The Archives can be found in the blue sidebars, below, and you can browse by category or author. If you’re reading this via email, rss, facebook, or on Whosoever.org, you can visit the site to see the archives.

One Bad Apple… by Cheryl Stonestreet
Monday, November 9

The Miracle of Enough by Brent Walsh
Tuesday, November 10

Hitting Snooze! by Tammy Mills
Wednesday, November 11

Breaking Through by Steve Adams
Thursday, November 12

Word of God, Speak by Julie Walsh
Friday, November 13

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My thoughts (Julie Walsh):

A few years ago, I went to an Abba tribute concert at Connor Prairie with a group of friends. With our blankets in tow, we camped out on the grass and tore into our baskets and coolers filled with picnic treats and goodies. It was a mild summer night and conversation was lively. The mood was light. Stories and laughter echoed through our group with unbounded freedom. Time passed quickly and we were so wrapped up in fellowship that we hardly noticed the crowd that had pressed in all around us. When the show began, the performers appeared with their glitziest ’70s disco costumes. For the next two hours we sang and laughed and ate and talked.

And then God spoke to me.

Right there in the middle of this outrageous show, amidst the antics and humor of this motley group of friends, God appeared. Not in a story. Not in the lyrics or the music. Not in the stars that had filled the sky. God’s voice soared above it all and simply surrounded me in the moment.

With no regard to the actual music that was playing, I suddenly felt the inspiration to get up from our circle of conversation and to dance in the grass. Now understand, as I’ve gotten older dancing has become a more inhibited activity, so this motivation to dance was rather uncharacteristic. But there I was, flying around in circles with my arms fully extended and my head tilted to the sky. I probably looked like I had taken a few recreational drugs and was getting in touch with the dancers of the hippie era! But this was an all-natural Spirit-filled high. God was speaking to me through the dancing.

Sometimes we expect to see God in the big things like the wind, an earthquake, or fire. Sometimes we expect God to speak to us in traditional ways like prayer, song, or sermon. But God’s voice can be present anywhere we are willing to listen: at a crowded airport or subway station, in personal letters or journal writings, in books, at the movies — or at a noisy concert. The simple fact is that God will speak to us anywhere and anytime we are willing to listen.

Thought for the day: Open your spirit to hear God speaking to you today.

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Steve Adams):

“How long will you go limping with two different opinions?” echoes in my mind after reading these verses. After all, isn’t indecision one of the most excruciating ordeals we ever go through? Especially when the issue is, “Can I trust God in this situation or not?”

Rain seems impossible when you’ve had three years of drought and famine. Many times, though, far smaller things seem impossible. For me, there was the time when, after years of putting it off, I took a speech class with the goal of getting rid of my fear of public speaking. I had been fortunate to have had positive experiences teaching short Bible lessons in small groups, but the thought of speaking to a large classroom of strangers seemed like a Goliath to me. It’s hard to explain how excruciating the feeling was when I would anticipate speaking. Stress can increase to a point that your body experiences great discomfort. All of that adrenal energy builds up in your body, and yet you are too scared to do much of anything! Shallow breathing and tense muscles cause focus to dissipate, thoughts to scatter, and resolve to crumble. It simply becomes hard to think clearly.

As I was driving to the classroom for the first speech of the semester, this torturous process reached the point that I decided I would drive to a nearby shopping center and walk around instead of going to class. Somehow, though, in my confused state, I changed my mind, turned my car around, and proceeded to go to class.

The speech went remarkably well. I wasn’t even that nervous by the time I gave it. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? But, I think I know why. You see, up until the time I made the final decision to go to class, I was in the turmoil of indecision. I was wallowing between these two opinions:

• OK, God, it feels like it’s going to be torture, but, with Your help, I’ll go give the speech — with You I can learn to overcome this fear, and
• God, I’ve got to escape  – how pleasant the mall will be compared to walking into that classroom!

The longer this storm raged in my mind, the harder the speech seemed like it would be. But, when I made the decision to go ahead and go through with it, God was able to help me, because I was at least beginning to open myself up to the process of faith instead of fear.

So, what’s your big fear? Whatever it is God can help you press through the painful stage of indecision (analogous to hard, rocky soil) and emerge into the sunshine where you can learn and grow to become what God intends you to be. When we’re in the ambivalent stage, we are unstable (James 1:6-8). But when we’re in the faith stage, we are strong (I John 5:4b).

Thought for the day: Is fear keeping me from being what God intends? God, help me to stop “limping” with indecision. Help me to follow you, and to break through my fear.

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Tammy Mills):

This scripture is not my favorite. It seems outdated, dramatic, and improbable. Needless to say, I didn’t jump for joy when I found out I was assigned this scripture! I should have known, though, that the spirit has a way of working things out.

The book I am currently reading during meditation time is The Gift of Change by Marianne Williamson. She talks a lot about “waking up” spiritually. She makes the case that most of us are sleep walking through life. We are numb to the workings of spirit and therefore not participating in the healing of this world. For several days I have been reading this book, and finally it occurred to me that this book and this scripture are related.

When I am spiritually unaware and asleep, my soul looks like the dead young man in this story. I need something to come along and wake me up — wake me up to God’s light and love that wants to guide my “waking up”.  Much of my spiritual life is spent hitting “snooze” rather than waking up and bringing God’s light into my world.

Thought for the day: What can I do to stop hitting “snooze”? Am I spiritually awake, or still sleeping?

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Brent Walsh):

The stack of bills reached an all-time high this month, didn’t it?

The dentist’s office called to say that they need payment on your delinquent balance before you can come back for your next appointment. The pharmacy called to say the check bounced that you wrote for your heart medicine. When you went online to check the balance of your checking account, you saw that an overdraft fee caused three more checks to bounce, causing even more fees to be charged to your account. Now the paycheck you get on Friday will be halfway gone just covering the negative balance, and you still haven’t sent out the mortgage. You snapped at your daughter when she complained that you don’t ever buy her any of the cool clothes the other kids have. Before she stormed off to sulk, she handed you the order form for cheerleading uniforms and said she needs to hand it back in by Friday with a check. Does this sound even a little familiar to you?

You had hoped that this would be the week you could start putting something in the offering plate. It’s something you have wanted to do for so long, but now you suppose the “generosity” part of your financial plan will just have to wait. When you get some bills paid off and get caught up on the mortgage, you will start tithing. Our economy has seen better days, and the evidence is showing up in households just like yours and mine. We’re losing our jobs, our homes are in foreclosure, college funds are being spent on car repairs, we’re depleting our savings, and there seems to be no relief in sight. How can we possibly be expected to give anything away? God will just have to wait.

Maybe this is how the widow of Zarephath was feeling when Elijah showed up and asked her for something to eat. God told Elijah to go to this widow, but she had no bread — only a meager “last meal”.

So it seems God made a mistake. Why would God send Elijah to this poor widow? Surely there were others who had more to give! The widow told Elijah what we are used to telling our pastors: that she would love to help him out, but she couldn’t afford to give anything right now. But when we look closer, we can see that God had a specific plan in mind, and it would only be possible with someone who was willing to step out in faith to give when it looks impossible.

When we look at how this story plays out, we see that God didn’t reward the widow’s faith by allowing her to win the lottery. She didn’t find a new sports car in her driveway. In fact, she didn’t even get a fill-up of flour and oil! It wasn’t an elaborate display of wealth and reward for the woman. It was a quiet, personal contract between God and the widow. “The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.” Essentially, if the widow would take care of Elijah, God would take care of her. So as the woman stepped out in faith and prepared a meal for Elijah, she got to experience first-hand the miracle of “enough.” The woman couldn’t explain how it happened; she just somehow had enough flour and oil every day.

When we look at that stack of bills and try to decide if we are going to give money back to God, sometimes it looks like it will be the last thing we do before we die — or maybe more realistically, before we are sent to live on the streets. But if God is moving your spirit to start giving, it means that God has a special plan in mind for you, and you can rest assured in God’s promise to make sure you always have “enough.”

I’m not suggesting you take out a loan so you can put a hundred dollars in the offering plate. I don’t think God works that way. I’m simply saying that if God is challenging you to give your time, your money, your talent, or your friendship, there is a special blessing for those who enter into a quiet, personal contract with God.

Thought for the day: Have you seen a need where you could make a difference — even in a small way? Is God challenging you to give something of yourself?

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Cheryl Stonestreet):

When I was a child my mother was always careful about who I played with. If I met a new friend, Mom would always ask if they went to church. She felt that other kids who went to church were a better influence on me and that we would have the same values.

As an adult, I’ve found that it’s essential to surround myself with good people. Firm in my faith, I am not concerned about befriending people with other beliefs. I do not see myself changing religions. Where I need to take care is in keeping negativity at bay.

Nay-sayers, people who scoff at vision, those who diffuse enthusiasm — they are the ones I must avoid. That old saying about one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch rings true, if it is allowed.

When my dreams and goals seem farther away rather than closer, I need people around me who will be encouraging, not cynical. When I am not approaching a task in a solvable manner, I need someone who helps me tease out the place where I went wrong, and break it down into doable steps. I do not need someone to criticize me for my attempts — I’m already my own worst critic. When things are not working out, how easy it is to abandon a goal! It is especially easy when I let negativity come into my heart.

God did not want the people of Israel to marry outside of their people, because God did not want them to incline their hearts toward the gods of others. That theme still exists in people today. Those around us have influence over us. The people who we let come around us can change us — for worse, or for better.

Jesus said, “. . .if you have faith, and do not doubt . . . say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.” (Matthew 21: 21-22.) People who remind me of these words are the ones I need around me.

Thought for the day: As we make plans and set goals for our lives and church, do we allow negativity to keep us from doing what God has in store for us?

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.