Devotional

Experiencing God as Love: Care of the Earth Scripture: 1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.” This scripture brings back memories of catechism from my youth. This is one of those verses I can actually remember hearing, “We love because he first loved us.” Yet, even upon hearing it as a young […]

Experiencing God as Love: Care of the Earth Scripture: Matthew 22:36-40 “‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second […]

Experiencing God as Love: Care of the Earth Scripture: Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined.” God created the heavens and the earth, and God said, “It was good.” God gave us stewardship to care […]

Experiencing God as Love: Care of the Earth When I can enter that space where I really notice the world around me—those moments where the beauty of creation just leaps out at me—God’s love seems to come into a particular kind of clarity. I am able to notice the perfection of the earth. I notice […]

Experiencing God as Joy: Consumerism Scripture: Isaiah 12:2 “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.” What if you could wake up in the morning and the only things there were to be aware of […]

Experiencing God as Joy: Consumerism Scripture: Luke 2:10-11 “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.’” It is easy to […]

Experiencing God as Joy: Consumerism Scripture: John 15:11 “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” I graduated from South Dakota State University in 1978 with a degree in commercial economics. Tying a biblical passage to an economic term like consumerism […]

Experiencing God as Joy: Consumerism Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” In November 2014, The Huffington Post […]

Experiencing God as Joy: Consumerism Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23 “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.” When my husband and I were younger, with two small children and a big mortgage, he was laid off from work. I […]