Day 8: Thursday, March 9, 2017, #Lent Devotion
Day 8: Thursday, March 9, 2017
Lynn Bedard
Starfish
Devotion: In 19 years of teaching, I have met at least 3000 students. Occasionally, there is one who really doesn’t care about solving an algebra equation. He is just trying to survive. Before I tell you about one of them, a story…
“The Starfish Story”, adapted from the original story by Oren Eiseley.
An old man was walking on the beach after a storm. A woman was picking up starfish and throwing them in the ocean. He called out, “Why are you throwing starfish?” She replied, “The tide is going out, and they will die.” “But, there are thousands of starfish. You cannot possibly make a difference.” She threw another one. “I made a difference for that one.”
This student’s parents were both in prison. He was late to class every day, mad at the world, and clearly not interested in anything this old, square, white lady had to say. I tried to reach him, but he was failing and talked about dropping out and selling drugs.
One day, I put the class in groups, but every group said, “Don’t put him with us. He is trouble.” When he came in, I put him in his own group. He got mad. “I see how it is. None of y’all wanna work with me. Well, I don’t want to work with you either!” He turned his desk to the wall.
I let him stew a minute, but he kept peeking over his shoulder, and I saw my chance. I needed to draw him in. A few minutes later, he turned his desk forward, and said, “Miss, I’ve got a deal for you. If I pass your class, you have to shave your head”. (Where did THAT come from?) Shocked, I took my time answering. “I’ll tell you what… If you make an A in my class and pass all of your other classes… I will shave my head.”
Word got around and I found gifts of shaving cream in my teacher mailbox. He was like a whole new person: polite, on time, making good grades, staying out of trouble. I was getting a little worried about losing my pretty, curly, shoulder length hair, but if it would help him, it was worth it. Sadly, one day, there he was, slumped in a chair outside of the principal’s office. I asked what happened. “They jumped me after school and I had to fight back.” Zero tolerance would send him to alternative school. I said, “No… the little boy had to fight. The man could have walked away. You felt good when people respected what you were doing. After you serve your time, come back and do right. If you go to the streets, you’ll die. I was looking forward to losing my hair for you.”
He struggled but he finally graduated high school. I still have that shaving cream. So, the next time you see a starfish, throw it back. You can’t save them all, but you can save that one.
Challenge: Overcoming Temptations
Day 7: Wednesday, March 8, 2017, #Lent Devotion
Day 7: Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Rev. Bob Walker
All Things: REALLY?
Devotion:
Day 6: Tuesday, March 7, 2017, #Lent Devotion
Day 6: Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Rev. Sela Finau
Stillness
Devotion:
Early the next morning, I woke up and went to spend some time sitting on a wooden bench swing looking over the water. It dawned on me that morning, of why they may have named that place Still Water Lodge. The water in the river behind the lodge seemed to be very still, thus the name Still Water. Whether or not that was the meaning behind the name remained unverified. Regardless, I have not been around many rivers, so I am uncertain and know very little of its behavior as opposed to oceans. But the stillness of the water connected me to the stillness of that morning. It was very peaceful and very serene, and the weather was perfect, fog slowly moving over to cover the skies and meet the morning dew. The mist from the fog softly dropped on my bare skin and I could feel its refreshing coolness. I could hear the birds chirping all around, a very pleasant sound. And even though I could hear the sounds of traffic in the background, I meditated on the present. It was as if God was saying to me, “Be still, Sela, for I am here.” I would have stayed in that space, that sacred space, with God all day if I could.
Day 5: Monday, March 6, 2017, #Lent Devotion
Week 2
Robin McKinley
Sunday, March 5, 2017
God of all seasons, God of both feasting and fasting, you guide us through the letting goes and the new beginnings of our lives. We confess our weakness in doing this fully in the season of Lent, and we ask that you might enable us to let go of all impediments to our journey toward “life and life more abundantly.” Help us, gracious God, to begin anew in grace. May we never lose hope in the eternal spring that you have promised to all creation in a new heaven and a new earth. Amen.
Day 4: Saturday, March 4, 2017, Lent Devotion
Tylor Cavender
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:4-17 (NIV) “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
Devotion: What would the world look like if we could all show love? Not the kind of love found on MTV. Not the kind of love that found in a romance novel. But patient, selfless, humbled, and kind-hearted love. What works could be accomplished if we all showed love, instead of immediately judging? With social media and cell phones saturating every aspect of society, we are presented with a multitude of opportunities to show others what it looks like to truly show love.
How many times have you heard someone say something like, “I love football!” If you are from or in Texas, the answer to that is surely more than you can count. Now, think back to the times you’ve heard someone say something like, “I love football!” How many of those statements were said by someone who actually played football, or helped other to play football, or truly wanted to get better at playing football, or didn’t misplace their calm when their team wasn’t as good as they wanted?
I think the word love is too commonplace. Do we really mean the things we say? The word love is used so much that it seems to have meaning at both ends of the spectrum. I know I’ve heard some toddlers say they love chicken nuggets. But, that’s not what it means to really love. I also see movies or TV shows where people are afraid to say “I love you.” It isn’t a huge commitment and should be taboo to show love.
Paul tells us that love is patient, self-sacrificing, modest and kind-hearted. If we truly showed love towards someone the way that Paul describes, wouldn’t we live enormously different? We should live our lives in a way that, at the very least, attempts to replicate this kind of love. It is important to do this for everyone we encounter, not just our family and our friends. We should show this kind of love to complete strangers. We should show this kind of love to people who we don’t agree with. We should show this kind of love to the people who come from different faith backgrounds. We should always strive to be patient with each other. We should demonstrate kindness in every interaction that we have. We should always do anything within our abilities to make sure other’s needs are our first priority. We should make sure that we do not pursue attention for ourselves in these actions, but for Jesus.
Imagine what life would be like if everyone did that? Imagine the kinds of conversations we could have, the kinds of progress that could be made. The amount of arguments, protest and judgment would drop at astonishing rates. Imagine how many people would find faith if we showed them that kind of love.
Prayer: Awesome God, help us to remember these words from Paul’s letter. Help us to remember that these words can still be useful today. Help us endeavor to be a living example of Love so that we may glorify you. It is in Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
Day 3: Friday, March 3, 2017
Oh patient God, our questions and worries turn to complaints, and you know the struggles of our lives —
Layer upon layer of needs;
List after list of demands;
Pile upon pile of letters to answer and bills to pay;
Constant noise from TV, traffic, background music;
Emails, Phone and text messages beeping at us;
All penetrating our eyes and maybe our souls —
Information overload, constant stress.
O God. Clear your way in us to see what is important. Help us to reprioritize our lives. Toss out resentment and grudges. Lift worry from our brows. Help us carry our burdens gently. Heal our vision and memory. Lead us into this holy Lent. Amen.
✚✚✚
Challenge: Give a Plant and an Invitation to Someone
Thursday, March 2, 2017, Lent Devotion
Carolyn Gautier
1. Love your siblings. Help with homework. Read a story
2. Love your teachers.
3. Love your friends.
4. Love people around the world. Give money to missions.
5. Love God.
