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"Mary has discovered it and it will not be taken away from her." Encounter: Find a quiet place away from distractions and begin to focus on your breathing. Notice your chest rise and fall. Feel your heartbeat and allow your focus to begin centering on God. Take notice of what your body is feeling. Open your Bible and turn to Luke chapter 10 and slowly read verses 38 through 42. As you finish reading, what does your body feel? Who do you associate more with? Mary or Martha? Th

Engage: Take a moment, slow down, and breathe. Take the time to focus on your chest rising and falling. After several breaths, shift your focus upon God and allow His presence to surround you. When you are ready, open your Bibles to Matthew 4 verses 18 – 22 and read slowly. Close your eyes after reading through the first time and contemplate the scene as you read it. Open your eyes once more and read the Scripture once again and take notice of what your body is feeling. Jesus

Encounter: Find a quiet place and begin by focusing upon your breathing. On your last couple of breaths, take a slow, deep inhale and recite the words from Jesus; “Come, follow me.” As you exhale slowly say the words; “Here I am, Lord.” Slowly read the words from Matthew 28:18-20. What word or phrase draws your attention? Sit with that word or phrase for a moment. Read the passage once again and take notice of what stirs within you. Do you feel anxious, concerned, excited, or

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 2:5 Encounter: Take a moment and breathe deeply for a couple of breaths and center your mind and heart on Jesus. Open your eyes, turn to Philippians 2 and read slowly the first five verses. Close your eyes once again and ask God to reveal His wisdom for you in these verses. Once again, read the first five verses and contemplate what the Holy Spirit may be stirring within you. In the

Encounter: Find a quiet space and take a moment to breathe. Ask God to prepare your heart and mind engaging His Word from Psalm 32:8-11. Read it a couple of times and take note of any word or phrase He draws to your attention. Twenty years ago, Myra and I went to Celina, OH with a friend from work to watch their son ride a bull in a rodeo. While I have always been fascinated watching it, I never considered riding a bull. Mostly because the one-ton bull with a cinch around its

“I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you…” Luke 22:15 NLT Encounter: Take a moment and gaze at the print above. Allow your eyes to wonder over the print and take in the scene of the “Last Supper,” painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1498. After a few minutes of gazing, take your time and read Luke 22:14 – 20. Through the month of August, we have been exploring the possibility of allowing God to change us into a new person by changing the way we think (Romans 1

Encounter: Find a quiet place free from distraction and read John 15:1-9. After reading it through once, return to verse 4. Take your time with this verse by writing the verse out by hand. Take note what stirs within your heart as you write this verse. With the recent rains we have experienced, the fruit or vegetables from many gardens, fruit trees, and vines have been damaged. The question is; will any of the fruit or vegetables be good to eat? Most likely, many people will

Encounter: Find a quiet place to sit with your Bibles and take a couple of deep breaths, centering your mind and heart on God. Open your Bibles to Luke 9 and slowly read verses 23 through 26. Circle, highlight or underline a word or phrase that draws you into this passage. Sit with this word or phrase for a moment or two and lift it up to God to reveal to you His intentions for this word or phrase. The word “surrender,” makes people very uncomfortable. It is our natural state