Daily Devotional Guide

Daily Devotional Guide

Daily Devotional Guide January–April 2020 ReflectionsNextSunday Resources 6316 Peake Road, Macon GA 31210-3960 1-800-747-3016 (USA) • 478-757-0564 (Advertising) Keith Gammons Dee Kelly Publisher Chelsea Madden Deborah Miley Carol Davis Younger Church Relations Editor Daniel Emerson Katie Cummings Dave Jones Assistant Editor Graphic Design Michelle Meredith Editorial Associate Our cover photo, taken by Sharlande Sledge, reflects the variety of breads offered on World Communion Sunday at Lake Shore An imprint of Smyth & Baptist Church in Waco, Texas. Helwys Publishing. Volume 29, Number 2. Copyright © 2020 Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form without written permission. Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are from the New Revised Standard Version. Daily Devotional Guide Reflections Themes for January–April 2020 January 1-4 Beginning of Good News January 5-11 Jesus’ Ministry Begun January 12-18 Jesus Heals and Teaches January 19-25 Parables in Mark January 26–February 1 Jesus and the Gerasene Demoniac February 2-8 Jairus’s Daughter Healed February 9-15 Death of John the Baptist February 16-22 What Defiles? February 23-29 Transfiguration March 1-7 First Last and Last First March 8-14 Bartimaeus Healed March 15-21 Parable of the Tenants (Taxes to Caesar) March 22-28 Great Commandment March 29–April 4 End of the Age April 5-April 8 Triumphal Entry April 9 Maundy Thursday, Lord’s Supper, Prayer in Gethsemane April 10-11 Good Friday, Crucifixion April 12-18 Resurrection April 19-25 You Shall Be My Witnesses April 26-30 Peter Heals in Jerusalem What would you like forFrom dinner? the Editor What are you hungry for? What do you really want? Those questions shape our grocery lists and lead us to new restau- rants. But after the meals are over, the questions remain and reveal more than our culinary preferences. Our hunger involves body and spirit. Satisfying that hunger is a lifelong pursuit. What does your soul crave? Where will you find the bread that your spirit wants? What do you really need? The soul food for which we long can show up in a shared bowl of braised collard greens, and the uplifting harmony of your favorite song, and the soothing voice of a friend who listens thoroughly. The food our souls crave leads us to communion. A sanctuary table covered with bread offers food for our spirits and invites us into Christ’s community. Sharing bread can satisfy all our hungers. Whenever we prepare a new edition of Reflections, we pay attention to details and deadlines. Dinnertime approaches, so you set the table and make sure something edible is on it. All of us take care of our responsibilities. But in our best moments we rise above the routine. We remember what is essential and that makes the difference. A group of Plymouth Church writers gathers around a library table to ask what God wants us to hear in the parable of the tenants, the healing of Bartimaeus, and a section of the psalms. We feast on the conversation for four Sundays. Rachel Sciretti’s 13-year-old daughter sees her mother working on her assignment and says, “Let me help.” Anastasia creates a devotion that inspires the one Rachel writes. Caro- line Smith reflects on her devotions as her children splash in the ocean. When someone shouts “shark,” Caroline’s heart stops as she scans the waters, then sees a pod of over 60 dolphins, which they watch for an hour. She thinks about her Scriptures, realizing again that things are not as they first appear, and that when we take time to focus closely on what we see, fear can become joy. As you look for daily bread, remember that the Bread of Life, the satisfying food for which we’re always hungry, waits to be shared. Carol Davis Younger About the Writers Aimee Day Yeager (January 1-4) is minister of youth and community outreach at Webbs Chapel United Methodist Church in Denver, NC. Tom Allen (January 5-11) has spent 21 of his 30 years in ministry as minister of education and administration at First Baptist, Southern Pines, NC. He and his wife, Beverly, have two daughters: Hannah, who’s married to Zach, and Sarah, a senior at Meredith College. Tom enjoys gardening, freelance writing, and making the best peanut brittle and pimento cheese you’ve ever tasted. Jennifer Baxley (January 12-18), a physical therapist, lives in Athens, GA with her four children and husband, Paul, who is the Executive Coordinator for the Cooper- ative Baptist Fellowship. She spends most of her time driving kids around in a minivan, but she also enjoys teaching a children’s choir, watching college sports, and finding a little creative energy for writing and music. Rachel Sciretti (January 19-23) is pastor of discipleship at Chapelwood United Methodist Church in Houston, TX. She is wife to Michael and mother to teenager Anastasia, ’tweener Zoe, and preschooler Nathaniel. Carol Davis Younger (January 24–February 1), editor of Reflections, lives in Brook- lyn, NY where she and her husband, Brett, love Plymouth Church. She’s convinced that churches need writing groups and enjoys making the case for why that’s true. Irie K. Price (February 6-12) is a freelance writer, a yoga instructor, and a lay leader at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX. Drew Herring (February 9-15) is the pastor of West Main Baptist Church in Dan- ville, VA, where he lives with his wife, Jenny, and son, Judah. Drew felt stretched by God’s Spirit as he wrote about the scandal of God’s presence in our ordinary lives, particularly because the assignment reflects on John the Baptist’s death during the observance of Valentine’s Day. Daniel Headrick (February 16-22) is associate pastor of Northside Drive Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA, and is a former litigation attorney. He is married to Jenney and they have two children: Mary Frances, 11, and Joseph, 9. Daniel is currently writing, “A Baptist Catechism,” to introduce middle school students to Christian faith, history, and Scripture. David Sapp (February 23-29), a retired pastor, has continued to write, preach, teach, and serve with organizations devoted to ethics, media, Sabbath, and Cath- olic-Evangelical relations. He has also read a ton of books he wishes he had read a long time ago. None of these, however, have given him as much joy as his role as grandfather. Erin Robinson Hall (March 1-7) received her doctor of educational ministry degree from Columbia Theological Seminary. She co-hosts the podcast, “Glass Half Full,” and leads in media and engagement for the video and podcast series, “Three Minute Ministry Mentor.” She loves sharing laughs with her husband, Jake, and her second-grader, Logan. Erin blogs at erinrobinsonhall.com. Plymouth Church Writers Group, Brooklyn, NY (March 8-21). Participants wrote the following: March 8—Jaime St. Peter; March 9, 12—Jacque Jones; March 10—Inga Knets; March 11—Fran Vasquez; March 13, 20—Caroline Koster; March 14—Mardi-Ellen Hill; March 15—Christy Stewart; March 16—John Leighton; March 17—Donalda Chumney; March 18—Molly Martinez; March 19—John Scaduto; March 21—Paula Fichtner. Caroline Smith (March 22-28) is the pastor of Wilton Baptist Church in Wilton, CT. She is the moderator of the Baptist Fellowship of the Northeast and serves on the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Missions Council. She loves scuba diving and time at the beach with Josh, Bella, and Noah. Sharlande Sledge (March 29–April 4) is associate pastor at Lake Shore Baptist Church in Waco, TX, where she has ministered over thirty years. Most days her ministry focuses on what’s “within three feet or so,” as Carrie Newcomer sings: planning worship, a hospital visit, the person at her office door. On other days she may center on a need in Ghana or on the Texas border. Whatever the day holds, the beauty of words and walking in the world outside her window always shapes it and helps her live gratefully. Brett Younger (April 5-11) is senior minister of Plymouth Church in Brooklyn. After three years in New York, he feels qualified to give directions to tourists. He and his wife, Carol, are glad to have two grown sons. Brett’s most recent book is Funny When You Think about It: Serious Reflections on Faith. Beverly CroweTipton (April 12-18) is the pastor of Zion UMC in Anderson, SC. She and her husband, Vaughn CroweTipton, associate vice president of spiritual life at Furman University, have two adult children. Two dogs are also part of their family: regal, smart, and obedient Jake, and cuddly, soft, and not-so-obedient Tucker. She enjoys reading, journaling, being a mom, and having family and friends around her table. Jolene Roehlkepartain (April 19-25) has authored 33 books. She blogs at books- byjolene.com/blog. Jolene enjoys spending time with her husband, Gene, and their two adult sons, Micah and Eli. She grows orchids, does family history, and is active at her church. She lives in St. Louis Park, MN, a suburb of Minneapolis. Brent Newberry (April 26-30) is the pastor of First Baptist Church, Worcester, MA. He earned his MDiv at Truett Seminary, completed a pastoral residency at Wilshire Baptist in Dallas, TX, and is pursuing a DMin at Boston University’s School of Theology. He enjoys his dog, Zooey, fantasy baseball, good fiction, photography, writing, ramen, and being an Enneagram 4w3. Wednesday, January 1 Mark 1:12-15 Immediately is such a shocking word, with no allowance for dilly- dallying, or even taking one last deep breath.

View Full Text

Details

  • File Type
    pdf
  • Upload Time
    -
  • Content Languages
    English
  • Upload User
    Anonymous/Not logged-in
  • File Pages
    129 Page
  • File Size
    -

Download

Channel Download Status
Express Download Enable

Copyright

We respect the copyrights and intellectual property rights of all users. All uploaded documents are either original works of the uploader or authorized works of the rightful owners.

  • Not to be reproduced or distributed without explicit permission.
  • Not used for commercial purposes outside of approved use cases.
  • Not used to infringe on the rights of the original creators.
  • If you believe any content infringes your copyright, please contact us immediately.

Support

For help with questions, suggestions, or problems, please contact us