Twelve Enough

KTS44

Jonathan Malone and Charley Eastman

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An evening devotional with pastors Charley Eastman and Jonathan Malone. This week’s topic: Celebration!

Here is the prayer that Charley read:

A Three Step Morning Prayer

First Step: Plant your feet firmly on the earth. Using your five senses, give thanks to our Creator God for the countless ways God comes to us through creation- for all the beauty that your eyes see, for all the sounds that your ears ear, for all the scents that you smell, the tastes that you taste, for all that you feel (the sun, wind, rain, snow, warm, or cold). Pray this day that you may be open and attuned to the countless ways that our Creator God comes to us through your senses, through the gifts of creation.

Second Step: Let go of all the pain, struggle, regret, failures, garbage of yesterday - step out of it - leave it behind- brush the dust of it from your feet.

Third Step: With this third and final step, step into the gift of the new day, full of hope, promise, and potential. Give thanks for the gift of this new day, which God has made!

Amen.

- JosE Hobday

And here is a link to learn more about JosE Hobday

https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/jos-hobday-native-american-spiritual-author-dies

KTS43

Jonathan Malone and Charley Eastman

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A Weekly devotional with pastors Charley Eastman and Jonathan Malone. This week they discuss the ministry and impact of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here is the prayer that Jonathan read by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thou Eternal God, out of whose absolute power and infinite intelligence the whole universe has come into being, we humbly confess that we have not loved thee with our hearts, souls and minds, and we have not loved our neighbors as Christ loved us. We have all too often lived by our own selfish impulses rather than by the life of sacrificial love as revealed by Christ. We often give in order to receive. We love our friends and hate our enemies. We go the first mile but dare not travel the second. We forgive but dare not forget. And so as we look within ourselves, we are confronted with the appalling fact that the history of our lives is the history of an eternal revolt against you. But thou, O God, have mercy upon us. Forgive us for what we could have been but failed to be. Give us the intelligence to know your will. Give us the courage to do your will. Give us the devotion to love your will. In the name and spirit of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

KTS42

Jonathan Malone and Charley Eastman

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Pastors Jonathan and Charley are back at it again and in light of all that happened last week (1/6/21) have decided to discuss Christian Nationalism.

The best thing to do would be to check out the website put together by the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. They have put together a lot of great resources.

https://bjconline.org/christiannationalism/

Have a good and quiet week!

KTS41

Jonathan Malone and Charley Eastman

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A Weekly devotional

We’re back after a week off and looking at two days in one episode: the Epiphany and the Baptism of Jesus.

Enjoy!

The prayer was by Hafez

KTS40

Jonathan Malone and Charley Eastman

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A weekly devotional with pastors Jonathan Malone and Charley Eastman. This week they talk about the fourth Sunday of Advent - Love.

Here is the prayer that Charley read:

Lord Jesus, let me know myself and

know you,

And desire nothing, save only you.

Let me hate myself and love you.

Let me do everything for the sake of you.

Let me humble myself and exalt you.

Let me think of nothing except you.

Let me die to myself and live in you.

Let me accept whatever happens as from you.

Let me banish self and follow you,

And ever desire to follow you.

Let me fly from myself and take refuge in you,

That I may deserve to be defended by you.

Let me fear for myself, let me fear you,

And let me be among those who are chosen by you.

Let me distrust myself and put my trust in you.

Let me be willing to obey for the sake of you.

Let me cling to nothing, save only to you,

And let me be poor because of you.

Look upon me, that I may love you.

Call me, that I may see you,

And for ever enjoy you.

Amen.

 

Augustine of Hippo - 354-430

KTS39

Jonathan Malone and Charley Eastman

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A weekly devotional with Pastors Jonathan Malone and Charley Eastman.

This week we discuss the theme of the third Sunday of Advent - the Pink Candle (Joy)

May this devotional bring you much joy!

Here is the prayer that Charley offered:

Welcome Morning

by Anne Sexton

 

There is joy

in all:

in the hair I brush each morning,

in the Cannon towel, newly washed,

that I rub my body with each morning,

in the chapel of eggs I cook

each morning,

in the outcry from the kettle

that heats my coffee

each morning,

in the spoon and the chair

that cry "hello there, Anne"

each morning,

in the godhead of the table

that I set my silver, plate, cup upon

each morning.

 

All this is God,

right here in my pea-green house

each morning

and I mean,

though often forget,

to give thanks,

to faint down by the kitchen table

in a prayer of rejoicing

as the holy birds at the kitchen window

peck into their marriage of seeds.

 

So while I think of it,

let me paint a thank-you on my palm

for this God, this laughter of the morning,

lest it go unspoken.

 

The Joy that isn't shared, I've heard,

dies young.

KTS38

Charley Eastman and Jonathan Malone

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A weekly devotional with pastors Jonathan Malone and Charley Eastman. We are in the second week/theme of Advent and looking at the idea of Peace. Remember, don’t light that pink candle until next week!

Here is the poem that Charley offered as a closing prayer:

Invitation

By Mary Oliver

 

Oh do you have time

to linger

for just a little while

out of your busy

 

and very important day

for the goldfinches

that have gathered

in a field of thistles

 

for a musical battle,

to see who can sing

the highest note,

or the lowest,

 

or the most expressive of mirth,

or the most tender?

Their strong, blunt beaks

drink the air

 

as they strive

melodiously

not for your sake

and not for mine

 

and not for the sake of winning

but for sheer delight and gratitude –

believe us, they say,

it is a serious thing

 

just to be alive

on this fresh morning

in the broken world.

I beg of you,

 

do not walk by

without pausing

to attend to this

rather ridiculous performance.

 

It could mean something.

It could mean everything.

It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:

You must change your life.

KTS37

Jonathan Malone and Charley Eastman

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A weekly devotional hosted by pastors Jonathan Malone and Charley Eastman. It is the first week of Advent which calls us to have hope!

Here is the selection by Moltmann that Jonathan read:

“Totally without hope one cannot live. To live without hope is to cease to live. Hell is hopelessness. It is no accident that above the entrance to Dante's hell is the inscription: "Leave behind all hope, you who enter here. … God weeps with us so that we may one day laugh with him.”

― Jürgen Moltmann

KTS36

Jonathan Malone and Charley Eastman

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A weekly devotional with Pastors Jonathan Malone and Charley Eastman. This week, thankfulness!

We don’t have the text for the prayer, but here is a link to an interview with author Anne Lamott about the book the prayer is found:

https://www.npr.org/2012/11/19/164814269/anne-lamott-distills-prayer-into-help-thanks-wow

KTS35 Broken and Hurt

Jonathan Malone and Charley Eastman

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A weekly devotional with pastors Jonathan Malone and Charley Eastman

Trigger warning - Jonathan and Charley are discussing, in part, the sexual abuse scandals in Roman Catholicism. They also discuss the greater brokenness in the church.

Here is the prayer that Jonathan read:

Thou Eternal God, out of whose absolute power and infinite intelligence the whole universe has come into being, we humbly confess that we have not loved thee with our hearts, souls and minds, and we have not loved our neighbors as Christ loved us. We have all too often lived by our own selfish impulses rather than by the life of sacrificial love as revealed by Christ. We often give in order to receive. We love our friends and hate our enemies. We go the first mile but dare not travel the second. We forgive but dare not forget. And so as we look within ourselves, we are confronted with the appalling fact that the history of our lives is the history of an eternal revolt against you. But thou, O God, have mercy upon us. Forgive us for what we could have been but failed to be. Give us the intelligence to know your will. Give us the courage to do your will. Give us the devotion to love your will. In the name and spirit of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

-       Martin Luther King, Jr.