Listen to Pastor Nick read the Firestarter and Ezekiel 22:23-31.

Keansburg, N.J. has a creek bordering it that flows into the tidal waters opposite New York City. When strong storms occurred, it often happened that the waters would rush into the mouth of the creek, flooding the town. To prevent this from happening, a great steel gate was constructed that would completely close the mouth of the creek, preventing the seawater from elbowing its way into town. The gap was covered.

Ezekiel presents this same image of the gap in 22:30. No other verse in Scripture more clearly expresses the meaning of intercessory prayer. When the protective hedge of God’s grace is broken, opening the way for the onslaught of the Enemy, an intercessor needs to stand in the gap, giving protection from the forces without. The intercessor restores the broken connection to God.

The cross of Jesus bridged the gap between heaven and earth. Resurrection-life is yours.

Ezekiel 20—22

Mondays are dedicated to the reading of the Hebrew Prophets.
In the Season of Easter this year we read Ezekiel 17-32.

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…
Example:I will stand in the gap for You. 22:30.

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 reading.

The name Thomas has been linked with “doubting.” We might also add another—“bold”! For that’s what Thomas was as he stepped outside into the streets that so recently saw the violence of Jesus’s crucifixion. All his brothers were inside that room with doors and windows tightly closed for fear of their being arrested, just as Jesus was. However, Thomas needed to be where the action really was; but he was not. By cutting himself off from the community, he cut himself off from faith. Remember that!

However, it is not too late for him; he has a second chance. He comes back after his errand—and so does Jesus. While it is not a good idea to place terms on faith, Jesus lovingly meets Thomas where he is, inviting him to feel the evidences of the pain that are now signs of glory. Caravaggio has Jesus guiding Thomas’s finger into the wound…But I wonder: did he really put his finger in the wound? The presence of Jesus was enough for him and it is more than enough for you. “Blessed are those who have not seen, yet have believed.”

John 20:19–31

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…
Example: Though not seeing, I believe. v. 29

Sundays are dedicated to the Gospels from the Revised Common Lectionary.

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 Leviticus 10:12-15.

What foods to eat or not to eat might seem of minor importance to us, but what is not minor, is cleanliness. The familiar adage: “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” is the point behind all these prescriptions. The sacred is clean; the profane is unclean. When God speaks to the people about what is clean and unclean, they are to associate themselves with creatures that especially draw them into the sacred. God’s presence is to pervade every aspect of life. There is a constant reminder of this when coming up against choices in creation. For something to be a sacrament of God’s presence, it must be clean.

Take in inventory of what you do and with whom you associate in your life. Do the people, places, and things in your life lead you to God or not? That is the all-important question.

Leviticus 10:12—11:32

This is the second of three parts of the Torah Portion Shemini (Eighth)
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.

Leviticus 9:1—11:47

Learn about Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: Holiness of all God’s gifts v. 12

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