Month: November 2015

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PWTE Daily Devotion

Finding Hope in Silence

God’s Word works mightily in our silence

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

Why do we feel that we need to fill every moment of silence with noise? The first thing we do when we sit in our car is turn on the radio, CD or iPhone. When we take a stroll we plug-in our ear buds and listen to Taylor Swift, tobyMac or Eric Clapton and not God’s creatures. Our televisions blare away even when we’re in another room. We don’t like silence.

Yet the psalmist calls us to discover hope in silence.

November 23“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.”
Psalm 62:5 English Standard Version

Silence causes us to reflect on what is important, yet for some reason we equate noise with doing something significant. The hammer blow, the pounding of computer keys and the racing of a car engine means that we are engaged in something important, right?

The psalmist calls us to find hope in silence; in silently waiting for the Lord. Could it be that we hear God better when we’re engaged in silence? Is it possible that his Word penetrates the core of our being when we’re not making a lot of noise?

As I’m typing this blog it’s ironic that I have music playing in the background. I don’t like silence. So guess what? As I finish writing, I’m turning off the music. Now, as I hear the silence, will I hear the voice of God?

Copyright Douglas P Brauner

Categories
PWTE Daily Devotion

You Just Gotta Have Fun

Having fun can help us through tough times.

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

“When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.'” 
Psalm 126:1-2 English Standard Version

Our good friend, Deb, found these toy soldiers in her yard.  It was a rather painful time for her.  A large sequoia tree had to be removed from her property.  This wasn’t an easy task for her, but after a long battle, the tree was removed, the fence torn down and the ground ripped to shreds.

Among the mess she found her son’s toy soldiers long abandoned in the dirt.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

With flashlight and camera, we decided to pose these soldiers throughout her garden and take pictures of them. It was a blast.

The Lord has done great things for us. The Lord has done great things for you. As God’s redeemed children we are set free to laugh and enjoy the life we have in him.

I hope you find your “toy soldiers” in the mud today and have some fun.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner
Categories
PWTE Daily Devotion

Let’s Make a Deal

St. Elmo, Colorado

God calls us to examine what is behind the door of our lives.

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

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.
Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–
unless, of course, you fail the test?”
2 Corinthians 13:5 New International Version

I loved daytime game shoe, “Let’s Make a Deal,” though I haven’t watched the modern version with Wayne Brady. I enjoyed the different costumes people wore and the items they brought to exchange for what they hoped would be an amazing prize like a brand new car. Two people who were willing to trade back their winnings would have a chance at the end of the show to choose between three different doors; The Big Deal.

Valuable items waited behind two of those door, but something of lesser value than what the contestants traded in was stashed behind a third door, but which door would it be? We all waited, and secretly hoped, for that moment when one of the contestants chose the wrong door, forfeiting his or her valuable gift for something of lesser value.

St. Elmo, Colorado
St. Elmo, Colorado

What lays behind door 8 in St. Elmo? Is it something of value or not? Would people leap for joy when they saw was hidden behind this door, or would they walk away depressed and discouraged?

Open the doors of our Christian communities and what do people see? When you read the verse from 2 Corinthians you probably thought that Paul was writing to individuals, but he’s writing to the community: to all you all. Paul’s calling you and me in the context of our Christian communities  to examine our life together; to realize that Christ is in our community.

The community’s faith life centers on Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ who forms our life together. It is Jesus Christ who calls us to let the light of our communal life shine in our surrounding communities. We fail the test when Jesus Christ is no longer the focus of who we are and the force behind what we do.

God made a deal with us in his Son Jesus, a deal which includes the forgiveness of our sins. And it is this God who, through his Son, does his work through us. When we examine our Christian communities may we see Jesus front and center.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner