Nativity Scenes …

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Creches (nativity scenes) from all over the world are displayed on the internet – available as links HERE – thanks to the University of Dayton. Along with the visuals is some commentary on each. This one HERE from Togo, West Africa is a special reminder of the opportunity that all creatures can celebrate, and do it with presence, presents and music! This line resonates:

Welcoming in joy the “giver of life, ” we honor life and yearn for immortality.

Tradition has it that Saint Francis of Assisi, then a Deacon, created the first crèche in 1223 when he created a living nativity scene (one source of this is the website HERE )

For those who display nativity scenes, the visual is a nice reminder of welcoming love into our world. May we do that again today and in the days that follow…

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

P.S. the CP Christmas playlist on Youtube continues to get new material and is HERE should you want to listen to more…Isn’t that a reason to rejoice, pray and give thanks?

 

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, December 17, 2023:

Know someone who might like receiving messages like this?**  If so, forward this message to them and they can sign up HERE

POTENTIAL ACTIONS – FOOD INSECURITY: This season will likely find increasing numbers of folks looking for food, presenting opportunities to

  • share financial and/or food offerings with a local food pantry
  • check with your faith community about upcoming opportunities to feed community members
  • volunteer to help with a local mobile food pantry or community dinner
  • find a Little Pantry in your area and help stock it with shelf-stable food items
  • accept a Call to Action item from Season of Peace devotional posting

NOTE: for those in the Cinci region, some food organizations are listed HERE

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – click HERE for MORE humor, updated periodically. Included now is a grin-inducing New Bible Reading Plan (Pearls Before Swine)

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

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SONG: All is Well …

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Are Christmas songs putting you in the mood for the holiday? This Guideposts article discusses how the author found peace in an unlikely Christmas song. That song – All is Well (sung in this link by Carrie Underwood and Michael W. Smith) – has a beautiful melody and the “all is well” message promotes calm in the midst of stress.

Highlighting “Christmas songs” will continue for the next few weeks.  For many of us, these songs help in Christian understanding of the season and also evoke important emotions.

POSSIBLE ACTIONS: think of a favorite Christmas song…

  • search for that song on the internet using the song title plus “youtube” -> it’ll likely bring up several versions that may prompt your listening enjoyment
  • consider sending along that favorite song (and any memories and/or commentary you might share) to salong_now @ yahoo.com  -> perhaps that will prompt a CP posting about that song during this or a future Christmas season? 🙂

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

All is Well…

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, December 10, 2023:

Know someone who might like receiving messages like this?**  If so, forward this message to them and they can sign up HERE

POTENTIAL ACTIONS – FOOD INSECURITY: This season will likely find increasing numbers of folks looking for food, presenting opportunities to

  • share financial and/or food offerings with a local food pantry
  • check with your faith community about upcoming opportunities to feed community members
  • volunteer to help with a local mobile food pantry or community dinner
  • find a Little Pantry in your area and help stock it with shelf-stable food items
  • accept a Call to Action item from Season of Peace devotional posting

NOTE: for those in the Cinci region, some food organizations are listed HERE

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – click HERE for MORE humor, updated periodically. Included now is a grin-inducing New Bible Reading Plan (Pearls Before Swine)

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

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Behaviors Helping to Make Straight …

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“In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”  ~ Isaiah 40: 3-5

Do you ever have those wilderness moments, expressed above in the book of Isaiah? “How God, can I make any sense of what to do given these circumstances?”

For those studying the climate crisis, there’s a chance it can feel pretty wilderness-like, with plenty of desert, uneven ground, rough places, etc..

A recent Washington Post article provides wisdom that could easily have come from such pilgrims of the wilderness experience. shares thoughts about how we can help “make straight” such a situation relating to climate in the article “The surprisingly simple way to convince people to go green” (HERE)
 
Fact is, this article suggests it’s less about sharing facts and more about living the change. Sounds a little biblical, doesn’t it?
 
Perhaps by living more of a creation care approach to our earth, we’ll influence some of the “making straight” efforts we desire in this earth for the next generations.
 
Potential Activities
  • Consider reading Michael J. Coren’s full article and sharing it with a friend(s)
  • Any new “making straight” behaviors come to mind as you ponder opportunities to show creation care to those around you? (checking out page 12 of the document HERE from Smithsonian provides approachable, wonderful ideas)
May we in our days ahead find actions to more richly show our care of – and appreciation of – climate and The Gift of the Present, with less worrisome focus on the future and the past…

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, December 10, 2023:

Know someone who might like receiving messages like this?**  If so, forward this message to them and they can sign up HERE

POTENTIAL ACTIONS – FOOD INSECURITY: This season will likely find increasing numbers of folks looking for food, presenting opportunities to

  • share financial and/or food offerings with a local food pantry
  • check with your faith community about upcoming opportunities to feed community members
  • volunteer to help with a local mobile food pantry or community dinner
  • find a Little Pantry in your area and help stock it with shelf-stable food items
  • accept a Call to Action item from Season of Peace devotional posting

NOTE: for those in the Cinci region, some food organizations are listed HERE

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – click HERE for MORE humor, updated periodically. Included now is a grin-inducing New Bible Reading Plan (Pearls Before Swine)

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

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The Gift of the PRESENT (Day 1) …

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Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (New International Version)

Focus begins on the Advent devotional The Gift of the PRESENT (downloadable version HERE, plus email option). We are most grateful to Society of St. Andrew for providing this resource!

Today’s author, Chris Suerdieck, provides commentary about afflictions and still thanking God. Chris mentions:

“Advent is a reminder not to worry about tomorrow. Certainly, I am learning that no amount of worrying will change present circumstances.”

Isn’t that a reason to rejoice, pray and give thanks?

May we in our days ahead learn to more richly enjoy The Gift of the Present with less worrisome focus on the future and the past…

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, December 3, 2023:

Know someone who might like receiving messages like this?**  If so, forward this message to them and they can sign up HERE

POTENTIAL ACTIONS – FOOD INSECURITY: This season will likely find increasing numbers of folks looking for food, presenting opportunities to

  • share financial and/or food offerings with a local food pantry
  • check with your faith community about upcoming opportunities to feed community members
  • volunteer to help with a local mobile food pantry or community dinner
  • find a Little Pantry in your area and help stock it with shelf-stable food items
  • accept a Call to Action item from Season of Peace devotional posting

NOTE: for those in the Cinci region, some food organizations are listed HERE

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – click HERE for MORE humor, updated periodically. Included now is a grin-inducing New Bible Reading Plan (Pearls Before Swine)

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

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The Gift of the PRESENT …

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This upcoming Sunday brings us to a new church year and the beginning of Advent. New friends at Society of St. Andrew have a wonderful message by way of their website moniker: https://endhunger.org/

The congregation of MWPC were recently introduced to Society of St. Andrew by way of the Advent devotional The Gift of the PRESENT (downloadable version HERE, plus email option). CP will be periodically sharing snippets of this guide so please consider following along.

During this time, synchronicities will likely become clear to us, including

  • focus on hungers
  • impact of St. Andrew on the faith
  • book messages consistent in The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

While preparing for another Advent season, may reminders of The Gift of the PRESENT be with us regularly!

Come, Live in the Light… [that message in song is HERE – we dare you to watch/listen to this one and NOT be inspired by the energy of the singers and music 🙂 ]

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, December 3, 2023:

Know someone who might like receiving messages like this?**  If so, forward this message to them and they can sign up HERE

POTENTIAL ACTIONS – FOOD INSECURITY: This season will likely find increasing numbers of folks looking for food, presenting opportunities to

  • share financial and/or food offerings with a local food pantry
  • check with your faith community about upcoming opportunities to feed community members
  • volunteer to help with a local mobile food pantry or community dinner
  • find a Little Pantry in your area and help stock it with shelf-stable food items
  • accept a Call to Action item from Season of Peace devotional posting

NOTE: for those in the Cinci region, some food organizations are listed HERE

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – click HERE for MORE humor, updated periodically. Included now is a grin-inducing New Bible Reading Plan (Pearls Before Swine)

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

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Nothing to Protect …

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Many of us have just experienced Thanksgiving and the joys of togetherness with family and friends! Yet, we know that this time of year can also bring seasons of want for those around us…

The “Nothing to Protect” message HERE from  Franciscan Press’ Minute Meditations is a good one on the heels of this holiday. Especially noteworthy is the opening line:

“Compassion flourishes when we have nothing to protect and everything to share.”

Coming away from Thanksgiving times strengthened and ready for the upcoming Advent season, the Nothing to Protect imagery is fantastic. May we be equipped, energetic and ready to give this language of love to all, with our mouths, eyes, ears, hearts, hands, feet and all…

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, November 26, 2023:

Know someone who might like receiving messages like this?**  If so, forward this message to them and they can sign up HERE

POTENTIAL ACTIONS – FOOD INSECURITY: This season will likely find increasing numbers of folks looking for food, presenting opportunities to

  • share financial and/or food offerings with a local food pantry
  • check with your faith community about upcoming opportunities to feed community members
  • volunteer to help with a local mobile food pantry or community dinner
  • find a Little Pantry in your area and help stock it with shelf-stable food items
  • accept a Call to Action item from Season of Peace devotional posting

NOTE: for those in the Cinci region, some food organizations are listed HERE

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – click HERE for MORE humor, updated periodically. Included now is a grin-inducing New Bible Reading Plan (Pearls Before Swine)

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

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“The Hub:” refuse, reuse, recycle …

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This past Sunday, those staying after MWPC worship for The Hub presentation were blessed by the experience.

Their “Triple-R message?”

  • Refuse.
  • Reuse.
  • Recycle.

By limiting our consumption we ultimately require less and possibly influence others, right? And if all world residents could do more of this, there’s less production, less use of natural resources, fewer tons going into landfills, etc.. 

Where can you make such contributions to the Creator’s earth? Perhaps many of us in the Cincinnati area will make use of The Hub. You can check out much more about them HERE

In closing out this post, the song “Will You Come and Follow Me” comes to mind… A nice reminder for us to be examples of such Triple-R efforts!

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

Buried your Sacrifice Flower yet?

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, November 19, 2023:

Know someone who might like receiving messages like this?**  If so, forward this message to them and they can sign up HERE

POTENTIAL ACTIONS – FOOD INSECURITY: This season will likely find increasing numbers of folks looking for food, presenting opportunities to

  • share financial and/or food offerings with a local food pantry
  • check with your faith community about upcoming opportunities to feed community members
  • volunteer to help with a local mobile food pantry or community dinner
  • find a Little Pantry in your area and help stock it with shelf-stable food items
  • accept a Call to Action item from Season of Peace devotional posting

NOTE: for those in the Cinci region, some food organizations are listed HERE

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – click HERE for MORE humor, updated periodically. Included now is a grin-inducing New Bible Reading Plan (Pearls Before Swine)

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

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Will You Come and Follow Me …

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The song “Will You Come and Follow Me” does a nice job of expressing – in Celtic style – what commitment can truly look like. A version of the song is HERE if you’d like to enjoy a rendition.

Listening – and acting on – the words of The Summons (another naming of this song) allows justice and radical God-centeredness to come through in our lives. The song’s author, John L. Bell (more on him HERE,) said this in an interview in Reformed Worship (March 1993):

“I discovered that seldom did our hymns represent the plight of poor people to God. There was nothing that dealt with unemployment, nothing that dealt with living in a multicultural society and feeling disenfranchised. There was nothing about child abuse…,that reflected concern for the developing world, nothing that helped see ourselves as brothers and sisters to those who are suffering from poverty or persecution.”

Many thanks, John L. Bell (and colleague Graham Maule!) This song and so many others are helping stir the Spirit towards justice, in wonderful ways…

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

Anyone buried their Sacrifice Flower yet?

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, November 19, 2023:

Know someone who might like receiving messages like this?**  If so, forward this message to them and they can sign up HERE

POTENTIAL ACTIONS – FOOD INSECURITY: This season will likely find increasing numbers of folks looking for food, presenting opportunities to

  • share financial and/or food offerings with a local food pantry
  • check with your faith community about upcoming opportunities to feed community members
  • volunteer to help with a local mobile food pantry or community dinner
  • find a Little Pantry in your area and help stock it with shelf-stable food items
  • accept a Call to Action item from Season of Peace devotional posting

NOTE: for those in the Cinci region, some food organizations are listed HERE

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – click HERE for MORE humor, updated periodically. Included now is a grin-inducing New Bible Reading Plan (Pearls Before Swine)

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

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Veteran’s Day traditional posting …

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On Veteran’s Day, it’s a CP tradition to review pictures of family veterans in uniform…

 

 

 

 

Does one look a little “out of place?”

Brother Andy was stationed in the country of Togo, West Africa in the Peace Corps in the mid/late 1980s. Why make that choice? He and so many other veterans have shared the love of the American people worldwide by “working side by side with local leaders to tackle the most pressing challenges of our generation” ~ (taken from the Peace Corps mission statement)

Isaiah 2:4 mentions “beating our swords into plowshares.” In Togo, they did that quite literally by instructing the people to plow with oxen (in addition to teaching them math, English and engaging in many other worthwhile activities!) Whatever the role, it is tough work for the Peace Corps volunteer and the people in-country they work with daily. The result? Even 20+ years later, these Peace Corps volunteers are recognized and welcomed with open arms (I had the pleasure of experiencing these greetings first-hand in 2009 – – many Togolese thought I was my brother! )

We are blessed to have people willing to serve in such ways in the Peace Corps!

Could we say a lot about the blessing of what our military personnel have done for us, including Uncles Fred and Jack (pictured above?) Absolutely; yet it’s likely you’ll get a chance to read a lot more about military folks, so we’ll leave it here for today.

ACTION: Let’s honor and remember our veterans today in one or more ways such as

  • trip to a park or cemetery where a veteran’s memorial exists
  • attending area events honoring veterans – men, women and more (animals in K9 corps and others)
  • watching a show in a war setting
  • watching videos of Peace Corps volunteers sharing experiences HERE

PRAYER: God, we are blessed to have military veterans and currently-serving personnel who hopefully ultimately have made and are making our world a more peaceful place. We are equally blessed to have Peace Corps veterans and volunteers working for a more peaceful world. We remember and honor their efforts and sacrifices for such peaceful long-term priorities. Strengthen and support all of them – and us – in our roles of becoming better peace-makers worldwide! Amen.

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, November 12, 2023:

Know someone who might like receiving messages like this?**  If so, forward this message to them and they can sign up HERE

POTENTIAL ACTIONS – FOOD INSECURITY: This season will likely find increasing numbers of folks looking for food, presenting opportunities to

  • share financial and/or food offerings with a local food pantry
  • check with your faith community about upcoming opportunities to feed community members
  • volunteer to help with a local mobile food pantry or community dinner
  • find a Little Pantry in your area and help stock it with shelf-stable food items
  • accept a Call to Action item from Season of Peace devotional posting

NOTE: for those in the Cinci region, some food organizations are listed HERE

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – click HERE for MORE humor, updated periodically. Included now is a grin-inducing New Bible Reading Plan (Pearls Before Swine)

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

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“The BOBBs” …

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Further fueled by the Guideposts article HERE, a new small group ministry is forming in the Cincinnati area. Named “The BOBBs**,” the initial group of 4 guys – two black and two white – have begun meeting for lunch about once a month at one of several local, black-owned businesses.

That Guideposts story – “With God’s Guidance, He Helps Others in Large and Tiny Ways”  – is compelling on numerous fronts:

  • consider the Dwayne figures in your own life – those showing up “Dwayne-on-the-spot,” just when help is needed
  • what a wonderful religious community New Olivet Worship Center is, including making “Bust-a-Move Monday” trips to black-owned places a priority (and letting the proprietors know in advance!) 🙂
  • the history of Orange Mound and efforts to revitalize the area

POSSIBLE ACTIONS: Perhaps you will decide to form a similar BOBBs or Bust-a-Move group of your own, or prioritize your spending in this way? If you’re looking for black-owned places to frequent in the Cincinnati area, a website with some options is HERE

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

** Black-Owned Business Boosters

P.S. A sad note; one of the first locations the BOBBs visited announced just a few weeks later that they were closing. All the more inspiration for doing this more often and encouraging others to support local black-owned businesses!!!

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, November 12, 2023:

Know someone who might like receiving messages like this?**  If so, forward this message to them and they can sign up HERE

POTENTIAL ACTIONS – FOOD INSECURITY: This season will likely find increasing numbers of folks looking for food, presenting opportunities to

  • share financial and/or food offerings with a local food pantry
  • check with your faith community about upcoming opportunities to feed community members
  • volunteer to help with a local mobile food pantry or community dinner
  • find a Little Pantry in your area and help stock it with shelf-stable food items
  • accept a Call to Action item from Season of Peace devotional posting

NOTE: for those in the Cinci region, some food organizations are listed HERE

CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK HUMOR – click HERE for MORE humor, updated periodically. Included now is a grin-inducing New Bible Reading Plan (Pearls Before Swine)

STREAMING WORSHIP SERVICES – Cincinnati, Bowling Green and more!

CLICK ON ICONS BELOW FOR LINKS TO CHRISTIAN PLAYBOOK PAGES ON DEVOTIONALS, PRAYERS, MUSIC, STUDY AND LOVE

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