Grateful for Taste
Read: Psalm 34:1-14 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! (v. 8) Some of my most simple but treasured memories are tied to specific tastes and experiences. Like catch-of-the-day lobster on a trip to the Atlantic coast with my husband or the first buttery sweet corn of the season with my family gathered […]
Grateful for Grace
Read: Ephesians 2:1-10 It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. (v. 8 NIV) There are times when we experience a moment that renders us speechless. The presence of something great before us, like a beautiful painting or performance; or the result […]
Grateful for Help
Read: Exodus 17:8-16 Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. (v. 12) For years I found it very hard to ask for help. My elevated expectation of what I could or should […]
Grateful for Refuge
Read: Psalm 143 I hide myself in you. (v. 9 NIV) Have you ever played the game hide and seek? If so, did you ever hide so well that no one could find you? I believe we all long to be heard and seen, but when life’s troubles become overwhelming the thought of a great […]
Grateful for Sunsets
Read: Psalm 2 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. (v. 11) My family lives about 25 miles from the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. While we do not often watch the sunset over the vast waters, our view to the west provides the chance to see vivid pinks, oranges, and yellows as […]
Grateful for Sunrises
Read: Lamentations 3:19-27 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (v. 24) I love the beauty of the sunrise. As the first piercing bursts of color in the morning sky break the dawn, I am reminded of God’s providence for yet another day. The book of Lamentations is […]
Grateful for a Living Hope
Read: 1 Peter 1:3-12 According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (v. 3) On our first day in this series, we considered a quote by Max Lucado, intended to inspire our thinking in a world of […]
Grateful for What Has Been
Read: Psalm 139 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! (v. 23) Are you grateful for how your life has gone so far? Perhaps you can readily praise God for the family he put you in, the friends he has blessed you with, or the talents he gave […]
In Times of Need
Read: Matthew 5:1-16 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (v. 3) Today’s reading takes us back to the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus had a captive audience eager to hear his every word. They came in droves, willing to give up food and shelter and sleep. They were […]