Today is Sunday, the seventh day of June, 2026, in the Season of the Church.
May the peace of God embrace you today and may You feel His love for you.
It is day 158 of 2026, with 207 days remaining in the year.
Day 24,923 of my life
21,630 days since I was baptized into Christ
Four days until the Feast of St. Barnabas, Apostle
Today is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day!!! Woot!! That’s it. What more do we need?
What? I don’t worry about that. I’ve said before that this whole thing originally started as an online journaling project (on a different site, many years ago). I couldn’t care less how many “loyal subscribers” I have. That being said, there are a few of you out there that I really love, who do at least look over here most days. I think you know who you are. I’m afraid to start tagging, because I don’t want to forget anyone. Anyway, I would keep writing this, even if there were no subscribers, on the hopes that one person might “randomly” stumble across this and maybe their life might be transformed.
This is my pebble in the lake, rippling outward. *wink wink nudge nudge* I hope that the person that that is directed at gets it. 💜
This morning went well. Yes, I have already been to church and back, had lunch, ordered groceries, and so on. It’s after 4:30 PM, at the moment. I will still paste in the “morning” prayers, though, as this is still reflective my morning Jesus Time. Church was good. In fact, the more I reflect on it, the better it was. The sermon was great (although the pastor said it was better in the early service), the music was good, and I always love getting to read the Scripture readings. And, of course, there was Communion, which is always wonderful.
C and I may go get some ice cream soon. Maybe CHOCOLATE!!
My first cup of coffee, this morning, is CAFE Olé by H‑E‑B Medium Roast Cinnamon Hazelnut. This favorite of mine is back in the Favorite Five lineup. My second cup is Crème Brûlée, by Angelino’s, another new flavor for me (I think . . . I don’t remember ever trying this one, before). “Creamy vanilla bean custard flavored coffee.” It has a lovely aroma and a very nice flavor. Lunch today was from Pizza Buzz. Love their pizza!
JESUS TIME
Lord God, You are the Almighty One who fills all eternity and whose name is holy. Yet You have assured us that You dwell with each baptized believer in Christ. On this first day of the week, I pray that all who hear Your holy Word would experience the fulfillment of that promise.
By Your holy Gospel enter my heart and make it Your own dwelling place. As Your holy Word is being preached and Your holy Sacraments given to me, let me receive Your grace with a believing heart, that being so strengthened I may be not only a hearer of Your Word, but also a doer of Your will to my neighbor.
Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation and give me the strength to put into practice what I have heard and confessed. Keep me a humble learner for as many days as You give me on earth, and then receive me into the heavenly home You have prepared for me; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Redeemer. Amen.
(Lutheran Book of Prayer, Prayer 4, 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)
God of wisdom and love, source of all good, send your Spirit to teach us your truth and guide our actions in your way to peace. 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 Pentecost 2, Opening Prayer)
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God. . . .
For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.
(Psalms 90:2, 4 ESV)
Today I am grateful:
- For the opportunity to gather with the community of saints to worship the Lord, hear the absolution of my sins declared, and be fed with Word and Sacrament, as His Word is preached and His Body and Blood shared in Holy Communion
- For the opportunity to read His Word in today’s worship service
- That from everlasting to everlasting, You are God
- That the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6)
- That this day, my life, and all things belong to You, Lord
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 73:1-12
Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them as a garment.
Their eyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
Therefore his people turn back to them,
and find no fault in them.
And they say, “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.
(Psalms 73:1-12 ESV)
Untamed Prayers, I Was Envious of the Arrogant, by Chad Bird
Bird begins this one by quoting Matthew 5:8 (which, ironically, is the You Version VotD today): “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” And in Psalm 73:1, Asaph writes that God is good to those who are “pure in heart.” But we have a huge problem. Our hearts are anything but pure. And Asaph, himself, even illustrates this with his struggle with envy. “He almost sulks because unbelievers have it way too easy on this life (73:4-12).”
But why should we care about the success of the unrighteous?? Why does that matter to us? Ultimately, it is because, in our flesh (remember Romans 8:6 up there?) we desire what they have. That is the very essence of envy . . . Desiring what someone else possesses. Do we even stand a chance?
“Indeed, we do, when we stand beneath the one who himself was pure in heart for us. There is no clearer picture of the fulfillment of all the beatitudes than our Lord on the cross: poor in spirit, mourning, meek, pure in heart, being the blessed one that we, by faith in him, might be blessed, too. Let us repent, therefore, of our envy, the impurity of our hearts, and cast ourselves upon the mercy of Jesus, praying, ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God’ (51:10).”
That right there was a little bit of a “whoosh” for me, this morning, as I reflected on Jesus’s fulfilling of His own teaching. 💜
“Here’s a picture of the bad ones I once envied:
Everything came easily: they did not need
To work to make their living, want
A catchy line, an angle to find lovers or companions
At the dining table: tan and fit from laps and basking
Poolside, they order drinks and gaze at the deep sky,
Chuckle at the devil, protest unjust god:
Superstitions meant for dimlit losers.
They eat the land bare, suck the ocean
Dry as though they had it in their goblet, tall
And frosted, with their tongues’ tips swish
Strong currents of the deep.”
(Excerpt from Laurance Wieder, Words to God’s Music, Psalm 73, AS IF)
I keep getting these reminders, over the past few weeks, that we are not required to be “striving” or “working” for this life. It is Spirit-led . . . we are, of course, to be walking in the Spirit. But Christ wants to do it all for us, via His “easy yoke.” I had more of that today. In the You Version Bible plan, From Lost to Loved: A 30-Day Study of Romans 8, we focused on Romans 8:6, today.
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
(Romans 8:6 ESV)
First, let’s remember that the “righteous requirement of the law” has been fulfilled in those of us who are baptized into Christ. But here, Paul gives us some advice about where we set our minds, upon what we set them. The mind set on the flesh is “a life obsessed with comfort, control, and self-preservation. It preaches peace through escape or achievement.
“But the mind set on the Spirit is entirely different. It lives awake to God’s presence and responds to His prompting. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just comfort, He reforms. He reshapes how we think, what we value, and how we walk. Life in the Spirit isn’t just sin avoidance or behavior modification; it’s the presence of a new inner life.”
This is all rooted in the Gospel of Christ. The world around us defines peace as “escape or numbness, but . . . Anything short of Spirit-given peace is death disguised as calm. True peace is the settled assurance that even in the storm, you belong to God.”
My life is not anchored in striving, but in Spirit-given peace.
And then, the reading excerpt from For All the Saints, this morning focused on Mary and Martha, from the Luke 10 passage.
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
(Luke 10:38-42 ESV)
“The mental states of Mary and Martha were analyzed. The two sisters were equal in their love of the Lord but differed in temperament. Mary was ravished by the words of the Master. Martha was flitting about the house that nothing should be lacking to perfect hospitality. Martha, well knowing that her sister could never be detached from the feet of Jesus, did not chide her, but in a way remonstrated with Jesus for so charming her sister that she neglected to do what needed to be done. ‘Master,’ she said, ‘don’t you care that my sister leaves me to do all of this alone? Tell her to help me. I know she won’t leave you unless you tell her to, so entrancing are your words. But the dinner must be made ready and one pair of hands is not enough.’ Then the Lord, who was delighted with the devotion of both women, did not chide the attachment of Mary, nor did he blame the complaint of Martha, though he leaned to Mary. ‘Martha! Martha!’ he said, ‘Don’t be so worried about getting the dinner and all worked up about many things. Mary has chosen the better part, to forget the things of the body and to be concerned for the things of the soul. I am grateful to you for preparing the dinner for me and my disciples, but to save souls is my meat and drink. The things of the body will pass away when “that which is perfect is come.” At the same time, those who do as you have done will not lose their reward. They feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and entertain strangers. Yet those who attend to the one thing needful do more. But let no one complain of another, for each serves according to the gift received from God.'”
(Desiderius Erasmus, Erasmus of Christendom translated by Roland Bainton)
Notice that third sentence. It really caught my attention. “Mary was ravished by the words of the Master.” Mary, the one who didn’t strive, didn’t work, and boy is Martha upset about that! Don’t we see that in our world today, as well? The people who strive really don’t like the ones who like to just sit at the feet of Christ and soak Him in, those of us who are “ravished by the words of the Master.” That is so me. I love His Word. His Word is Truth; His Word is Life. Where else can I go?? Jesus Christ has the words of eternal life!! And oh, how I cherish those words!!
Lord God, source of light and life, by the light of your truth let the virtuous know your goodness and sinners feel your mercy, so that together they may drink from your river of delight and rejoice now and ever in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
(For All the Saints, Prayer following Psalm 36)
“I place this day into Your hands because it already belongs to You anyway.
I exchange my plans for Yours.
Yes, I want to pay attention to the voice of the Holy Spirit today.”
(Déborah Rosenkrantz, A Miracle Every Day)
My Jesus, I praise You for Your Words. Thank You for making me love them so much! Thank You, Lord, that when I hear truth preached and sung, it makes my heart burn within me, literally. Now, Lord, I pray that You help me to disperse my pebbles wisely, that the ripple effect of the Gospel of Christ would spread and spread, affecting all around me. Whether it is through this writing, or through songs that I sing, or prayers that I pray, or through the words of my mouth as I speak to people, O let Your Word go forth in its power an glory, affecting all who see and hear. All to Your glory, O Lord!
I thank You that You are the “blessed” one in the Beatitudes, Lord Jesus! Yes, we should try to live as they describe, but You already did it for us! And then, Lord, as we are crucified with You and then baptized into Your life, we no longer have to strive or work for any kind of approval. We don’t have to work or strive for forgiveness, for You have already won it. Our Father loves us as we are, because we are brothers and sisters of You, Jesus! Oh, how I love You!! Thank You, thank You, thank You!
In Your holy, precious, and beautiful name I pray. Amen! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Grace and peace, my brothers and sisters!
Because Jesus!! 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
Listening To His Voice 