Listen to Pastor Nick read the Firestarter and Exodus 22:21-28.

What must have been the previous mistreatment of others such that these various laws were designed to put some measure of justice into life! We might have come a long way from what is outlined here for a society over three thousand years ago, yet there is something we can miss so easily—the ordering of life has its initiative from the Lord.

Jesus said to his disciples at the Last Supper, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:12). There has been and will continue to be a development, a refinement of how God wants us to respond to one another.

Reflect upon how you treat others. Seek the justice and mercy that God wants to express to others through your very own life.

Exodus 21:1—22:24

This is the first of three parts of the Torah Portion Mishpatim (Laws)
Conservative and Reform Jewish congregations read only this part this year,
as also in this Bible plan.
Here is the entire portion in all three parts.

Exodus 21:1—24:18

Learn about Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: The pure in heart shall see God. Mt 5:8

The Saturday passages follow the reading list that Jewish people use in their synagogue worship
throughout the world. They are taken from
“The Torah,” the first five books of the Bible from Genesis to Deuteronomy
that are read each year beginning with autumn.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information

Listen to Pastor Nick read the Firestarter and the Gospel.

Clear, straightforward instructions come from Jesus about the dispositions of the heart when we do good deeds, and how the heart itself is to be transformed by prayer. Jesus’s instruction about prayer is a blend of two inseparable aspects. Each person is encouraged to go alone to the inner, secret place of one’s spirit. There is an inward privacy to prayer. However, as The Lord’s Prayer reminds us, there is always a communal dimension. The prayer is “Our Father,” not “My Father.”

Lent is coming soon. What does the Lord suggest to you about growth in prayer as the dark, secret place of winter yields to the open, expansive light of the coming spring?

Ponder the parting warning of Jesus in verse 15.

Matthew 6:1–15

Create your own Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: Will on earth as in heaven v. 10

Fridays are dedicated to the Gospels.
In the seasons of Advent to Epiphany this year we read Luke 1 2; Matthew 1 7.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.

Listen to Pastor Nick read the Firestarter Philippians 1:1-11.

Profound feelings of love and affection for a community of Christians far away warms the heart of Paul as he writes from a damp, dark Roman prison. With every stroke of his pen, sentiments of joy and encouragement expand and flow outward from him. His letter rescues him from being consumed by pain.

As the season of Epiphany ends, the cross on Calvary’s hill is on the horizon. Take courage. The joy of Christ manifest and with us will not diminish. The power of Christ shining from his face on the Mount of Transfiguration will continue, though blood from the crown of thorns will transfigure this face.

Is there someone who needs your love and encouragement in a letter that would send a stream of love into your heart as well as theirs, washing pain away?

Philippians 1

Find out all about Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: What You began You complete. v. 6

Thursdays are dedicated to the letters of Paul, other letters,
the Book of Acts, and the Book of Revelation.
In the seasons of Advent to Epiphany this year we read Titus, Philemon, Galatians and Philippians.

For all the Firestarters in the original version, I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these Firestarters with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.