NALC Devotion – January 29, 2017
Isaiah 51:9-16; Hebrews 11:8-16; John 7:14-31 “From this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore” Heb 11:12). Hebrews 11...
NALC Devotion – January 28, 2017
Today’s readings: Isaiah 51:1-8; Galatians 3:23-29; Mark 7:1-23 Have you ever watched a raccoon before it eats? They habitually wash their “hands.” This reminds me of the Pharisees in our reading from Mark. They too, would customarily wash their...
NALC Devotion – January 27, 2017
Today’s readings: Isaiah 50:1-11; Galatians 3:15-22; Mark 6:47-56 With the fall of Adam and Eve, the whole creation became corrupt. At times, nature has been hostile toward humans as strong winds, floods, earthquakes, and more threaten their lives. Even in...
NALC Devotion – January 26, 2017
Today’s readings: Isaiah 49:13-23 (24-26); Galatians 3:1-14; Mark 6:30-46 Rhythm is a crucial aspect of music. Music would not be music without rhythm. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus teaches his apostles and you a crucial rhythm for kingdom effectiveness. First,...
NALC Devotion – January 25, 2017
Today’s readings: Isaiah 49:1-12; Galatians 2:11-21; Mark 6:13-29 King Herod promised to give the girl who had pleased him anything, “up to half of my kingdom.” In a similar way, Esther had pleased King Xerxes and was promised the same....
NALC Devotion – January 24, 2017
Isaiah 48:12-22; Galatians 1:18–2:10; Mark 6:1-13 We all have heard of a clothing item label with the expression, “one size fits all.” I am not sure that this always works in reality but it seems to help the sales...
NALC Devotion – January 23, 2017
Isaiah 48:1-11; Galatians 1:1-17; Mark 5:21-43 Who has not heard of the two healings in one story? In this Week of Epiphany 3 we can sense Christ’s manifestation in both accounts. The first part of our Gospel reading...
NALC Devotion – January 22, 2017
Isaiah 47:1-15; Hebrews 10:19-31; John 5:2-18 “Do you want to be healed?” It seems like such a simple question. Surely the answer is meant to be a simple one as well. But this interaction between Jesus and the sick...
NALC Devotion – January 21, 2017
Isaiah 46:1-13; Ephesians 6:10-24; Mark 5:1-20 How often we fall prey to our frailties due to misconceptions of personal power. I once placed second in a national Ju-Jutsu tournament and was rather full of myself. Soon to be black...
NALC Devotion – January 20, 2017
Isaiah 45:18-25; Ephesians 6:1-9; Mark 4:35-40 More than 2,500 years ago, the Prophet Isaiah wrote that the nations have their “wooden idols and keep on praying to a god that cannot save.” These words still ring very true for...