40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer ... "Day 25"

Presented by Bible Gateway

"Day 25"

"Christians are persons who no longer seek their salvation, their deliverance, their justification in themselves, but in Jesus Christ alone. They know that God’s Word in Jesus Christ pronounces them guilty, even when they feel nothing of their own guilt, and that God’s Word in Jesus Christ pronounces them free and righteous even when they feel nothing of their own righteousness…

Because they daily hunger and thirst for righteousness, they long for the redeeming Word again and again. It can only come from the outside. In themselves they are destitute and dead. Help must come from the outside; and it has come and comes daily and anew in the Word of Jesus Christ, bringing us redemption, righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. But God put this Word into the mouth of human beings so that it may be passed on to others. When people are deeply affected by the Word, they tell it to other people. God has willed that we should seek and find God’s living Word in the testimony of other Christians, in the mouths of human beings. Therefore, Christians need other Christians who speak God’s Word to them. They need them again and again when they become uncertain and disheartened."

Biblical Wisdom

"Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith." — Hebrews 13:7

Questions to Ponder

• Where do disciples go to satisfy their daily hunger and thirst for righteousness?
• If Christians find their salvation, deliverance, and justification not in them­selves but in Jesus Christ, how should they use their resulting freedom?
• If God has put God’s word into the “mouth of human beings,” who is responsible to speak the word? Only pastors or church workers? Why?

Psalm Fragment

“On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness. They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness ...” — Psalm 145:5-7

Journal Reflections

• Write about specific Christians who have spoken a word from God to you when you needed it.
• Write about people to whom you have spoken God’s word.

Intercessions

Think of someone you would like to be a spiritual friend with and ask God to help you build a mutually supportive spiritual relationship with him or her.

Prayer for Today

O Holy Spirit, send the people I need to bring me the word of God, and send the people I need to speak the word of God to.

From @FWMission ...Friday Story: "Like Living In A New World"

• https://www.freewheelchairmission.org/

Founded in 2001, Free Wheelchair Mission is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to providing wheelchairs for the impoverished disabled in developing nations. Headquartered in Irvine, California, FWM works around the world in partnership with a vast network of humanitarian, faith-based and government organizations, sending wheelchairs to hundreds of thousands of disabled people, providing not only the gift of mobility, but of dignity, independence, and hope.

FWM Photo

Friday Story: "Like Living In A New World"

Life in Zambia has not been easy for Joseph. Although he is just 16 years old, he said, “There used to be times when I felt like giving up on life.”

When Joseph started school, his friends had to carry him on their backs. When his friends were not available, Joseph used to crawl so he wouldn’t miss a lesson ...

• read the rest of this story ...

In the News ... "Midland College faculty member in book-signing"

• This Saturday at Barnes and Noble

MIDLAND, TEXAS - Dr. Leslie Williams, author and Midland College adjunct English professor, will be signing books at the Midland  Barnes and Noble, 2617 West Loop 250 N, on Saturday, April 1, from 12:00 noon - 3:00 p.m.

Williams will be signing her two most recently published books Emblem of Faith Untouched: A Short Life of Thomas Cranmer and When Anything Goes: Being Christian in a Post-Christian World.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 26, 2017

PRESBYTERIAN OLDER ADULT MINISTRIES NETWORK - At a time in her life when Joan Hurlock especially needed spiritual and emotional support, she found herself drifting away from her faith community.

Hurlock, a member of Carmichael Presbyterian Church near Sacramento, California, had spent years caring for others as a public health nurse and educator. When Paul, her husband of more than 50 years, became chronically ill, she gradually shifted her focus to caring for him at home. Although well prepared for her role as caregiver, Hurlock felt overwhelmed and overburdened. But not wanting to leave her husband alone, she spent less and less time at church ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

FBR Report: "Where is the Outcry? World Leaders Should Act Now!"

The Free Burma Rangers (FBR) is a multi-ethnic humanitarian service movement. They bring help, hope and love to people in the war zones of Burma (Myanmar) and the Middle East. Groups send teams to be trained, supplied and sent into the areas under attack to provide emergency assistance and human rights documentation. Together with other groups, the teams work to serve people in need.

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Where is the Outcry? World Leaders Should Act Now!

On December 23, 2016, Kachinland News reported that a mass grave containing the remains of 18 Mung Lung villagers, including a two-year-old boy, had been discovered three days earlier in a forest near Mung Lung Nam Hkye Ho Village in Munggu area of northern Shan State, Burma. Their bodies had been partially burned before being buried. The 18 villagers had remained in Mung Lung while all others fled, saying that they were simple civilians with nothing to do with the war and that the Burma Army would not harm them. Yet, on November 28, 2016, the 18 villagers were detained by Burma Army soldiers under 88th and 99th light infantry divisions – units notorious for their brutality and suspected involvement in war crimes ...

• CLICK HERE to read the rest of this FBR Report ...

• CLICK HERE to learn how YOU can get involved in FBR and its mission ...

FBR Photo

40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer ... "Day 24"

Presented by Bible Gateway

"Day 24"

"Every human idealized image that is brought into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be broken up so that genuine community can survive. Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their personal intentions may be ever so honest, earnest, and sacrificial…

Those who dream of this idealized community demand that it be fulfilled by God, by others, and by themselves. They enter the community of Christians with their demands, set up their own law, and judge one another and even God accordingly…

Because God already has laid the only foundation of our community, because God has united us in one body with other Christians in Jesus Christ long before we entered into common life with them, we enter into that life together with other Christians, not as those who make demands, but as those who thankfully receive. We thank God for what God has done for us. We thank God for giving us other Christians who live by God’s call, forgiveness, and promise. We do not complain about what God does not give us; rather we are thankful for what God does give us daily."

Biblical Wisdom

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all." — Ephesians 4:1-6

Questions to Ponder

• What does it mean to love the “dream of Christian community more than the community itself”?
• If “we enter community not as those who make demands, but as those who thankfully receive,” what should our attitude and action toward the community be?
• Is it easier to “complain about what God does not give us” or to be “thankful for what God does give us”? Why?

Psalm Fragment

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed. O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their shepherd, and carry them forever ...” — Psalm 28:7-9

Journal Reflections

• Write about your response to Bonhoeffer’s ideas about Christian community.
• Does reading Bonhoeffer on Christian community change the way you feel about your faith community? How? Or why not?
• Does it suggest any practical changes in the way you relate to your faith community? If so, what are they?

Intercessions

Think about your faith community and spiritual friends (name them) and thank God for the support you get from them in living your life of faith.

Prayer for Today

Lord Jesus, I will be as important to my spiritual community as my spiritual community is to me.

In the News ... "Ride with a blessing"

Photo by Joshua Scheide

• Taking place this Saturday

Staff Report
• Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - A Blessing of the Bikes is planned at 10 a.m. Saturday at Legacy Harley-Davidson, 12100 W. Highway 80 in Odessa. There will be free hamburgers and hot dogs along with refreshments, live music, door prizes and a drawing.

The event is sponsored by Misfits in Christ Motorcycle Ministry.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 26, 2017

OKRA ABBEY, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - Layne and Crawford Brubaker have taken church planting to the next level. Quite literally. With Okra Abbey, a new worshiping community (NWC) in the Pigeon Town neighborhood of New Orleans, the Brubakers and ministry colleague Vincent Grossi are doing more than just blooming where they’re planted— they’re cultivating community by growing vegetables and by nurturing faith and trust among their diverse neighbors ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer ... "Day 23"

Presented by Bible Gateway

"Day 23"

"There is probably no Christian to whom God has not given the uplifting and blissful experience of genuine Christian community at least once in her or his life. But in this world such experiences remain nothing but a gracious extra beyond the daily bread of Christian community life. We have no claim to such experiences, and we do not live with other Christians for the sake of gaining such experiences. It is not the experience of Christian community, but firm and certain faith within Christian community that holds us together. We hold fast in faith to God’s greatest gift, that God has acted for us all and wants to act for us all. This makes us joyful and happy, but it also makes us ready to forget all such experiences if at times God does not grant them. We are bound together by faith, not by experience."

Biblical Wisdom

"Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called․that you might inherit a blessing." — 1 Peter 3:8-9

Questions to Ponder

• Why is “the uplifting and blissful experience of genuine Christian community” somewhat rare?
• What is the “firm and certain faith” that holds Christians together even when there is conflict and tension between them?
• What does it mean to say: “We are bound together by faith, not by experience”?

Psalm Fragment

“How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes ...” — Psalm 133:1-2

Journal Reflections

• Write about an “uplifting and blissful” experience of genuine Christian community in your life. Write about a time when faith kept you in community even though the experience of community wasn’t so good at the time?

Intercessions

Think about your community of faith. If there is any conflict or tension in the community, pray that faith in the unity given by Christ would sustain the community as it seeks to resolve the conflict. If the members of your community of faith are presently at peace with one another, thank God for the experience of unity.

Prayer for Today

Lord, I need Christian community. Help me to be there for others in the same way I need others to be there for me.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 26, 2017

MISSION CO-WORKER: SUDAN - Today, African-American mission co-workers continue the transforming work of God’s mission, answering the call to service through Presbyterian World Mission. Leisa Wagstaff, currently serving in South Sudan, shares her personal reflection on this irresistible call. Like the mission workers who served a century before her, Leisa has found herself personally transformed. That is the essence of God’s mission ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Partners Blog: "The tenacity of love."

Steve and Oddny Gumaer started Partners Relief and Development in response to the needs of refugees and displaced people from Burma, and now in the Middle East, as well. Their mission is to demonstrate, through holistic action, God’s love to children and communities made vulnerable by war in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other conflict zones.

Partners Photo

The tenacity of love.

Do you ever get the feeling that there’s way more bad stuff happening in the world than good? In the areas where Partners is actively working it can seem that way. Just this past month, thousands more Rohingya have fled the violence occurring in western Myanmar, while in the north, thousands more have been displaced by increased fighting between the Kachin Independence Army and the Myanmar Army. Add this to the already staggering number of families displaced during Syria’s brutal civil war where our team has been providing relief and it seems completely reasonable to think that there’s no hope for change ...

• read the rest of this post ...

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Partners Relief and Development is a registered charity in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States. "We’re a small, grassroots nonprofit passionate about making a big impact in communities affected by conflict and oppression, demonstrating God’s love to children and giving them the opportunity to live free, full lives." For more information aboput Partners, visit their website at partners.ngo/

40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer ... "Day 22"

Presented by Bible Gateway

"Day 22"

"The measure with which God gives the gift of visible community is varied. Christians who live dispersed from one another are comforted by a brief visit of another Christian, a prayer together, and another Christian’s blessing. Indeed, they are strengthened by letters written by the hand of other Christians. Paul’s greetings in his letters written in his own hand were no doubt tokens of such community. Others are given the gift on Sundays of the community of the worship service. Still others have the privilege of living a Christian life in the community of their families."

Biblical Wisdom

"Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia." — 1 Thessalonians 4:9

Questions to Ponder

• Why is Christian community so important for the life of faith?
• What are the things that weaken community?
• What are the things that strengthen community?

Psalm Fragment

“Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture ...” — Psalm 100:2-3

Journal Reflections

• Write about how the gift of Christian community has been a blessing to you.
• What kinds of Christian communities are you a part of?
• Do you have a spiritual friend, someone with whom you can speak about faith, confide in, who encourages you, guides you and, if needed, corrects you․and for whom you are the same? If so, reflect on that relationship and what it means to you. If not, could you build a friendship like that?

Prayer for Today

Lord, enable me to be a strength of my Christian communities, and faithful in my spiritual friendships.

In the News ... "Is there an unforgivable sin?"

OA Photo by Mark Sterkel

• Ministers give varying interpretations of relevant Scripture

By Bob Campbell, Reporter
• Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - Permian Basin ministers say there is, but it’s none of the things that are punished by the criminal justice system.

Aubrey Jones, Russ Nebhut, Mark Woodruff, Mike Vestal and Mike Atkins say the question is one of the great theological issues ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 26, 2017

MENAUL SCHOOL - Menaul School in Albuquerque much to celebrate in 2017. The day/boarding school, founded in 1896, recently received a $1.5 million gift from the Collie and Hill families, longtime supporters of the school. ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

From @chinaaid : "Police summon Wenzhou pastor after his release on bail "

The China Aid Association is a non-profit Christian organization - based in Midland, Texas - with a mission to uncover and reveal the truth about religious persecution in China, focusing especially on the unofficial church. They do this, they explain in their website, by exposing the abuses, encouraging the abused and equipping the saints to advance the kingdom of God throughout China.

CAA Photo

Police summon Wenzhou pastor after his release on bail
Distributed by ChinaAid, February, 2017 ...

WENZHOU, ZHEJIANG, CHINA – The pastor of a house church in China’s coastal Zhejiang province feared he may be re-arrested when he responded to a police summons on the morning of Feb. 3.

After Huang Yizi, the pastor of Fengwo Church, was released on bail a year ago, he expressed his concern that he would be taken into custody again ...

• more on this story from China Aid

40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer ... "Day 21"

Presented by Bible Gateway

"Day 21"

"You complain that you cannot believe? No one should be surprised that they cannot come to believe so long as, in deliberate disobedience, they flee or reject some aspect of Jesus’ commandment. You do not want to subject some sinful passion, an enmity, a hope, your life plan, or your reason to Jesus’ commandment? Do not be surprised that you do not receive the Holy Spirit, that you cannot pray, that your prayer for faith remains empty! Instead, go and be reconciled with your sister or brother; let go of the sin which keeps you captive; and you will be able to believe again! If you reject God’s commanding word, you will not receive God’s gracious word. How would you expect to find community while you intentionally withdraw from it at some point? The disobedient cannot believe; only the obedient believe."

Biblical Wisdom

"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say that you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead." — James 2:14-17

Questions to Ponder

• Jesus’ commandment is that we love God who made us and that we love our neighbors as ourselves. How does obedience to this commandment nurture and nourish true faith?
• Why does rejecting “God’s commanding word” keep us from receiving “God’s gracious word”?
• What is it about rejecting God’s commanding word that takes us out of community?

Psalm Fragment

“Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise. They grumbled in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the Lord ...” — Psalm 106:24-25

Journal Reflections

• Write in your journal about a practical experience of how your obedience to Jesus’ commandment has nurtured and nourished your faith.
• Write about your experiences of Christian community. Reflect on both good and bad experiences. What is the difference between them?

Intercessions

Pray for your family and spiritual friends (and for all Christians) that they would continuously experience community grounded in love.

Prayer for Today

Lord, help me to see where I am rejecting some aspect of your will for me. Help me to obey and believe, believe and obey.

In the News ... "Hope Mommies gives support after miscarriage, infant loss"

• "Her life if being used for good, to help others."

Rebecca Jeffrey, Reporter
• KMID-TV

BIG SPRING, TEXAS - A West Texas organization is meeting moms at a time when hope seems lost after losing a baby.

• Hope Mommies is a non-profit ministry offering support, friendship and fellowship during a devastating time ...

• read the rest of this KMID report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 26, 2017

SELF DEVELOMENT OF PEOPLE - The National Committee of the Self-Development of People (SDOP) wrapped up its first meeting of the year by voting to re-configure some of the processes of completing its work. Reduced giving and the retirements of nearly half the SDOP staff in 2016 have prompted the committee to make changes to better meet the needs of communities seeking assistance ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer ... "Day 20"

Presented by Bible Gateway

"Day 20"

"Only the obedient believe. A concrete commandment has to be obeyed in order to come to believe. A first step of obedience has to be taken, so that faith does not become pious self-deception, cheap grace. The first step is crucial. It is qualitatively different from all others that follow. The first step of obedience has to lead Peter away from his nets and out of the boat; it has to lead the young man away from his wealth. Faith is possible only in this new state of existence created by obedience."

Biblical Wisdom

"As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea․for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him." — Mark 1:16-18

Questions to Ponder

• How do you understand the relationship between obedience and true faith?
• How might a “first step of obedience” change your relationship to Jesus?
• Why is the first step “qualitatively different from all others that follow”?

Psalm Fragment

“O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice ...” — Psalm 95:6-7

Journal Reflections

• Is there a moment when you took a “first step of obedience”? If so, write about it. What was it like? How did it change your life?
• Do you need to take a “first step of obedience”? If so, any ideas or intuitions about what form that might take?

Intercessions

Pray that you, your family, and your spiritual friends would have the courage to be obedient to whatever God is calling you to.

Prayer for Today

Gracious God, grant me the wisdom to see what you need me to do and the courage to do it.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 26, 2017

ASSOCIATION OF PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH EDUCATORS: AWARDS - On the final full day of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) annual event meeting in Denver, participants attended a sampling of more than 60 workshops, participated in a holy humor worship service and honored fellow educators for excellence in their work and careers ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer ... "Day 19"

Presented by Bible Gateway

"Day 19"

"Costly grace is the hidden treasure in the field, for the sake of which people go and sell with joy everything they have. It is the costly pearl for whose price the merchant sells all that he has; it is Christ’s sovereignty, for the sake of which you tear out an eye if it causes you to stumble. It is the call of Jesus Christ which causes a disciple to leave his nets and follow him.

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which has to be asked for, the door at which one has to knock.

It is costly, because it calls to discipleship; it is grace, because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly, because it costs people their lives; it is grace, because it thereby makes them live. It is costly, because it condemns sin; it is grace, because it justifies the sinner. Above all, grace is costly, because it was costly to God, because it cost God the life of God’s Son․“you were bought with a price”․and because nothing can be cheap to us which is costly to God. Above all, it is grace because the life of God’s Son was not too costly for God to give in order to make us live…

Grace is costly, because it forces people under the yoke of following Jesus Christ; it is grace when Jesus says, 'My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.'" (Matthew 11:30)

Biblical Wisdom

"For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body." — 1 Corinthians 6:20

Questions to Ponder

• If costly grace means that God wants things from us as well as for us, what might those things be?
• What is the difference between following Jesus Christ (costly grace) and simply believing things about Jesus Christ (cheap grace)?
• What does it mean to say grace is costly “because it costs people their lives”?

Psalm Fragment

“Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually ...” — Psalm 105:3-4

Journal Reflections

• Have you experienced costly grace? If so, what did it feel like? If not, what do you imagine it might feel like?
• What would it mean for you to “leave [your] nets and follow him”?

Intercessions

Pray for the church and for all Christians, that they may proclaim and practice costly grace.

Prayer for Today

Thank you, O God, for the costly grace you have offered me freely and which has made me a disciple of Jesus.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 25, 2017

2017 COLLEGE CONFERENCE AT MONTREAT - The first thing I noticed was the sound of bagpipes. Welcome to College Conference at Montreat, where students descend each year for faith formation, fellowship and the occasional tune from that beloved Scottish instrument. I took the music as a personal welcome as this was my first Montreat experience ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

In the News ... "Sale benefiting mission will continue Saturday"

OA Photo by Mark Sterkel

• Door of Hope needs cash infusion, director says

Staff Report
• Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - Featuring everything from clothing and lawnmowers to pianos, the Door of Hope Thrift Store at 1611 E. Eighth St. will have a 50-percent-off “Customers’ Appreciation Sale” from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Pastor Andrew Pistone, executive director of the store and the Door of Hope Mission at 200 W. First St., said the event is being conducted “because we are in real need of cash donations” to help fund the store’s and mission’s combined $700,000 annual budget ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

40-Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer ... "Day 18"

Presented by Bible Gateway

"Day 18"

"The word of cheap grace has ruined more Christians than any commandment about works …

For integrity’s sake someone has to speak up for those among us who confess that cheap grace has made them give up following Christ, and that ceasing to follow Christ has made them lose the knowledge of costly grace. Because we cannot deny that we no longer stand in true discipleship to Christ, while being members of a true-believing church with a pure doctrine of grace, but are no longer members of a church which follows Christ, we therefore have to try to understand grace and discipleship again in correct relationship to each other."

Biblical Wisdom

"What then are we to say? Should we continue to sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." — Romans 6:1-4

Questions to Ponder

• What do you think Bonhoeffer meant by saying: “The word of cheap grace has ruined more Christians than any commandment about works”?
• Why might cheap grace cause someone to give up following Christ?
• What is the correct relationship between grace and discipleship?

Psalm Fragment

“Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved ...” — Psalm 80:19

Journal Reflections

• Has the church’s proclamation and practice of cheap grace ever led you to consider not following Christ anymore? If so, write about the experience.
• Do you know anyone who has given up following Christ because of cheap grace? If so, did anyone speak up for her or him?

Intercessions

Pray for the church, and for all Christians, that they may not succumb to the lure of cheap grace.

Prayer for Today

Lord Jesus Christ, I would follow you, no matter what the cost; lead me in the way of true discipleship.

From @FWMission ...Friday Story: "Past pride, future hope"

• https://www.freewheelchairmission.org/

Founded in 2001, Free Wheelchair Mission is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to providing wheelchairs for the impoverished disabled in developing nations. Headquartered in Irvine, California, FWM works around the world in partnership with a vast network of humanitarian, faith-based and government organizations, sending wheelchairs to hundreds of thousands of disabled people, providing not only the gift of mobility, but of dignity, independence, and hope.

Photo by Carl Calabria

Friday Story: "Past pride, future hope"

At 19,330 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa. It would be a major feat for anyone to climb to the top, much less a child.

But Nicolai Calabria did when he was 13 years old. And – he did it on crutches.

Nicolai, or Nico, was born without his right leg ...

• read the rest of this story ...

In the News ... "New Harvest Fellowship gets new church in Midland"

KOSA Photo

• An effort by two area churches

Staff Report
• KOSA-TV

MIDLAND, TEXAS - It was a night to celebrate for members of New Harvest Church in Midland.

[It] was the great reveal of their new worship center after it was completely destroyed this winter when pipes burst and flooded the entire building ...

• read/watch the rest of this KOSA report 

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 24, 2017

ATLANTA MINISTRY FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, GEORGIA - Jesus is calling all of us to be his witnesses at home, work and every place we visit—to be his change agents and for the gospel to transform us and transform the people we are working with.

For me, two women transformed my life: Adlah Abu-Akel, my mother, and Dr. Doris Wilson, a Scottish missionary serving in the Middle East. Because of their witness, they nurtured in me a calling to mission service ...

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