Rev. Jenn's Blog
Getting Down To Business – Destined to Rise – Part 2 of 5
In this week's message, we are reminded that no matter our calendar age, we have the innate wisdom to know what is ours to do. Stories about Jesus as an adolescent and Writer/Poet Claude McKay's experience inspire us to keep learning and growing so we can achieve our...
Praying with the Power – Destined to Rise – Part 4 of 5
This episode considers how prayer works, so we can let its wondrous power change us, rather than change God. Wisdom from Jesus's "Sermon on the Mount" and from Minister Mary Kupferle help us pray with both confidence and assurance. If you would like to deepen your...
A Place of Peace
“Beloveds, you belong to God. You have already won a victory over non-believers, because the Spirit which lives in you is greater than the spirit which lives in the world.” 1 John 4:4 Notes for Contemplation as You Use this Devotional: This passage from 1...
Seeing the Future Ahead – Destined to Rise – Part 1 of 5
This episode begins the series, Destined to Rise. Here, we are invited to consider the legacy we share as we lift our voices from one generation to another. A poem by Alice Walker and the story of Jesus's presentation in the temple, according to the Gospel Writer...
Let the Sun Shine In
“Blessed are those whose strength is in God . . . For God is a sun and a shield; God gives grace and glory, and withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.” Psalm 84:5, 11 Notes for Contemplation as You Use this Devotional: Psalm 84 is sometimes...
Calm in the Storm
In the evening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us cross to the other shore.” And as the crowds dispersed, they took Jesus with them, since they were all in the boat together. Other boats also sailed nearby. Soon a violent windstorm...
Breath of Healing Prayer
{Note to the One Praying: Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit or stand; outdoors, in clean, fresh air is ideal. Remember to breathe consciously, aware of both inhaling and exhaling, as deep into your body as you can. Wherever your body needs...
Pure Heart, Clear Vision
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 Notes for Contemplation as You Use this Devotional: This passage is one of Jesus’s Beatitudes in “The Sermon on the Mount.”When Jesus delivers the Beatitudes (sometimes called “Be-Attitudes”),...
Legacies to Share
“God, show me the right path;guide me on the road I need to follow.Lead me by your truth and teach me,for you are the God which saves me.All day long I await and put my hope in you.Remember, God, the compassion and lovingkindness,which you have shown since ages...
Life Revived
The Spirit of the Lord carried me to a valley filled with dried bones. The bones were completely dry, scattered everywhere along the ground. Then the Spirit of the Lord asked: “Ezekiel, can these dry bones live?” “O Sovereign Lord, God” I...
A New Self
“When the Christ which is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed as the Christ in glory. . . . Be truthful with one another since you have removed your old self and put on your new self, which appears as you grow in understanding of your...
Faith for a Lifetime
“The disciples spoke privately to Jesus and asked, ‘Why couldn’t we heal the boy?’ “‘Because you have so little faith,’ Jesus said. ‘For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain move from here to there, and nothing...
A Chance to Forgive
“Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.” Matthew 6:12 Notes for Contemplation as You Use this Devotional: This passage from The Sermon on the Mount is part of “The Lord’s Prayer.”Jesus and many other master...
A Time to Grow
This spring of 2021 feels like a wonderful renewal after a winter of hibernation and more than a year of physical distancing. It also gives us abundant hope, inviting us to know that we can plan for particular certainties. An obvious certainty:...
A Complete Practice
“Faith by itself is not enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith; others have good deeds.’ But I say, ‘How can you show me your faith if you do not have good deeds? I...
Into Thy Hands
About the Video: This video, from April 2, 2021, was part of a virtual Good Friday Seven Last Words Service hosted by Hillside International Truth Center. In it, I invite us to consider that when we commit ourselves to God, we can discover a new normal and new...
Discerning Our True Place
“This is what God says to all those exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: ‘Build houses and settle down in them; plant gardens and eat what you grow in them. . . . For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for your good, not for...
You Gotta Believe
“Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the belief in what we do not see. This is why the ancients were commended. By faith, we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen is made from what is not...
Alive Again
“When the women saw the empty tomb, the Angel of the Lord said, ‘Now, go quickly and tell his disciples that Jesus has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. And remember what I have told you.’” Matthew 28:5-7 Notes for...
What Say You?
During a virtual interfaith gathering many months ago, amid discussions of world events, someone wrote a message in the chat, then left the group. They had attended several sessions, they said, but would not continue because they had expected to learn what...
A Prophet Among Us
“When Jesus entered Jerusalem, there was great commotion throughout the city and people were asking, ‘Who is this?’ And the crowds answered, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’” Matthew 21:10-11 Notes for Contemplation as You Use...
Know What Prayer Can Do
Jesus taught: “When you pray, do not speak a flood of empty words, as some do. They think that by saying many words they will be heard. Do not be like them, because God knows what you need before you ask.” Matthew 6:7-8 Notes for...
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