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11.11.09

AFFIRM

The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade at your right hand. Psalm 121:5

READ + RUMINATE
Mark 14:32-42  (NASB)
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray.

He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.

My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, he said to them. Stay here and keep watch.

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.

Abba, Father, he said, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.

 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. Simon, he said to Peter, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?

    ³⁸ Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

    ³⁹ Once more he went away and prayed the same thing.

    ⁴⁰ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

    ⁴¹ Returning the third time, he said to them, Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

    ⁴² Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!
 

DECLARE

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:28

63. Buy a goat, cow, chicken, mosquito net, well or some other fun gift gift for a poor individual, family or community somewhere around the world.

11.10.09

AFFIRM

Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.  Psalm 128:1-2

Mark 14:22-25 (RSV)
And as they were eating, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body."
And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.
And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
Truly, I say to you, I shall not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

DECLARE

Say among the nations, "The Lord reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.  Psalm 96:10

62. Stand in solidarity with tomato workers who are not being paid fair wages and are often modern-day slaves by refusing to eat at Chipotle (my favorite restaurant and a place I haven’t eaten in over a year) until they agree to pay tomato pickers in Florida fair wages and insure their safety.

11.9.09

AFFIRM

I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.  Psalm 121:1-2

READ + RUMINATE

Mark 14:12-21 (NLT)
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”      

 So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him.  At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’  He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.” So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.

 In the evening Jesus arrived with the twelve disciples.  As they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.”

  Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one?”

  He replied, “It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me.  For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”

DECLARE

The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength.  Psalm 93:1 

61. Ask your family and friends to donate any money they would have spent on a birthday/holiday gift for you to a specific charity or ministry. I’d recommend Made in the Streets.

11.8.09

AFFIRM

Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.     Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. Psalm 103:1-5

READ + RUMINATE

Mark 14:1-11  (NASB)

Now the Passover and Unleavened Bread were two days away; and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to seize Him by stealth and kill Him;for they were saying, "Not during the festival, otherwise there might be a riot of the people."

While He was in Bethany at the home of Simon the leper, and reclining at the table, there came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; and she broke the vial and poured it over His head.

But some were indignantly remarking to one another, "Why has this perfume been wasted?

"For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor." And they were scolding her.

But Jesus said, "Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me.

"For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me.

 "She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.

 "Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her."

 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Him to them.

 They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he began seeking how to betray Him at an opportune time.

REFLECT

"Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. . . be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." Teresa of Calcutta

What we would like to do is change the world--make it a little simpler for people to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves as God intended them to do. And, by fighting for better conditions, by crying out unceasingly for the rights of the workers, the poor, of the destitute--the rights of the worthy and the unworthy poor, in other words--we can, to a certain extent, change the world we can work for the oasis,, the little cell of joy and peace in a harried world. We can throw our pebble in the pond and be confident that its ever widening circle will reach around the world. We repeat, there is nothing we can do but love, and, dear God, please enlarge our hearts to love each other, to love our neighbor, to love our enemy as our friend." --Dorothy Day

DECLARE

Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad       and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.  Revelation 19:6-7

 

60. Pray for the Iraqi/Afghani soldiers, families and terrorists/combatants dying in Iraq and Afghanistan.

11.7.09

AFFIRM

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord        more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.  Psalm 130:5-6

READ + RUMINATE

 MALACHI 3:1-4, 4:2  (NLT) “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord.. . .  “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.

DECLARE

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:28

Do justice: Love mercy

Hope Seeds is a Christian, charitable organization which provides seeds and agricultural support to missionaries and mission teams.  www.hopeseeds.org

59. Pray for the soldiers and families of those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

11.6.09

AFFIRM

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.  Psalm 126:5-6

Luke 14:28-33 (NRSV)

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? ²⁹Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, ³⁰saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” ³¹Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³²If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. ³³So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.

 

DECLARE

The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.  Psalm 24:1-2

58. Start a small group where each meeting the group looks at a different country around the world (Zimbabwe, Congo, North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti and Sudan are good places to start), studies the social and political climate of said country, studies a relevant scripture that speaks of mercy and justice (not hard to find), provide a meal with food from that country and commits to some act of justice as a group on behalf of the people there and pray specifically for that nation until the next time you meet.

11.4.09

AFFIRM

The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade at your right hand. Psalm 121:5

READ + RUMINATE
Mark 13:24-33 (NASB)
"But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT,AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.

"Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory.

"And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.

"Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.

"Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.

"Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

"But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

"Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.

REFLECT

There was a time when I was afraid of this apocalyptic side of the coming of the Kingdom--it seemed materialistic, catastrophic, dependent on force, unethical. I now see my mistake. To separate the "ethic" and the "apocalyptic" is a species of dualistic thinking. . . Jesus did not teach an ethic--that would have made him a moralist, teaching moral ideas. He was not a moralist teaching abstract codes of conduct. He was a proclaimer of a Kingdom--a Kingdom of fact, not a code of morals--and the coming of that Kingdom was the impinging of realism on unrealism, the displacing of unworkable ways with God's workable way. Now, obviously, that Kingdom must come by continuity and by catastrophe--by a building up from within and a sudden tumbling of old structures.  E. Stanley Jones

DECLARE

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Practice the Story: Make yourself conscious of the clouds. Find a minute each day to look up and out and focus your eyes on a cloud. Now imagine the form of a man, the Son of God, actually appearing on a particular cloud. Practice being ready with anticipation. It will happen one day. It might be today.  

56. Be Inventive--- ask yourself this question:  How creative can the mercy of God be in my life and world  today for the sake of another?

11.3.09

AFFIRM

I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy.  Psalm 123:1-2

READ + RUMINATE

Mark 13:19-23 (CEV)

This will be the worst time of suffering since God created the world, and nothing this terrible will ever happen again. If the Lord doesn't make the time shorter, no one will be left alive. But because of his chosen and special ones, he will make the time shorter.

    If someone should say, "Here is the Messiah!" or "There he is!" don't believe it. False messiahs and false prophets will come and work miracles and signs. They will even try to fool God's chosen ones. But be on your guard! That's why I am telling you these things now.

DECLARE

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 1 Corinthians 15:50-52

 

55. Go to your local homeless shelter, encampment or “tent city” and offer someone there a job mowing your lawn, cleaning your home, washing your car, fixing your fence or whatever else you need to have done. While they’re at it serve them lunch and some cold lemonade, and then pay them more than fairly for a job well done. THEN recommend their services to all of your friends.

11.2.09

AFFIRM

I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.  Psalm 121:1-2

READ + RUMINATE
Mark 13:11-18 (TNIV)

Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

    "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.  Everyone will hate you because of me, but those who stand firm to the end will be saved.

     "When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation'  standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out.  Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak.  How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter,

DECLARE

"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."¹⁶And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷saying: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. Revelation 11:15-17

54. Give up “your” seat at church to a visitor and then invite them to lunch after service.