Fri. Jan. 16 – High Praises
Doesn’t it feel good to hear a compliment? Doesn’t it feel good to GIVE a complement?
Devotional
Devotional
The daily devotional published Monday-Friday by Medford UMC. Click on the devotional title to read that day’s post.
Devotional
Thu Jan 15-Do Not Neglect This
Hebrews 10:24–25 is often read as a gentle reminder about church attendance. But in truth, it is far more radical—and more hopeful—than that.
Devotional
Wed Jan 14-Where Love & Truth Meet
“Faithful love and truth have met; righteousness and peace have kissed.” There are many beautiful lines of scripture, but this one is among my absolute favorites. So much so that every year on Christmas Eve, I find myself reaching for a similar image in the pastoral prayer: “Heaven and earth have kissed on this holy night.”
Devotional
Tue Jan 13-YOU HAVE TO HAVE HEART
I’d been dealing with some people issues when I first wrote this. But the heart of the matter in this case is forgiveness. Always forgiveness.
Devotional
Mon Jan 12-Scripture, The Essential Guide For Life
In essence, 2 Timothy tells every Christian that Scripture isn’t just for religious leaders; it’s our essential guide for life, equipping us to live faithfully and discern truth from error in a challenging world.
Devotional
Fri Jan 8-Going Through the Motions Has Purpose
I am 23 and some days feel like living inside a loading screen. De-realization hits and concentration slips away. My body goes on autopilot while my thoughts play whack-a-mole. I try to bury ideas I know I do not actually believe, but they pop up anyway.
Devotional
Thu Jan 8-Leading Doesn’t Always Look Like We Think
Our scripture is a prayer for King Solomon. We remember how wise he was. We remember the story about the two mothers who each claimed a baby as their own, and he was able to cleverly deduce the real mother.
Devotional
Wed Jan 7-Faith Without Knowing
Keeping our faith strong is not an easy thing to do. As we move through life, we encounter countless obstacles that test our trust in God. This struggle is not new.
Devotional
Tue Jan 6-Hope For Your Future
As I write this I’m sitting in the emergency room with my mom. It seems the whole human drama is playing out around us. So many are sick and in pain, some are confused, some are unconscious, some are calling out for help. And then there’s the waiting. Waiting to be seen,
Devotional
Mon Dec 5-Refugees
Few Christians spend much time reading these verses about the life of that young boy, Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph. We tend to merge the birth stories of Matthew and Luke, ignoring the fact that these two birth stories are more mythological than factual. In our verses from yesterday,
Devotional
Thu Jan 1-A New Year Prayer
It is too easy for us to project our shortcomings onto God. Where we are often conditional with love, God never is. Where we hold grudges, God never does. Where we wake up in a bad mood, well God never sleeps but His love is new every morning.
Devotional
Wed Dec 31-Our Joy is Secure
The difference between joy and secular happiness is that the latter depends on what happens; it is circumstantially driven.
