Month: October 2015

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PWTE Daily Devotion

Life Happens

Brauner Backyard

The daily struggles of life need not rob us of joy.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them,
because they were harassed and helpless,
like sheep without a shepherd.”  
Matthew 9:36 ESV

Someday I think that I’ll be able to recline like this gnome and enjoy life. But such is not the case. Just as soon as I think things will settle down the phone rings, a deadline approaches or the car breaks down.  It seems that there is always something that gets in the way of relaxing.

This gnome keeps on smiling no matter the weather conditions, no matter if the dog knocks him over.

What are the things that harass us? Is it the mundane daily rituals that seem to invite boredom? Is it the relentless pressure of deadlines? Is it the constant, unsolicited “surprises” of life?

Things haven’t change much since Jesus’ day have they? Sheep without a shepherd is a good description of our lives.

Yet there is a Shepherd who has laid down his life for his sheep that they also might recline in the green grass of his love. No matter what attempts to steal your enjoyment of life, know that the Good Shepherd is your ultimate source of joy. It is he who keeps you smiling.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner

Categories
PWTE Daily Devotion

Head in the Clouds

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

God desires that we seek intimacy with him.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai.
For six days the cloud covered it,
and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from inside the cloud.”
Exodus 24:16 God’s Word to the Nations.

Stare at this picture long enough and the clouds seem to float over Longs Peak, at least that is what I see since I’m known for being in a fog. I have often been accused of having my head in the clouds…and for good reason.

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with having your head in the clouds. I think Moses would agree with me.

Where’s your head today?

God invites you to stick your head in the clouds and to see his glory. For some of us that will mean pulling our heads out of the dirt where we, like an ostrich, have stuck it.

So, where is this cloud of glory?  It’s as near to you as your Bible. It’s as near as the Lord’s Supper. It’s as near as the drenching waters of Baptism.

God’s glory still resides on earth through these means which give us a taste of that day when we’ll really stick our heads in the clouds of heaven.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner

Categories
PWTE Daily Devotion

Sacred Ground

Paint Mines, Calhan, Colorado

Where is your holy ground?

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“When the LORD saw that [Moses] turned aside to see,
God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’
And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then [God] said,
‘Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet,
for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.'” 
Exodus 3:4 English Standard Version

Okay, so I like the Paint Mines. Many times I’ve opened the door to my car, sat in the driver’s seat determined to head toward the Garden of the Gods only to find myself at the Paint Mines.

This is sacred ground. I’m blessed by the stillness, quietness and emptiness of the Paint Mines. I wonder if that is what Moses felt in the wilderness, tending his father-in-law’s flock when God decided to make himself known in the burning bush.

Where do you hear God’s call to take off your sandals?

There might be many places where you hear God’s call.  It might be the mountains, the ocean or the plains. It could also be in the presence of people such as friends or family.

God calls us into the presence of the Holy in the gathering of the community of those who have been baptized into Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Yes, we ought to abandon our shoes at the entrance to the sanctuary of our churches.

Yet we find it difficult to see the sacred in worship. Maybe we struggle because worship is so ordinary and not extraordinary like the burning bush. There really isn’t anything special about a person speaking, water poured over someone’s head or bread and wine being digested.

Yet it is through these means that God does the extraordinary. Through these means he establishes a relationship with us, forgives us and promises life and salvation. These gifts are not ordinary. They are God’s call to take off our sandals.

God is present in the community that gathers around word, water, bread and wine.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner