Today's Word
You are welcome to use the writings on these pages or pass them on to others who might find a touch from God in the words. Our purpose is always to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. Please remember to give credit to the Author who has given you everything, and keep in remembrance the vessel which He used to bring these words to you. We pray that this site may be a blessing to you and anyone with whom its been shared. All rights reserved. Peggy Hoppes
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Salisbury PlainClimb a Hill, Look at a Rock Day
Our Lord is so good, He grants us many blessings. We can see Him in the daily course of events, in our homes, our jobs, our lives. I pray that these words help you to grow in your faith and recognize His hand in even the most mundane circumstances.
The picture to the right is of a Celtic Chapel located in Cornwall England. This building is approximately 1700 years old, and contains a holy well known for its healing powers.
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Due to the high volume of spam that comes through the domain, I have had to stop using that email address. However, if you would like to send me mail, use the following address, replacing the bracketed words with the symbol. Thank you for your continued interest, prayers and messages of encouragement.
“That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life (and the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare unto you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us); that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also, that ye also may have fellowship with us: yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ: and these things we write, that our joy may be made full.” 1 John 1:1-4, ASV
Our church’s regional outdoor ministry has two sites which are used for summer camp and retreats. Camp Chrysalis is a lovely camp nestled in a secluded valley with a creek and hiking trails up to a bluff where the campers can worship God while watching the sunset over the horizon. They have the usual activities: sports, canoeing on the creek, arts and crafts and hiking. They have a swimming pool, ball field and basketball court. There is also a ropes course which helps to develop trust, community and faith. The cabins are comfortable and the food is excellent. The staff at the camp takes very good care of all their visitors.
What makes our outdoor ministry truly unique is the second site: Ebert ranch. The ranch is located on a high flat plane in the Texas hill country with scrubs and cactus and live oak trees dotting the landscape. The ranch is home to a number of animals which are given the freedom to roam wherever they please. The horses, goats and longhorns nibble their way around the square mile of land, filling their bellies with whatever greens they can find. There are also a number of chickens on site. Scout and Gizmo are the barn cats, although there are times when it seems like they don’t want to live in the barn! It is a ruggedly beautiful place, with a sense of peace that comes from being so far away from the distractions of the world.
I attended a retreat at the ranch this past weekend and the first thing I saw was an incredible sunset. We worshipped beside a campfire that first night with a starry sky above unencumbered by the light pollution of the city. We toasted marshmallows over the red hot coals and shared stories of our lives. That was a theme for the weekend: sharing stories. Actually, it was a retreat focusing on Biblical storytelling, but it seemed like we all had plenty of other stories to tell. Whether gathered around the campfire or the fire place, walking the paths of the ranch or sitting together at meals, we forged a bond based on our common experiences. The names were different and the places far apart, but the laughter and the tears were the same.
We were greeted Saturday morning by the horses as we sat on the porch of our cabin sharing more stories. I think they heard our voices and came to see what was happening. They walked right up to us, seeking our attention and perhaps hoping for a treat. We weren’t allowed to feed any of the animals, but we were able to love them with a pat on the shoulder. Throughout the weekend we managed to see most of the animals as they wandered past our cabin on their way from here to there. Scout spent most of the weekend trying to sneak into our cabin, to join our fellowship and enjoy the comfort of our weekend home.
I think what is most amazing about those storytelling moments is how quickly we all found ways to get into the conversation. When one person had a story about a bus trip, we all had stories about bus trips. And we all respected one another, giving each person the chance to share. Someone was always ready with a new topic when the old one lost steam. And we laughed together, a lot, both at our experiences and at our own foolishness. The catch phrase for the weekend became “good times” because of one story that was told. The reality of it was that the experience being shared was not really very good at the time, but the speaker can laugh about it now and it is a time remembered fondly despite the difficulties.
Our stories draw us together. They help us see how we are different and how we are the same. They help us to get to know one another in ways that we might not think to tell a person we have just met. I not only learned about one friend’s work, but about her relationships with her co-workers. I discovered needs that demand prayer and joys that deserve praise. Most of all, I saw how my fellow storytellers were living out their faith in the world, not necessarily in the way they told the bible stories but in how to dealt with the experience of life, both good and bad.
It is easy to share stories in such a comfortable place. We were all there for the same reason, with a common purpose and heritage. But storytelling is a practice that crosses so many boundaries. After all, even when we are different, we are all human and despite our differences, we share so much that is the same. We aren’t very comfortable sharing our faith stories or our understanding of the Bible, but we can tell others about our lives, and in doing so we might just reveal something about the God who has created and redeemed us. The more we tell our stories, the more they’ll see God’s grace in our lives. The more we share ourselves, the more the world will realize that there is something or someone in the midst of it all.
We should not stop telling them God’s stories, but telling our own stories is a place to start. In doing so, we’ll establish relationships with people who we may never have thought could be part of our lives because we’ll see that they, too, have similar stories to tell. And then, in the midst of the conversation, you’ll see God’s face in your neighbor even while they can see God’s grace in you.
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“But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach: because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich unto all that call upon him: for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent? even as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things!” Matthew 10:8-15, ASV
Here is one more devotional about commercials. The commercials slated for this year’s big game are not without controversy. The network carrying the game has rejected several commercials for various reasons. They don’t want to be associated with the advertiser or they think the commercial itself will be offensive to the viewers. As a business, they have every right to accept or reject which ads will air on their station on Sunday.
What is most interesting about this situation, however, is that those rejected commercials are getting plenty of air play anyway. As soon as the companies knew that they would not get their minute on Sunday, they posted their commercials in other places. YouTube is visited by millions of people and they want to watch the hottest videos. In the days leading up to the big game, the hot ones are often the rejected commercials. The rejected commercials are also discussed on all the news programs. Experts debate whether the network should have rejected the commercial and the viewers are asked for their opinions. This gives the advertiser a huge advantage: plenty of exposure for free.
The ads that make it to the show have to pay. The price this year is between $2.5 and $3 million dollars. They consider it money well spent since the game is expected to pull a hundred million viewers. It is hard to know for sure whether or not that is money well-spent. Some commercials will succeed, others will fail. The best commercials will get more airtime after the game because they will be discussed on the news shows and viewed on the internet millions of times in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, the bad commercials will get lost and the advertiser will have wasted the effort.
Even then, however, they’ll get more airtime in the days following the big game because the experts will debate how it failed. Meanwhile, every time any of these commercials—controversial, excellent or horrible—are aired, the company and product names are broadcast to the world. Commercials are not always about convincing someone to buy a particular product, but to make their name known. It is about name-recognitions rather than product sales. Someone is not necessarily going to change from one brand of chips to another based on one commercial, but the next time they go to the store they will be drawn to that brand because it has been seared into their brains. We don’t even realize it is happening, but after seeing that chip a hundred times on the television, we won’t miss seeing it on the store shelves.
We don’t like talking about our faith. We would rather people ask us about Jesus rather than mention Him in our daily conversation because we don’t want to be offensive or seem judgmental. We hear the stories of men and women in the Bible and in our world who suddenly are converted, and we think that it will happen to our neighbors. When it does, we are more than willing to share our own faith with them. But, can the idea of brand recognition make a difference in someone’s life when it comes to belief in God? Can hearing about Him on a regular basis make it easier for them to see Him in the world?
I think so, and so does Paul. In today’s scriptures, Paul reminds the Romans that people can’t come to faith if they haven’t heard the Gospel message. Now, don’t get me wrong: I don’t think we should be out there carrying sandwich boards or taking out thirty second ads advertising God. But why are we so afraid to tell our neighbors about our faith? Why are we so cautious about the words we use when sharing God’s grace with others? How many times have you heard it said, “My thoughts are with you,” instead of “I’m praying”? How many times have we said “Bless you” instead of “God bless you”? Do our neighbors even know that we are believers by our words and actions?
It is scary, because we know that sharing our faith is risky. A friend posted a funny bumper sticker onto her Facebook page the other day that happened to mention God. A lengthy discussion developed about the existence of God. There were several posters that insisted believers are foolish, following fairy tales. One said, “I don’t understand how such an intelligent human being can still believe in a child’s story.” But we have to be bold and brave, sharing God’s name with our neighbors. It is only when we do so that they’ll hear the story and come to believe. Who knows, it might just be that one word that helps them to recognize God just when they need Him most.
The following links provide some specially chosen scripture that tell the stories of the Birth and Passion of our Lord as Saviour Jesus Christ, as well as a fictional perspective of the Crucifixion. Spend time in God's Word, read about His life and learn of the wonderful gifts He has for you. Know Jesus Christ and honour Him today. Thanks be to God.
The Story of our Saviour's Passion
The Crucifixion, a fictional perspective
Scripture on this page taken from the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible which belongs to the public domain. Some scripture on this site taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
As you may be aware, I also write a weekly devotional on Wednesday called "MIDWEEK OASIS." For those of you who are familiar with lectionary scripture sources, MIDWEEK OASIS is based on the texts used by millions of Christians each Sunday. The lectionary consists of four texts – an Old Testament passage, a Psalm, a passage from one of the Epistles and a Gospel text. We are now using the lectionary for our A WORD FOR TODAY texts. The way it works: Our week begins on Thursday, with our texts being those that will be used on the Sunday ten days out. Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday we look at each of the texts – an Old Testament lesson, a Psalm, an epistle and a Gospel text, in no particular order. On Wednesday, we'll look at how these texts fit together, how they fit into the church calendar and how they fit into our lives. I use the Revised Common Lectionary as used by the Lutheran Church.
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You are welcome to use these words to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Please remember to give credit to the Author who has given you these gifts, and keep in remembrance the vessel which He used to bring them to you. We pray that this site may be a blessing to you and anyone with whom you've shared it. Peggy Hoppes
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