The connect devotional is a great way to stay connected spiritually to what our community is learning about God right now. It is in step with the current sermon series, studying the scripture through the lens of life application.
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Again, Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" (John 21: 16). Peter is an ordinary man brought into an extraordinary situation with Jesus. What connects me more deeply to Peter is how bumpy his journey with Jesus can be. When he meets Jesus, he literally drops everything to follow him. Ultimately, on the night Jesus was betrayed, Peter denies Jesus three times. A...
Keep ReadingThe third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." John 21:17 I am a responsible and dependable person, and I follow the rules. I'm only human, though. I mess up just as much as anyone else, ...
Keep Reading"When you were young, you were able to do as you liked and go wherever you wanted to; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and others will direct you and take you where you don't want to go." Jesus said this to let him know what kind of death he would die to glorify God. Then Jesus told him, "Follow me." (John 21:15-19 TLB) Swoosh! "Ooooooo!" the crowd ch...
Keep Reading"Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time."John 21:17b It's an all-too familiar setting for me: routinely beset by insomnia, I lie awake, easily for an hour or more. Before you suggest it, yes, I do pray - well, I start with good intentions, but invariably my mind wanders to My Worst Sins Highlights, where I peer intently into the rearview mirror. Sometimes, ...
Keep ReadingPeter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" (John 21:17) Disqualified. What a painful word to hear. You stepped out of bounds, you bent, broke or played fast and loose with the rules. Or you didn't "measure up," you didn't have the qualifications, didn't, couldn't meet expectations. Despite rationalizations, blame-shifting and self-justificati...
Keep ReadingNow Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all p...
Keep ReadingAs Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "Truly I tell you," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." (Luke 21:1-4 NIV) Would you ever g...
Keep ReadingJesus watched the crowdcalled His disciples and said,"I tell you the truth,this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others" (Mark 12:41,43). Pastors Alex and Jaime, along with the Connect Devotionals and small group discussions, have been focusing on our rising above dire circumstances, soaring that others can see and we ourselves feel. But is it possi...
Keep Reading"All these people gave their gifts out of wealth, but she out of her povertyput in all she had to live on" (Luke 21:4). My time on this earth is a precious gift to me. But I often feel like I never have enough time. There's so much I want to do if I could only find the time. Time feels like the one thing that's always in the shortest supply. If I could have more of anythi...
Keep ReadingMark 12:41-44 This week's passage in our Soar series may be a familiar one. Often called "The Widow's Mite" (mite being an archaic term for a small amount, a coin of little value), it tells how Jesus observed a poor widow placing her last two coins into the Temple offering box. Jesus tells his disciples that this woman put in "more" than those who, out of their excess, ga...
Keep ReadingSee, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills. Exodus 31: 2-3 I don't consider myself a creative person. I'll confess that when preparing to write, I Googled "creativity". But when I read this passage about God gifting ...
Keep Reading"And to all who have an aptitude for crafts I've given the skills to make all the things I've commanded you" Exodus 31:6b MSG You all know me as "Jessica, the Connect Devotional writer," but I'm also, "Jessica, Chatham Church Admin." It's a role I'd broadly describe as "keeper of the details," and at the risk of tooting my own horn, it's one in which I really shine. (Toot...
Keep Reading"And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: the tent of meetin...
Keep Reading"Make them just as I commanded you[with] skill in all kinds of craftsto make artistic designs." (Exodus 2: 11, 3-4) I don't consider myself a creative person. Give me a pattern to follow, however, and I can embroider that countryside scene; give me the steps to a recipe, and I can make delicious cookies. But ask me to color outside the lines by choosing (gasp!) my own thr...
Keep ReadingExodus 31:1-11 This week's passage sounds a soaring melody God includes us in the crafting of God's dwelling place on earth! but is followed by a terrible crash and burn. For nearly forty days (since Exodus 24), Moses has been at the top of Mount Sinai, in face-to-face communion with God. Nearly all of Exodus 24-31 is God's instructions for constructing the tabernacle a...
Keep Reading"So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill." Exodus 17:10 The story of how the Israelites overcame the Amalekites is not just about remembering the power of God. It demonstrates how we can all soar and succeed when we're united in our actions alongside God. After reading the passage, I thought deeply about ...
Keep ReadingWhen Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands upone on one side, one on the otherso that his hands remained steady till sunset. Exodus 17:12 One of our boys plays football for a local high school, and there's much emphasis on being #AllN and the team being a family. The "family" spent a lot of the summe...
Keep ReadingMoses ordered Joshua: "Select some men for us and go out and fight Amalek. Tomorrow I will take my stand on top of the hill holding God's staff." Joshua did what Moses ordered in order to fight Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. It turned out that whenever Moses raised his hands, Israel was winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, Amalek was ...
Keep Reading"So Joshua overcame" (Exodus 17:13) Presented with the sermon series theme Soar, I couldn't help thinking of those virtual flights where a simulator lifts riders off their feet, higher and higher off the ground, toward a big wrap-around screen. The projections make them feel like they're flying over stunning landscapes they would never experience in the same way on the gr...
Keep ReadingExodus 1:8-16 Welcome back to Connect Devotional, a daily reflection on the current sermon theme and Scripture passage for Chatham Community Church. We enjoyed a writing break over the summer, but are now ready to get back to it hope you're ready to join us day by day! Before we jump into the passage for the week, I'd like to issue a wide-open invitation to any and all ...
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