All Church Advent Devotional 2022
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Devotions
Devotion: November 20, 2022
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, which may be the case because of my firm belief that “there’s always room for more.” More turkey and stuffing. More mashed potatoes and gravy. More pie. And more happy days coming—days filled with joyous anticipation, culminating in Christmas Day itself. Thanksgiving begins the holiday season. Our gratitude leads the …
Devotion: November 11, 2022
“I am confident of this, that God who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it on the day of Jesus Christ.” -Philippians 1:6 Dear First Pres. Family and Friends, During the past 2 ½ years, we’ve been through a lot. Through the pandemic, we’ve had to close our doors—twice. We’ve …
Devotion: November 4, 2022 “The Path Forward…Embrace the Possibilities”
During the hard time when God’s people were living in exile, many had given up hope that God would act to deliver the people. In Psalm 137, the psalmist laments, “By the waters of Babylon—there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.” The house of God had been razed and their nation was …
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Devotion: July 15, 2022 | The One Thing Needful
“The One Thing Needful” “There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” -Jesus of Nazareth (Luke 10:42) How is it that two siblings from one family can wind up with dramatically-differing personalities? Martha and Mary are a case in point. Along with …
Devotion: July 8, 2022 | The Aftermath
The Aftermath …for we do not know how to pray as we ought… but the Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. (Romans 8:26). As I numbly walk through this summer of unspeakable sadness, jarringly surrounded by the beauty and peace of Lake Forest, how hard it is to reconcile what has happened …
Devotion: July 3, 2022 | Happy Fourth of July!
Happy Fourth of July! Dear Friends, As the “dog days” of midsummer approach, the holiday weekend beckons with prospects of concerts and picnics, boating and swimming, fireworks displays, parades and marching bands. Most importantly, the Fourth invites us to embrace a deep sense of gratitude for the blessings we enjoy. In the 8th Chapter of …
Weekly Devotion: “Two Cities” | May 20, 2022
“Two Cities” I spent last week in Tanzania, that achingly beautiful land of deep contradictions that reaches from the inland waters of Lake Victoria to the dry savannahs of the Serengeti; from towering green volcanic peaks to the golden sands of Zanzibar. Presiding over it all is mighty Mt. Kilamanjaro, comprised of three …
Devotion: “From the Cross, to the Grave, to the Skies” | April 8, 2022
“From the Cross, to the Grave, to the Skies” As Holy Week approaches, its message reaches across a world gripped by darkness with fingers of dawning, celestial light: “This is my body, given for you…Love one another…I will not leave you orphaned…Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.” It would be …
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Devotion: “Love Your Enemies” | February 19, 2022
Dear Friends, This Sunday, February 20, we will be looking at Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain” found in Luke, Chapter 6. It has some notable distinctions from Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount,” including the context of the one of Christ’s most challenging teachings: to love our enemies and do good to them, blessing them and …
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