“Even when all options are bad, God is here, with us, closer to us than our own selves, with us in our frustration and desperation and bitterness. God is here, with us, the source and object of all our desiring. God is here, with us, mighty to save, and salvation itself.” Br. Lain Wilson opens the scriptures to the words of Jeremiah and finds deep reminders of God's presence, God's proximity, to us in it all.

“A covenant is not the same as a contract. A contract is a transaction; a covenant is a relationship. A covenant presumes a transformative change can and will happen in all parties if we respect our common heritage and listen to one another. And for the world today, the stakes are so very high, don’t we know? Christians, Jews, and Muslims do not share the same faith; however we do share the same fate.” Br. Curtis Almquist turns our eyes toward the Holy Land and prays for peace.

“What are you expecting from God? Don’t cling too tight. Listen and look for surprises, invitations which will stretch you to something more. We need not be afraid.  God is good and saving. Our actions speak loudly. Like Joseph, may we keep growing, keep living our yes.” Looking to the life of Joseph, Br. Luke Ditewig urges us to keep our ears open, ready for God to speak a life-changing word.

“Amid His suffering, Jesus fervently prays from the cross, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." He doesn’t wait for an apology before seeking God’s forgiveness for His persecutors. Aware of the breadth of God’s mercy, Jesus intercedes on behalf of those who show Him no mercy—those unaware of the mercy inherent in their being as God's children, blind to it and unable to embrace it.” Br. Jim Woodrum considers the scene of the Crucifixion as he ponders how wholeness can come from brokenness, even for us.

“Is God urging you further down the well-worn path of a calling confirmed years ago? Is God inviting you to step forth from a way of life you have largely outgrown into larger life? Is God beckoning you toward a sacred purpose you are only now discovering? If we are following Jesus, all paths lead toward a troubled soul. It is how we pray from the center of that trouble that opens the way for God to meet us and carry us through every death, into unbounded Life.” Br. Keith Nelson recalls those pivotal moments in his own calling which drew him beyond his own small self, toward the purpose for which God had made him.

“Our identities may harden into binaries—the us-versus-them that we so frequently find in the psalms, and in our world today. But the promise of our rich, complex individuality is that our identities are dynamic and responsive, and we can choose to lean into all that makes us unique, all that can put us into relationship with countless and unexpected others.” Br. Lain Wilson encourages us to stay complex in our identities, and maybe even to embrace the adventurous, less-well-known parts of our profile.

“Day by day, we are to draw closer to God, coming to know God (and to be known by God) more intimately.  Gradually, we are becoming one with God, uniting ourselves with God by taking on God’s priorities, values and mission. How well do you know God, and how are you coming to know God better?” Br. David Vryhof considers what it means for us to know God.

“Of the many things we can learn from Moses, one of the most important is that being on speaking terms with God is a good practice. Being on speaking terms with God is a good practice because at some point things are going to get real. Things are going to get real and each of us, like Moses, will have an opportunity to stand in breach and have it out with God.” Br. Jack Crowley encourages us to be on good speaking terms with God, so that we can stand together in the breach when the moment comes to have it out.

“We put our trust in God alone. Our patterns won’t save us. Jesus does.” Br. Luke Ditewig reminds us that our bedrock is God.

“What does it mean for us as followers of Jesus to be taught by the guidance of the Holy Spirit? How might that guidance be felt and known in new ways during our journey through the season of Lent?” On the Feast of Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Br. Keith Nelson reflects on how we are pressured from within to become more, not because we need to become perfect, but because God wants more and more from us and for us.