Proper 18 (23) 2016 – Deuteronomy 30:19

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Church Health turns 29 today!

Deuteronomy 30:19 – I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live…

For 29 years, the employees, volunteers and donors of Church Health have worked together to help people choose life, to encourage people to reach for their highest level of wellness.  And our efforts have only just begun.  As we sit on the cusp of a new existence in our vertical community, we promise to continue our commitment to care for one another.

Creator God, bless our individual and collective efforts to help our brothers and sisters to live their abundant lives.  Amen.

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Sixth Sunday of Easter 2016 – John 5:5-7

Friday, April 29, 2016

John 5:5-7 – One man was near the pool who had been ill for thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”   The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.”

I thought of our wellness facility when I read these verses today.  I believe people come through our doors who have answered Jesus’ question with a yes.  Our job is to lovingly help them into the nutrition class, onto the treadmill or into our own therapeutic pool.

Loving God, help us to make the people we meet today to feel as though they are important to us, that each has a place at the front of our line.  Amen.

Have a Blessed Day is Now Available

I am proud to announce my latest book, Have a Blessed Day: A Year of Daily Devotions from the Church Health Center, is available for sale.  This book compiles 365 of my best Daily Devotions from the last three years.  To order Have a Blessed Day, visit the Church Health Center’s online store.

Daily Devotion from the Church Health Center – Psalm 107:8, 35-37

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 – Proper 26 & Ordinary 31, Year A

Psalm 107:8, 35-37 – Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. And there he lets the hungry live, and they establish a town to live in; they sow fields, and plant vineyards, and get a fruitful yield.

We often speak of the neighborhood in which the Church Health Center is located as being something less than ideal. YET, with God’s leadership and lots of hard work on the part of many faithful people, an oasis of hope and healing has been created for God’s children.

Prayer: Gracious God, you have blessed us greatly. May we continue to do your will in all that we do. AMEN.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011 – Proper 15 & Ordinary 20, Year A

Psalm 133:1, 3 – How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD ordained his blessing, life forevermore.

Why do we talk so much about our mission statement and guiding virtues at the Church Health Center? We want these words to both inform and direct our daily efforts here. In this way, the song we sing through our service together will be heard as a unified voice.

Prayer: Gracious God, watch over your Church Health Center family as we seek to do your will among your people. AMEN.

Daily Devotion from the Church Health Center – Genesis 28:10-12

Monday, July 11, 2011 – Proper 11 & Ordinary 16, Year A

The lectionary texts for this week include: Genesis 28:10-19a; Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24; Romans 8:12-25; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. There are some alternate scriptures as well including: Wisdom of Solomon 12:13, 16-19; Isaiah 44:6-8; Psalm 86:11-17.

Genesis 28:10-12 – Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

I admit it! I have been known to get teary-eyed during final scenes of the once popular series Touched by an Angel. This scripture reminds us that whether through angels or some other miraculous way, God is an active participant in our world and in our lives.

Prayer: Gracious God, today we give thanks to you for your constant presence in our lives. AMEN.

Dailyl Devotion from the Church Health Center – Matthew 13:5-6

Wednesday, July 6, 2011 – Proper 9 & Ordinary 15, Year A

Matthew 13:5-6 – [Jesus is telling the parable of the sower.] Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away.

Are you ever frustrated by the person who takes your sound advice and embraces it for a week or two only to fall back into old patterns and habits?

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Mother Teresa

Prayer: Patient God, work within those who come before us today, so that our efforts might take deep root in their lives. AMEN.