Today is October 21.
   
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.  
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”     
    
Today’s reading is from Psalm 75.   
  

      1 We praise you, God,   
         we praise you, for your Name is near;   
         people tell of your wonderful deeds.   
       2 You say, “I choose the appointed time;   
         it is I who judge with equity.   
      3 When the earth and all its people quake,   
         it is I who hold its pillars firm.   
      4 To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’   
         and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.   
      5 Do not lift your horns against heaven;   
         do not speak so defiantly.’ ”   
      6 No one from the east or the west   
         or from the desert can exalt themselves.   
      7 It is God who judges:   
         He brings one down, he exalts another.   
            9 As for me, I will declare this forever;   
         I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.   
  

This Psalm describes God as the ultimate judge – a judge who is righteous, fair, holy and most importantly, trustworthy. The Psalmist declares that God is the only one we can trust to always do the right thing without partiality. When you consider the wrongs in the world, or in your own life, how does it make you feel to hear that there is a perfect judge?   
    
This God, contrary to popular understanding, isn’t a spiteful God who wields his power from heaven favorably toward people who does what he says and destroys people who are disobedient and sinful. If that were the case, there would be no one left on earth. Listen to the Psalm again and see if you can hear what the Psalmist is declaring.   

The Psalm draws us over and over again to hope. No matter what injustice you have experienced or may be experiencing even now, God is the perfect Judge and he will one day overturn every wrong and make everything right and good again. Think about one thing today that you’d like to be put right again, and as we close our time, can you put your hope in God to make that thing new again, in his time?  

Music: Who Can Compare - Vineyard Worship - (YouTube)

Today is October 20

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.

Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”

Today’s reading is from the book of Isaiah, chapter 2.

2 In the last days
the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.
3 Many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.

As we open our hearts to the word, take a minute to think about what you just listened to. Imagine this world ruled by absolute righteousness. Imagine a world where people from every country seek the love and mercy of Jesus Christ. People will flock to see, and learn, and know Him, and all will live in accordance with the scripture, trying their hardest to walk the same path Jesus walks. Conflict will still exist, but will be resolved according to the laws of Zion, not the whims of humans. With a peaceful, uniform way to deal with conflict, there will be no more war, or need to defend ourselves from outsiders, because if someone is wronged, there will be true justice.

As you listen again, think about the equality and compassion that will exist between every man woman, and child.

There are things that can be used for both good and evil. Words can be used as both weapons and tools. So can knowledge or information. As you move through your day, look for times when you can choose to use something as a sword or as a ploughshare, and make a conscious effort to make the Christlike choice, even if you don’t want to.

Music Credit:
"They Are Yours" - Vineyard Worship (YouTube)

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

Today is October 17 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.   
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
  
Today’s reading is from Psalm 119.   
  
      9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity?   
         By living according to your word.   
      10 I seek you with all my heart;   
         do not let me stray from your commands.   
      11 I have hidden your word in my heart   
         that I might not sin against you.   
      12 Praise be to you, LORD;   
         teach me your decrees.   
      13 With my lips I recount   
         all the laws that come from your mouth.   
      14 I rejoice in following your statutes   
         as one rejoices in great riches.   
      15 I meditate on your precepts   
         and consider your ways.   
      16 I delight in your decrees;   
         I will not neglect your word.   
   
Can you remember getting your drivers permit? Do you remember the test you had to take, just to be able to get behind the wheel with a parent? If you have your driver’s license you took the test. How hard did you study for that test? Harder than for any other test on your life? You knew you needed the freedom of your license, so maybe you locked those rules into your heart and mind, and you still use them every day, if you still drive. Think for a moment about the word of God, and God’s law? Do you find it easy or hard to study and put into your mind and your heart?  
 
In a way, similar to driving, if you have God’s laws locked away in your heart and your mind, you can learn to just let go and drive. When you really know God’s laws you have the freedom to let go and be yourself, because you know the laws you’ve memorized are there to keep you on the road. As you listen to the passage again, think of the freedoms that come with really knowing God’s laws. Do you find yourself rejoicing in it?  

As you go through you day, pay attention to times you can naturally do the right thing at the same time letting go of the pressure to always be right, because you have rules memorized well enough to keep you on the path to Christ.  
  
Music: "All Things Rise" - Vineyard Soul 
ALL THINGS RISE [Lyric Video] | Vineyard Soul [feat. Tina Colón Williams | Vineyard Worship

Today is October 16 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.   
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
  
Today’s reading is from 1 John, chapter 4.   
  
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.   
 
As we come to prayer, think about how often you do things with love. How much of your day do you spend filled with the love of the Holy Spirit, spreading it to those around you. Do you show love while you're working, in the Starbucks line, or in traffic? Sometimes it's difficult to be loving. How do you make the love that is flowing through you obvious to others? 
 
It’s easier to love someone when you see the best side of them, but not everyone is always at their best, including you. That’s what God does – he sees us through Jesus. What do you see when you look at people? Listen again.  
 
How can you focus on the positives of everyone you meet today? Can you recognize others through the grace of Christ… Can you show God’s love to all of his creations?  
  
 Music: "All The Same" - Vineyard Worship 
ALL THE SAME | Live from Anchour Studio feat. Joshua Miller | Vineyard Worship

Today is October 15.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.

Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”

Today’s reading is from the book of Revelation, chapter 8.


1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.


This passage from Revelation describes the kind of worship that is happening in heaven. I love how it begins… there was a silence in heaven for about half an hour. In our noise filled world, we usually think of worship as something full of sounds—voices and choirs, instruments and melodies, building into a crescendo. But here worship is silence … for 30 minutes. Let’s take just 30 seconds right now and be silent.

What do you notice when you are silent? Maybe you notice the noise around you. Maybe you notice the noise within you. The distractions. The pull to today’s to dos. It takes practice to learn how to worship God through silence. Because we are first learning to quiet the noise within our own soul. After you hear the passage again, I want to again pause for thirty seconds, and this time I want you to pay attention to the noise within your soul, and try to put a name on what that noise is.

What did you notice? Could you put a name to it? A lot of times it feels frustrating that there is so much noise in our soul. But instead of being frustrated by it, just quietly bring that noise to God and ask God to quiet that noise with his peace. As you continue through your day, could you take one or two more moments of silence: bring noise of your soul to God, and to ask him to meet you there.

Music: All For You Jesus - Vineyard Worship - (YouTube)

Today is October 14.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”

Today’s reading is from the book of Job, chapter 26.


Then Job replied…: 7 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing. 8 He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight. 9 He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it. 10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness. 11 The pillars of the heavens quake, aghast at his rebuke. 12 By his power he churned up the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces. 13 By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent. 14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?


Job is meditating on the transcendence God through the vastness and power of the natural world. Can you recall the times when you gazed out into the immense beauty of a sunset, or looked upon the magnificent face of mountains, or surveyed the endless sea of stars in the sky? Have you looked out into the ocean in a terrifying storm to be reminded of our utter small-ness? Call to mind the last time you sensed or were interrupted by God’s presence through the natural world.

Job has experienced immense pain and utter loss. In the midst of his suffering, he stops to consider the vastness of the universe and endless stories of the past in a way that seems to create perspective… but he does not shrink from the reality of His suffering. Instead, he allows himself to experience his real suffering alongside the truth that there is so much he cannot understand about the character and power and way of God. Job allows two things to exist at the same time: the unimaginable power of God, and his own unimaginable suffering. This is a hard thing for me to hold… as you listen again, allow yourself to respond honestly and freely to God…

My friend, there are things of God that are so difficult for us to hold, and impossible for us to understand. Scripture tells us that God pursues us with ‘hesed’ – his loving kindness that endures forever… and also that in this world we will have trouble. We know we are to set our eyes to eternity, and to the fulfillment of God’s perfect kingdom come. And yet: There is so much we do not understand. Do you know you can bring that disorientation to God? He is our maker, and we are the made. Talk to the Lord as we end about whatever feelings have come up for you.

Music: They Are Yours - Vineyard Worship (YouTube)

Today is October 13.

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.

Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”

Today’s reading is from the book of 2 Kings, chapter 4.

15 Then Elisha said, “Call her.” So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. 16 “About this time next year,” Elisha said, “you will hold a son in your arms.” “No, my lord!” she objected. “Please, man of God, don’t mislead your servant!”

17 But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.

18 The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. 19 He said to his father, “My head! My head!”

His father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. 21 She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out.

22 She called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return.” 28 “Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she said. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t raise my hopes’?”

32 When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. 33 He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the LORD. 34 Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out on him, the boy’s body grew warm. 35 Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

Imagine for a moment being in the shoes of the woman in this story. She was childless and her husband was old. She faced an uncertain future. She would receive no social security benefits, and would have nobody to rely on. But Elisha prayed for her and announced to her the unimaginable— she would have a miracle child! “No, my lord, don’t mislead your servant.”

Maybe the words, "too good to be true," crossed her mind. And then the unthinkable happened. Her beloved son died. She goes to find Elisha and says, “Didn’t I tell you? Don’t raise my hopes!” As you think about her experience, think about something in your own life of something you’ve hoped for but didn’t see or received and then lost? How did you feel in that moment?

Disappointment is an emotion and we do not easily control our emotions. We can't actually control the disappointment we feel when we lose something, but we can choose how to respond in the midst of disappointment. As you listen to the passage again, think of a disappointment in your life right now, and ask what might it look like for you to choose your response?

In the Old Testament, ordinary people would have to appeal to God through powerful spiritual mediators—in this passage Elisha was called a Man of God. We know that because Jesus is our mediator, we can go straight to God through him and make our appeal. As you walk through your day today, is there an appeal that you’d like to make to God through your powerful mediator, Jesus? Approach his throne of grace with confidence today.

Music Credit:
"Expectation" - Vineyard Soul (YouTube)

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

Today is October 10  

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.   
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
  
Today’s reading is from the gospel of Matthew, chapter 26.  
   
69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.   
70 But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.   
71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”   
72 He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”   
73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.”   
74 Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”   
Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.  
 
Everyone seemed to know who Peter was. Everyone but Peter. Jesus had caused quite a stir among the people, especially the ones of a lower social class. He was so famous that even his entourage got noticed. Peter had no idea what to do, and yet he undoubtedly thought he should be doing something to help Jesus. Have you ever felt completely helpless, alone, and at a loss for what to do? How long did you search for the solution by yourself before asking for help from Jesus?  
  
In this scripture, Peter is fulfilling the prophecy that he would deny Jesus three times before the morning. Immediately, after his third denial of Jesus, he heard a rooster crow, and he realized in that moment, that everything Jesus had ever said was true. Again. Even Peter lost himself for a while here, yet the church is built on him. As you listen again, consider what it means for you that Peter saw miracle after miracle, and stood in the actual presence of Jesus, but he still spent time helpless, cursing and denying that he even knew Him? 
   
Why was it so difficult for any of the twelve to remember all the promise of what was to come. How difficult is it for you to remember? As you go through your day, pay attention to the times you forget that everything Jesus has ever said is true. Notice the times when you are not living that truth, and allow Him to show you how.  
 
Music: "Wear the Crown" - Vineyard Worship 
WEAR THE CROWN [Lyric Video] | Vineyard Worship