Listen to Pastor Nick read the “Firestarter” and Daniel 9:4-8.

[From the version for young people]

Laser beams: one of the amazing inventions in modern times. These beams can reconnect delicate areas of the eyes as well as do other wonderful things.

Praying for someone is like sending a laser beam of your love and God’s love into their souls and bodies. That’s the way Daniel prays in the reading for today. As you read his prayer, let your mind and heart be open to how you too can pray for the people of this earth, all of whom are God’s children. 

You will notice four aspects of Daniel’s prayer that can be summarized under the following acronym: ACTS: Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving and Supplication—another name for prayer requests. So let’s you and I do ACTS today and everyday, sending laser beams of prayer to those for whom we are called to pray.

Daniel 9

Mondays are dedicated to the reading of the Hebrew Prophets.
In the season of Kingdomtide this year, we read the Book of Daniel.

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…
Example: You—mercy and forgiveness v. 9

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.

One of my spiritual directors in life was a priest who became blind late in his life. He was also a very talented violinist. It was very difficult for him to learn how to be blind and continue to play the violin. Yet he told me that he had become an even better violinist, because his hearing had become extremely sensitive. He also witnessed that he had come to see things spiritually that he might never have understood if he had his eyesight. 

The joy of the man in the Gospel who came to see was made even greater because before he received his miracle, he had seen Jesus with his heart and knew Jesus could heal him. It’s as though his heart had been given eyes long before he received his sight.

Come to Jesus today with the same intense desire to know and love Jesus as the blind man of today’s Gospel. Be aware of keeping the eyes of your heart upon Jesus.

Mark 10:46-52

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…
Example: Throwing off all defenses v. 50

Sundays are dedicated to the Gospels from the Revised Common Lectionary.
In year B, we read from the Gospel of Mark

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 Nick read the Firestarter and Genesis 6:1-8.

Methuselah lived 969 years! He was not alone in great life spans listed for the ten Patriarchs from Adam to Noah and the flood. One of the purposes of this list is to give continuity to long periods of elapsed time and to keep the connection to our deepest roots in the human family. The shortening of the life span has been seen as a consequence to the degrading levels to which the human family had fallen. Everything went downhill. Some see the shortening as actually an act of mercy on God’s part, as we might say: “Quit, while you’re ahead,” or “Stop before things get worse!” And worse indeed did things get with the reference that even “sons of God” (fallen angels?) took human wives. God was grieved at creating us. However, there was one good man: Noah.
     How does God feel about having created you?

Genesis 5:1—6:8

This is the third of three parts of the Torah Portion Bereshith (Beginning)
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.

Genesis 1:1—6:8

Learn about Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: Thank You for creating me.

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