Be Still: Daily Devotional

Today is December 2 - in the first week of Advent

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 Gospel of Mark, chapter 1.“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”

We begin this Advent with the question: what does it mean to truly BEHOLD something? Not just to notice it, or to get a glimpse… but to see, and to see deeply? Our reading from Mark says: “Behold, I will send my messenger before your face” Think for a moment: when was the last time you looked slowly and deeply at something or someone, as though to work the image of what you see deep into your mind and memory?

Now, imagine yourself standing at the ‘doorway of advent’. Slow down and consider what you are opening that door to as you step into this Holy season: to God himself, incarnate, a vulnerable infant born into a wild and reckless world. The savior of all that is, lying there in a dirty stable. Lying there, a soon-to-be refugee. Lying there: the love of God revealed as WITH US.

Now, enter into a personal moment of prayer by imaging yourself opening the door that is before you… what do you see, or feel, or hear, or smell… as you behold your savior in this scene?….“Behold, I will send my messenger before your face.” That sounds to me like a description of something that gets very, very close. In your face, it seems. As we end our time of prayer today, ask God to help you keep your awareness of His presence ‘before your face’ this Advent season.…

Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee.Behold, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome in…In the name of the Father, and the son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Music: "O Come O Come Emmanuel" - Heaven & Earth (YouTube)

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

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Today is December 1 in the first week of Advent.

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 Romans, chapter 6. 
 
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

This passage reminds us that following Christ isn’t just something we believe, it’s a way of orienting our whole lives that transforms everything. It changes our allegiances, it challenges our habits and patterns, and it calls us to a new kind of life. Consider the phrase ‘count yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ’ as we enter into prayer. Perhaps you could imagine what it might look like to be ‘dead to sin’. What images comes to mind when you hear ‘alive in God in Christ’? 

This is a dense passage! As we listen to it again, consider why the writer is so emphatic, and why he might be using such language about death, life, crucifixion, and resurrection...
  
Advent is a time where we anticipate not only new life, but a new KIND of life. The birth of Jesus – the incarnation – interrupts our old ways, our old habits, and all that is bad and broken. And it brings with it hope... hope in a new way, in a new life. As we end, imagine one area of your life or your family where you feel desperate for new life. Ask God to meet you in that place today.
  
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
 born to set thy people free;
 from our fears and sins release us,
 let us find our rest in thee.
Behold, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

More at pickerill.casa

HOPE | First Sunday of Advent

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. In whatever small moment of stillness you can make as December begins today, I want to invite you to make space for HOPE… through cultivating hope through giving yourself to the simple act of waiting.

Isaiah 40:31 reminds us that those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. The season of Advent reminds us that hope and waiting are intertwined. Advent reminds us that hope has to be tended and stirred up by the presence of the spirit of God. Because of Him, our hope persists when the news is dark, when the situation feels impossible and… in times of waiting. Most of us don’t like to wait. The virtues of self-control, and of patience, are difficult for us to practice. Our ability to wait for the Lord very often rests on our trust in His character, and in His presence, and in His timing. Is there something that you find yourself waiting for, today? Perhaps it’s a small thing, that seems inconsequential. Or maybe you are waiting for something that feels terribly meaningful, deeply important. Advent, in a way that is not naïve nor patronizing invites us to consent to times of waiting… by putting our trust and hope in the promises of God’s goodness, and His provision… even though His ways are not always clear to us.

Todays’ reading is from the Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah, chapter 33: 14 “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. 15 “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it[a] will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’ Consider this phrase: the days are coming when I will fulfill the good promises…. The Lord is looking forward to the fulfillment found in Jesus of Nazareth. In God, putting on flesh, and moving into our world. Humbling himself. Identifying with all the waiting found in our human condition. It is because of Him that we can wait in hope. Consider your own life: for what are you waiting? Are you waiting with hope? (moment of pause) As we consider our first Advent candle… the candle that after all this season of Advent will have burned the longest… place any areas of long waiting into the care of Christ. Speak out loud to the Lord what you are waiting for, hoping for...

For those listening now who might not feel hope, or who are struggling to experience the hope found in Christ… my prayer is that you would know that your sisters and brothers are carrying you right now as we pray together these words from Psalm 130: We wait for the Lord, our souls waits. And in His word we do hope. Our souls wait for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning. Yes, more than those who watch for the morning…. We wait for the Lord… Amen


Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

More at pickerill.casa

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.

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

More at pickerill.casa

Today is November 28 

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 Luke, chapter 8.  
 
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”  
 
Let’s enter into this story for a moment… Luke tells us that a large crowd begins to gather as people are following Jesus around, trying to understand who he is, and what he’s doing. All of a sudden Jesus stops, looks up and begins to tell a story about a farmer and some seed. Most folks in the crowd are farmers, so this is familiar territory…  
 
This passage of Luke is familiar for many of us. Can you try to hear it with fresh ears? As you listen to the passage again, think about the soil of your heart and life that the Gospel seed is falling into. Consider, is the seed of faith being choked out by something? Is it falling on a hard heart? Is the seed being choked by dry ground? Or is it falling on moist soil? Bring the condition of your heart to God.  
 
We all want to be good soil for God’s word to grow. Sometimes we need to do some work to cultivate the soil. To dig up the ground. To water it. To clear away some weeds. To scatter the birds. As we close our time of prayer, ask God if there is one thing you can do to cultivate the soil of your life today?  
 
Music: "Prayer of Consecration" - Vineyard Worship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jlrvO_FwHU 

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

More at pickerill.casa

Today is November 27 

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 71.  
 
 
      14 As for me, I will always have hope;  
         I will praise you more and more.  
       15 My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,  
         of your saving acts all day long—  
         though I know not how to relate them all.  
      16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD;  
         I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.  
      17 Since my youth, God, you have taught me,  
         and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.  
      18 Even when I am old and gray,  
         do not forsake me, my God,  
         till I declare your power to the next generation,  
         your mighty acts to all who are to come.  
 
This psalmist… remembering the days of his youth, all the way to his present… he says he is old and gray. What season of life are you in right now? Single? Newly married? Great-Grandparenting? Or somewhere in between?  How do you feel about this season of life? Talk to the lord about where youre at 
 
What season of faith are you in? Perhaps you’re a young believer or are re-constructing your faith. Or maybe you’re a sage… having followed Jesus for half a century! What unique things are real for you in this season of faith? Listen again…  
  
Is there any place in your life where you are declaring God’s power to the next generation? If so: thank you! It means so much! If not, why? What are you waiting for? What is holding you back from serving the next generation in the same way that someone served you? Talk to God about this as you end your time of prayer. 
 
Music: "God Of Our Mothers And Fathers" - Vineyard Worship 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCKcSGvj_lQ 

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

More at pickerill.casa

Today is November 26.
  
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 63.   


1 You, God, are my God,  
    earnestly I seek you;  
I thirst for you,  
    my whole being longs for you,  
in a dry and parched land  
    where there is no water.  
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary  
    and beheld your power and your glory.  
3 Because your love is better than life,  
    my lips will glorify you.  
4 I will praise you as long as I live,  
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.  
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;  
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.  
6 On my bed I remember you;  
    I think of you through the watches of the night.  
7 Because you are my help,  
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.  
8 I cling to you;  
    your right hand upholds me.  
9 Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;  
    they will go down to the depths of the earth.  
10 They will be given over to the sword  
    and become food for jackals.  
11 But the king will rejoice in God;  
    all who swear by God will glory in him,  
    while the mouths of liars will be silenced.  
  

David is once again writing this Psalm as he is escaping and running for his life from his rebellious son Absalom. David and his men were in desperate need for food and water as they were crossing the Jordan River. In that very moment of starvation and thirst, David pauses and describes his deepest need as his need for God.  I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.  
    
David’s physical needs reminded him of his spiritual needs. Instead of first seeking for his physical needs to be met, David seeks first for his spiritual needs to be met, trusting that God also cares about his physical needs. As you listen to the Psalm again, consider your own needs, both spiritual and physical. Bring all of your needs to the Lord through David’s prayer.   
    
Jesus declared in the Gospel of John, "whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life… I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."  Will you take his words into your heart today? Will you seek Jesus for every need of your life, even hunger and thirst – trusting that when you come to him that he will meet all of your needs?  

Music: "Breathe" - Vineyard Worship (YouTube)

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

More at pickerill.casa

Today is November 25.
  
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 2 Kings, chapter 23.   
  

24 Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the Lord. 25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.  
  

Time and time again God calls his people to become holy. He reminds them of their proclivity to worship idols and vague spiritualities instead of God. Sometimes, even now in the midst of a holiday season, we become distracted, and our attention, our heart, our soul, our strength… gets aimed toward wrong, unhelpful, or harmful distractions. Take a moment as you come to prayer and ask God to help you turn your heart to the Lord.  
  
King Josiah does his part in bringing the people of Israel toward the call of holiness before God, and attention toward God. In order to do this, scripture tells us that he ‘gets rid of’ all sorts of things. In other words, he cleans house. As you listen to the text again, search your own heart for one thing that you may need to ‘clean up’ or ‘get rid of’ so that you can turn your full attention toward the Lord. What is distracting you from faithfulness today?   
  
As we close our time of prayer, consider what it means for you to live in such a way as to turn to the Lord with your whole heart, soul, and strength. Ask God for grace to be so oriented to him that you become an overflow of His loving-kindness to those around you. 

Music: "Prayer of Consecration" - Vineyard Worship (YouTube)

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

More at pickerill.casa

Today is November 24
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 Acts, chapter 20.

22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

This scripture offers a glimpse of how the Spirit leads. It’s not always into wonderful experiences. Sometimes, the spirit leads us toward a steadfast followership in the face of suffering. Consider a hardship in your life, a difficulty or challenge. Is there a sense of being compelled by the spirit in your experience? Or, do you feel weak and weary in your faith? Bring that to the Lord today.
 
As you listen to the passage again, consider Paul’s determination to face the challenge that is before him with conviction, and with a sense of the Spirit’s empowerment. He only wants to finish this race, to complete this task. Ask God to give you all the need for the task in front of you.

So often, our faith grows weary and worn, and we forget what it’s like to be compelled by the Spirit on behalf of the grace of God. Or sometimes, our faith is lukewarm. The grace of God is overfamiliar. We take for granted what we have. As we end our time of prayer, would you ask the Lord to stir up your faith and your gratitude for the things he has placed before you today. Could you ask him for more of his spirit as you face the challenges ahead of you?

Music Credit:
"Anything and Everything" - Heaven & Earth (YouTube)

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

More at pickerill.casa

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.

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

More at pickerill.casa