Author name: Joe Monahan

Devotional

Thu Aug 21-Refuge

The psalms return again and again to this image of God as a refuge — a stronghold, a fortress, a shelter, a rock. All of these metaphors point to one truth: in God we find safety when the world around threatens to undo us.

Devotional

Mon Aug 11-But…

The word that really stuck out to me when reading this Psalm was “but” in verse 4. How many
times do we say “but” to ourselves when we are thinking about doing something new or doing something hard or even doing something fun?

Devotional

Tue Jun 24-Where Outsiders become Insiders

All of us have experienced the pain of being an “outsider” at some point in our lives. We move to a new job, or a new school, or a new neighborhood where we don’t have any connections. We’re unfamiliar with the “way things are done here.” Sometimes we break the rules without even knowing it!

Devotional

Fri May 2-Change is the Enemy?

Change is the enemy. At least that’s how most of us live day-to-day. Which is certainly ironic, given that a human lifespan is something like 80 years, just a blink of an eye in the grand sweep of God’s time.

Devotional

Mon Apr 7-What Do You Believe About Yourself? About God?

One of the most powerful and moving moments of my life took place on the floor of the General Conference a year ago, after the vote was taken to remove the anti-LGBTQ language from the Book of Discipline. After the vote, delegates and visitors gathered and spontaneously began singing this song, written by Mark Miller, a musical legend of the UMC who, through the years, has also been my friend, seminary teacher and choir director.

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