You. The apostle Paul exhorts, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5); may my thoughts be fixed on You. As my body is Your temple, enable me to remember that my physical life is not my own, but is Yours. As my soul can find satisfaction only with faith in Christ, help me to bring honor and glory to Him in both word and deed. In the name of Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, I pray. Amen.
(Portals of Prayer, Prayer for Thursday Morning)

Lord Jesus, we confess that as a man You lived a perfect life for us. You then died our death for us, and You guaranteed our resurrection by rising from the dead, and ascended—as man—for us. We praise You, for You now intercede on our behalf, understanding our infirmities as a man and taking our cares before God as His eternal Son. With heaven now our home, help us to approach Your throne of grace in prayer. In Your name. Amen.
(Portals of Prayer, The Ascension of our Lord, May 14)

Father, at your Son’s ascension into heaven you promised to send the Holy Spirit on your apostles. You filled them with heavenly wisdom: fill us also with the gift of your Spirit. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(For All the Saints, The Ascension of Our Lord, Opening Prayer)

For you formed my inward parts;
   you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
   my soul knows it very well.
(Psalms 139:13-14 ESV)
“Behold, God is my salvation;
     I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song,
     and he has become my salvation.”
(Isaiah 12:2 ESV)

Today I am grateful:

That I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and that I know, well, how wonderful are Your works, O Lord
That You are constantly searching my heart, and that You know my thoughts; nothing is hidden from You!
That You are my salvation, my strength, and my song
For everything that Christ has done for my soul; “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.” (Psalm 66:16)
For the ascension of Christ, which resulted in the coming of the Holy Spirit to dwell within us

Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

Psalm of the Day – Psalm 66:13-20

I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
    I will perform my vows to you,
that which my lips uttered
    and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals,
    with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah

Come and hear, all you who fear God,
    and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
I cried to him with my mouth,
    and high praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
    the Lord would not have listened.
But truly God has listened;
    he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Blessed be God,
    because he has not rejected my prayer
    or removed his steadfast love from me!
(Psalms 66:13-20 ESV)

Untamed Prayers – I Will Tell What He Has Done for My Soul, by Chad Bird

“I like to imagine the thief on the cross, when he died and opened his eyes in the presence of God, telling every person who would listen, ‘So there I was, a few feet away from Jesus! I was slipping closer and closer to death, when, suddenly, I gasped, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” And look, here I am, just like he said!’ (Luke 23:39–43). That forgiven criminal would be living out, in heaven, the words of Psalm 66:16, ‘Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.’

“What has he done for your soul? When you say these words, ‘God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer,’ what do you think of (66:19)? That day there was a pile-up on the interstate directly in front of you, you cried out to Jesus, and escaped without a scratch? That month you were in and out of the hospital, when the whole church interceded for you, then you fully recovered? Or that year of hellish grief, when life felt unlivable, when all your prayers were unworded moans and unstoppable tears—that year in which God carried you through into hope again? What has he done for your soul?

“Christ has done more for our souls than a million books could recount. He has created and redeemed us, filled our lives with undeserved blessings, and answered our every plea for mercy and forgiveness. ‘Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!’ (66:20). For those who cherish not iniquity but cherish Jesus in their hearts (Ps. 66:18), who are one with him, our Father is all ears. Even everlasting life in the resurrection will not be enough time to tell of what he has done, is doing, and will do, for us, his beloved children.”

I’ve told my story here, many times, and no doubt will tell it again. But this imagination of the thief on the cross resonates very hard with me. And that line, “Christ has done more for our souls than a million books could recount,” says it very well. John, the apostle, said in his own Gospel, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (21:25). This is true, even, of what He has done just for me. Were I to begin at the start of my life, I would not live long enough on this earth to tell the story. In fact, I would not even be able to remember it all!

Suffice it to say that the love of Christ is all to me. Christ is everything, I say, again and again and again, ever since those words came out of my pastor’s mouth in March of last year (2025). I will say that, with all the conviction I can muster, for the rest of eternity, and when I finally stand before Him, I will cling to His feet the way Mary Magdalene did in the garden on that Resurrection morn. I cannot overstate my love for Christ and my gratitude for all He has done for me.

“I love to tell the story
‘Twill be my theme in glory
To tell the old, old story
Of Jesus and His love”
(Arabella K. Hankey)

“As I looked,

thrones were placed,
    and the Ancient of Days took his seat;
his clothing was white as snow,
    and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames;
    its wheels were burning fire.
A stream of fire issued
    and came out from before him;
a thousand thousands served him,
    and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
the court sat in judgment,
    and the books were opened.

“I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

“I saw in the night visions,

and behold, with the clouds of heaven
    there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
    and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
    and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
    which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
    that shall not be destroyed.”
(Daniel 7:9-14 ESV)

For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere,

“What is man, that you are mindful of him,
     or the son of man, that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
     you have crowned him with glory and honor,
     putting everything in subjection under his feet.”

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying,

“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
     in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again,

“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
(Hebrews 2:5-18 ESV)

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:16-20 ESV)

I share these Scriptures simply for the relevance to the day. As I read that passage from Daniel 7, this morning, I was moved to tears. Just as I wrote yesterday, I continue to focus on how severely underrated Christ is in our world, today. Even among fellow Christians, I believe that Christ is sorely underrated.

Almighty Lord God, grant to us who believe that Thy only Son, our Saviour, ascended this day into Heaven, that we too, in spirit may walk and dwell with Him in the heavenly life, through the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(For All the Saints, The Ascension of our Lord, Closing Prayer, Martin Luther)

I thank You, my Jesus, for all that You have done for me, including ascending to heaven after You appeared to many of Your disciples after Your resurrection. Thank You for the appearance of the Holy Spirit, which we will be celebrating in less than two weeks, now. I could spend the rest of my days on this earth, and all of my “time” in eternity thanking You for all You have done for me, and it would not be enough. I love You so much, my Jesus! You are truly everything to me, and I pray that all of my brothers and sisters would see the same thing, Lord, in You. I pray that Your worth would be magnified and glorified in all the earth, Lord, before You finally return to take us Home, so that, where You are, we may also be.

I long so much for the day when I will stand in Your presence, my Lord. Until then, You dwell within me and other believers as we are Your holy temple, Lord. Keep working in me, my Lord, rebuilding the ruins that the destroyer ruined, and helping me to resist the temptations that would come against the marvelous work You have done in me. Make me even more willing to endure discomfort, suffering, and even death for Your honor, my dear Savior. Let nothing take precedence over You in my life.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters! Come and hear!

CHRIST IS EVERYTHING!!!

Underrated

May 13, 2026 Jeff1 Comment

Today is Wednesday, the thirteenth day of May, 2026, in the sixth week of Easter.

May the peace of Christ dwell within you today!

It is day 133 of 2026, and there are 232 days left in the year.

Day 24,898 of my life.

52 days until July 4th

Today is Leprechaun Day. I’m not sure why it’s May 13. At any rate, it’s a day to celebrate Irish folklore, as the tiny beings date all the way back to the 8th century. If nothing else, eat some Lucky Charms today! They’re magically delicious!

Daily writing prompt

Who are some underrated people in history?

View all responses

You. All of you. Most of us are underrated. We constantly pay homage to the rich, famous, and/or powerful, while the majority of us are behind the scenes doing all of the real work of the world. All of the noise, you notice, is made by a few people (and this really doesn’t depend, even, on who you agree with).

And I’ll tell you something else. Jesus is underrated. Even though there are a lot of people in this world who worship Him and love Him, He is still underrated. He is underrated and misunderstood, and He is abused, constantly, even by people who claim to follow Him. If Jesus Christ were truly appreciated and revered for Who and What He truly is, the world would be a much different place. And someday, it will be exactly that.

Today is a normal Wednesday, but, if all goes well tomorrow, “normal” will change soon. I am off work and C is at home, but is planning to go back to the office tomorrow. If that goes well, and she can maintain the schedule, she will be at the office Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and working from home Monday and Friday, going forward.

S and I have our last choir practice of the season, tonight, and will be singing with the choir in both services, this Sunday

The first cup of coffee, this morning is CAFE Olé by H‑E‑B Snickernut Cookie. “Inspired by the taste of Snickernut cookies.” I can only assume that “snickernut” must be some obscure reference to snickerdoodles. The second cup is Midnight Blueberry Mocha, by Angelino’s, my favorite of the Limited Editions. “Dark chocolate covered blueberry flavored coffee.” Tonight’s dinner (unless the plan changes) will be Chicken Taco Rice Skillet, from the Emily Bites website.

JESUS TIME

Lord Jesus, You have chosen me out of the world to be Your own in time and in eternity. Though I am no longer of this world, You have not yet taken me out of this earthly tent into my eternal home. I am still in this world surrounded by dangers I cannot begin to number and exposed constantly to temptation. Let me never forget that this world will end with all its evil pleasures and only those who do the will of God will abide forever. Increase and preserve in me that faith in You and in Your redeeming work which is the victory that overcomes the world. Give me that fervent love that would not think of choosing the things of this world – its riches, its glories, and its pleasures – and on their account forgetting You and Your salvation. Teach me to despise the world’s mockery, its hatred, and its threats, knowing that even if it should succeed in depriving me of some advantage in this life, it can never rob me of You and Your promise of life forever at Your side. While I yet travel through life, preserve me in the faith that claimed me as a child of Your heavenly household, until that time when You would receive me into my heavenly home. Amen.
(Lutheran Prayer Book, Prayer 10, for Wednesday morning)

Lord, as we celebrate your Son’s resurrection, so may we rejoice with all the saints when he returns in glory, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Wednesday of the Week of Easter 6, Opening Prayer)

He has told you, O man, 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?
(Micah 6:8 ESV)

Today I am grateful:

That my future with God, my relationship with Christ is not fragile; it is not based on my consistency, but on His decision; when Christ walked out of the grave, that was not the beginning of God’s intention toward me; it was the unveiling of what had already been set in motion
That what God requires of me is to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him (Micah 6:8)
For the wise people that God has put into my life, for me to walk with
That He speaks to me in the silence of the heart
That Christ is EVERYTHING!

Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

Psalm of the Day – Psalm 66:1-12

Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
   sing the glory of his name;
   give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
   So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
All the earth worships you
   and sings praises to you;
   they sing praises to your name.” Selah

Come and see what God has done:
   he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
He turned the sea into dry land;
   they passed through the river on foot.
There did we rejoice in him,
   who rules by his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations—
   let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

Bless our God, O peoples;
   let the sound of his praise be heard,
who has kept our soul among the living
   and has not let our feet slip.
For you, O God, have tested us;
   you have tried us as silver is tried.
You brought us into the net;
   you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
you let men ride over our heads;
   we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.
(Psalms 66:1-12 ESV)

Untamed Prayers – All the Earth Worships You, by Chad Bird

In this psalm, we see both a universality and a specificity. First, we see the universality of all creation worshiping Him. “The Lord of the Bible is not fenced in by national borders, tethered on a leash to this or that limited chunk of real estate, like other ancient Near East deities were. Rather, the entire globe is replete with his glory.

“Second, the driving reason behind this cosmic praise [is] the specific saving acts that he performs for his people. We do not praise God simply because he is some big and strong divinity who draws the sun across the sky or sows the fields of the heavens with stars, grand though that is. No, he is very specifically the God who redeems us in historic, tangible ways. ‘Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot’ (66:5-6). . . .

“What Psalm 66 does, with this twofold focus on universality and specificity, leads directly into the work of Christ for us. In this one man, in one lifetime, through his one baptism, one ministry, one arrest, one crucifixion, and one resurrection – through this very specific, highly focused activity of God in Jesus for us, the praise of the Father ripples outward to the entire world. Shout aloud to God, all the earth, for the God of all the earth has come down to us. This first-century Jewish rabbi from Nazareth, who is simultaneously God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, he is the praise of all the earth, for all the earth has been reconciled to the Father in him.”

See? Underrated.

“What made all the earth has been
Forgotten even by the ones disposed to know.
Perhaps a list of what was done for Jacob’s children helps:
The Red Sea parted, they crossed dry shod,
Following the smoke and fire pillar placed before them.
Stranger prophets could not curse them.
Basic appetites would test them, thirst and hunger
Make them falter, long for Egypt’s slave abundance.
Forty years a generation wandered looking backward, disappeared.

I appear before the book God gave to Moses
With full hands, with promises made when
I could not know I would be able, kept:
The ox, the goat, the lamb, the song of praise.
God heard the music of my heart. I leapt.”
(Laurance Wieder, Words to God’s Music, Psalm 66: WORSHIP)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him.
(Ephesians 1:3-10 ESV)

“Any alleged Christianity which fails to express itself in gaiety, at some point, is clearly spurious. The Christian is gay, not because he is blind to injustice and suffering, but because he is convinced that these, in the light of the divine sovereignty, are never ultimate. He is convinced that the unshakeable purpose is the divine rule in all things, whether of heaven or earth (Eph. 1:10). Though he can be sad, and often is perplexed, he is never really worried. The well-known humor of the Christian is not a way of denying the tears, but rather a way of affirming something which is deeper than tears.

“The consequences of Christ’s rejection of the dismal are great, not only for the common life, but also for theology. If Christ laughed a great deal, as the evidence shows, and if He is what He claimed to be, we cannot avoid the logical conclusion that there is laughter and gaiety in the heart of God. The deepest conviction of all Christian theology is the affirmation that the God of all the world is like Jesus Christ. Because the logical development is from the relatively known to the relatively unknown, the procedure is not from God to Christ, but from Christ to God. If we take this seriously we conclude that God cannot be cruel, or self-centered or vindictive, or even lacking in humor.”
(D. Elton Trueblood, The Humor of Christ)

Obviously, Trueblood’s usage of the word “gay” is in the classic sense. Again, though, we see the underratedness of Jesus Christ in this world. Lift Him high, for Christ is EVERYTHING!

O King of Glory and Lord of Valors, our warrior and our peace, who has said ‘Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world,’ be thou victorious in us thy servants. Grant thy compassion to go before us, thy compassion to come behind us: before us in our undertaking, behind us in our ending. And what shall I now say, unless thy will be done, who dost will that all should be saved? Thy will is our salvation, our glory and our joy. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Wednesday of the Week of Easter 6, Closing Prayer, Alcuin of York)

My Jesus, I love Thee! You are everything, my Lord! And oh, how the world ignores You! I will make it my life’s work to magnify and glorify You, my Jesus. My heart’s desire is to see You high and lifted up in this world, magnified to the place of ultimate worship that You deserve, for You have done all for us! Because of You, we know the Father. Because of You we have access to Him and the throne of grace, that we might find help in our times of weakness (which is all the time). I am so weak, my Lord, but You are strong, and in my weakness, You are made stronger. All praise and glory to You, my Christ, for You are everything! You are everything in this world, and everything to me! I pray that You be high and lifted up in this world, Lord. Oh, Christ, come soon, that You may take Your place as the Most High God in all the world!

I love You, Jesus, and am eternally grateful for all You have done for me, in me, and through me, and all that You will do. Thank You, thank You, thank You!

In Your holy, precious, and most beautiful name I pray, amen!

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters! Lift Him HIGH!

CHRIST IS EVERYTHING!!!

Praying for All

May 12, 2026 Jeff4 Comments

Today is Tuesday, the twelfth of May, 2026, in the sixth week of Easter.

May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in all ways!

It is day 132 of 2026, and there are 233 days remaining in the year.

Day 24,897 of my life

118 days until Labor Day!

By the way, in case anyone is interested, the site I use to calculate/find these dates is called Epoch Converter. It tracks every day number of the year and can tell you how many days, hours, minutes, and seconds have elapsed between any two dates. It is pretty cool in the most nerdy way.

Today is International Nurses Day. Nurses are very important. I had some very good ones in my recent stay in the hospital, back in January, when I received my pacemaker. If you know any, show some gratitude today.

Ooh. It’s also National Limerick Day. I always celebrate that! I tried to find some “biblical” limericks, and after looking at a handful of sites, determined that none of the poets represented truly understand what a limerick is. They all had five lines, but the syllabic content was atrocious.

There once was a man named Zaccheus
Who was really too short to see Jesus
He climbed up a tree
The Savior to see
And wound up at table with Jesus

Okay, so I rhymed the same word twice. I couldn’t think of anything else. But I’m an amateur, at best, so there.

Daily writing prompt

What are the biggest benefits of minimalist living?

View all responses

Hard for me to say, because I’m not really into “minimalist living.” I’ve heard of . . . whassername? Maria Kondo? The one who says we should have, at the most, THIRTY books in my home??? I don’t need that kind of negativity! But truly, I think the best benefit of living minimally would be not letting “stuff” have a grip on us. While I am not even remotely practicing minimalist living, in the last decade, all the stuff in my house has much less importance to me. It is, after all, just stuff and nothing more. “You can’t take it with you,” and anything you can’t take with you is expendable. In my eyes, it all belongs to God, so it’s His to do with as He pleases. If He wants me to give it away, I will. One of my favorite Rich Mullins lines is in a song called “If I Stand,” where he wrote, “The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance I owe only to the giver of all good things.”

Today is a normal Tuesday for me, once again. I am planning to go to my shift at the library, this evening, from 4:15-6:15, where I will be working in the computer center. I don’t know if my bestie who had an appendectomy last week will be there or not. She has also found out that her dog is dying, so she’s having a rough time of it right now.

Lunch today will be grilled cheese sandwiches with Meal Simple Broccoli Cheddar Soup (H-E-B). This may be the last Tuesday that C is home for lunch, as she is planning to try to go back to work on Thursday. If that is successful, she will be at the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and working from home on Mondays and Fridays.

Today’s first cuppa Joe is CAFE Olé by H‑E‑B Taste of San Antonio. “For a trio of cinnamon, chocolate and vanilla flavors, try CAFE Olé by H-E-B Taste of San Antonio coffee.” The second cup is Costa Rica Volcanica, by Angelino’s. “Silky cacao, tropical fruit, & vibrant citrus notes.”

Here’s my coffee cup for this week.

JESUS TIME

In Holy Baptism, O triune God, You entered into my heart and made it Your temple and dwelling-place. Keep me always mindful of this high distinction. Whenever Satan seeks to seduce me to sin, to neglect Your Word and will, to dishonesty, selfishness, and envy, help me to resist him in Your strength, to beat back his attacks and obtain the victory. Father in heaven, let me never forget that I am Your child and that Satan’s only purpose is to separate me from You. O Savior, Jesus Christ, keep Your bitter suffering ever before me, so that I hate and abhor every sin, no matter how small it may seem. O Holy Spirit, who has regenerated me, keep me in this newness of life, and let not Satan lure me back into the way that leads to eternal damnation. Triune God, keep me constant in Your means of grace – the Word and Sacraments – that in the power of Your might I may be able to withstand in the evil day and, having done all, to stand. Hear me for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 8, Tuesday Morning)

God our Father, may we look forward with hope to our resurrection, for you have made us your sons and daughters, and restored the joy of our youth. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Tuesday of the Week of Easter 6, Opening Prayer)

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
(Romans 10:9-10 ESV)
The wise of heart is called discerning,
and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
(Proverbs 16:21 ESV)

Today I am grateful:

That I have believed in my heart and confessed with my mouth that Jesus is Lord
That even though He has left this place to prepare a place for me in our Father’s house, He has not left me an orphan
That the Cross was not an interruption in the plan; it was the path through which it is secured
That there is one mediator between God and man, and that is Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as a ransom for all people
That “sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness”
That You, Lord, are working in ways that I could never imagine

Lord, in Your mercy, hear, now, the prayers lifted up to you for all who need strength, healing, comfort, and peace. 

If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop and pray for someone, at this time. Or, if there is something on your heart, please leave a comment. What can I pray for you?

Psalm of the Day – Psalm 65

Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed.
O you who hear prayer,
to you shall all flesh come.
When iniquities prevail against me,
you atone for our transgressions.
Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!

By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas;
the one who by his strength established the mountains,
being girded with might;
who stills the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples,
so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.

You visit the earth and water it;
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide their grain,
for so you have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.
(Psalms 65:1-13 ESV)

For All the Saints – Tuesday of the Week of Easter 6

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
(1 Timothy 2:1-6 ESV)

“For this reason Jeremiah, chapter xxix, commanded the people of Israel to pray for the city and land of Babylon, because in the peace thereof they should have peace. And Baruch i: ‘Pray for the life of the king of Babylon and for the life of his son, that we may live in peace under their rule.’

“This common prayer is precious and the most powerful, and it is for its sake that we come together. For this reason also the Church is called a House of Prayer, because in it we are a congregation with one accord to consider our need and the needs of all men, present them before God, and call upon Him for mercy. But this must be done with heart-felt emotion and sincerity, so that we feel in our hearts the need of all men, and that we pray with true sympathy for them, in true faith and confidence. Where such prayers are not made in the mass, it were better to omit the mass. For what sense is there in our coming together into a House of Prayer, which coming together shows that we should make common prayer and petition for the entire congregation, if we scatter these prayers and so distribute them that everyone prays only for himself, and no one has regard for the other, nor concerns himself for another’s need? How can that prayer be of help, good, acceptable, and a common prayer, or a work of the Holy Day and of the assembled congregation, which they make who make their own petty prayers, one for this, the other for that, and have nothing but self-seeking selfish prayers, which God hates?”
(Martin Luther, Treatise on Good Works)

As followers of Christ, we have a responsibility, nay, a command, to pray for all people, including those in positions of leadership, regardless of whether we agree with them or not! I still remember a member of a friend’s congregation posting on Facebook that he refused to pray for an “illegitimate president,” back in 2020. (This is not a political post, so I will entertain no positions/opinions on that election, here.) ALL Christians have an obligation to pray for the peace and well-being of the nation in which they live, just as Israel had an obligation to pray for the peace of Babylon when they were in exile. Not only were they told to pray for the Babylonian rulers, they were also told to live their lives as though everything was normal.

So pray for our leaders, whether they be Democrat, Republican, or other. Pray good things for them (praying for them to die or be removed from office doesn’t count). Pray for their success, because if they succeed, then the nation succeeds. But most of all, pray for their salvation; pray for the love of Christ to be poured out on them, and that they would see the light of Christ and be saved. And do it sincerely.

And just so you know, I’m preaching to myself, here, too. I confess that I am not always faithful to do this, as I am quite weary of politics, these days, and that colors my state of mind about everything. So I pray for Christ’s mercy and love to keep filling me up so that I can overflow into all around me and pray with heartfelt sincerity, and without ceasing, as Christ commands me to.

O Merciful Father in heaven, Who holdest in Thy hand all the might of man, and Who hast ordained the powers that be for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well, and of Whom is all rule and authority in the kingdoms of the world: We humbly beseech Thee, graciously regard Thy servants, the President of the United States, the Governor of this Commonwealth, our Judges and Magistrates, and all the Rulers of the earth; that all who receive the sword, as Thy ministers, may bear it according to Thy commandment; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
(For All the Saints, Tuesday of the Week of Easter 6, Closing Prayer, Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church)

Indeed, Lord Christ, help us all to be obedient to the commands of Your Word, to be in pray for all people, especially those in high places, and that we would pray for the peace of the land in which we live and for the success of the leaders. Let us not pray for the advancement of human agendas, Lord, but let us be faithful in praying for the advancement of Your kingdom in this world. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters! Pray for all, because

CHRIST IS EVERYTHING!!!