Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Devotion”
Christ Our Shepherd Advent Devotion Series 2023 Holy Timing: A Note from Pastor Beecher Word from Wiese Wednesday 13 December 2023 The Biblical stories of the Advent/Christmas season highlight angels bringing news of God’s faithful action through the lives of individuals for our whole world. In today’s WFW, we share a holy message about God’s timing in the life of Pastor Beecher …
Christ Our Shepherd Advent Devotion Series 2023 Word from Wiese Wednesday: A Real Dude 6 December 2023 Trivia Question #1: If there really was a Saint Nicholas, he a. Didn’t like church at all b. Attended services only on Christmas c. Got super involved in church life d. Didn’t trust organized religion but loved to pray while sledding on snowy days Trivia Question #2: If there …
You Said Hello Word from Wiese 29 November 2023 Pivot. This week American Christians pivot from Thanksgiving to Advent. But as I’m bringing out my Advent wreath from storage and searching for fresh candles, let my tongue flow with “thanksgiving” just a few moments longer. Thank you, faith friends, for . . . What YOU bring to the joy of …
A Recipe for Thanksgiving Word from Wiese 11 November 2023 Friends in Faith, First, let me say how YOU, faithful reader, will be on my Thanksgiving List. This weekly WFW note originated out of necessity, a Covid-era communication effort for staying in touch with a community the pandemic spread apart. But after Covid waned, many of you encouraged me to …
More Than Turkey 16 November 2022 Packed? Some of you are. Even with eight days to go, you’ve begun packing to head out of “Dodge” soon for a Thanksgiving celebration with family. Or you are the host this year and you’ve already started your shopping. In your busy-ness with shopping, travel, or finishing works tasks, let me equip you now …
Grace, Gratitude, and Gathering Word From Wiese 15 November 2023 Richard Rohr is a Roman Catholic priest who distributes daily prayers/centering thoughts he hopes others might find encouraging and hopeful. Rohr’s offerings this week touched me. For I find in them a sweet mixture of grace, gratitude, and gathering—exactly the themes so prevalent in our COS congregational life as we …
Together, We Do It Word from Wiese 9 November 2023 Question: According to the Mayo Clinic, what can improve sleep, mood and immunity? What can decrease depression, anxiety, and difficulties with chronic pain and risk of disease? Answer: Gratitude. If a pill could bring all the amazing health benefits listed above, everyone would be taking it. Most of us would …
The Trick or Treat of Prayer Word from Wiese 1 November 2023 “Trick or Treat!” I hope all of you enjoyed a wonderful day yesterday, either trapsing through the neighborhood in costumes or handing out the treats of candy and avoiding the tricks. For today’s WFW, a question: Do you ever feel like your prayer life is “trick or treat”? …
Rollercoasters or Train Tracks? Word from Wiese 25 October 2023 A rollercoaster. Years ago, I thought of life like a rollercoaster. I strived for the joyful peaks at the top of what life’s ride might offer that week. Sure, there were lows and troughs fairly regularly. But they were to be escaped in order to race on to the next …
The Problem with Peacemaking Word from Wiese 18 October 2023 Gut-wrenching. Soul-sickening. Horrendous. Demoralizing. Enraging. Deeply unsettling. For many of us, the horror perpetrated on Jews in the Holy Land by the Hamas terrorist organization last Saturday, October 7 rattled us like few events before in our entire lives. As we shared before Sunday services, Pastor Miriam and I have …