Devotional 4-2-14

Psalm 130 from The Message:

Help, God—the bottom has fallen out of my life! Master, hear my cry for help!
Listen hard! Open your ears!  Listen to my cries for mercy.
If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance?
As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that’s why you’re worshiped.
I pray to God—my life a prayer—and wait for what he’ll say and do.
My life’s on the line before God, my Lord, waiting and watching till morning,
waiting and watching till morning. 
O Israel, wait and watch for God—with God’s arrival comes love, with God’s arrival comes generous redemption.
No doubt about it—he’ll redeem Israel, buy back Israel from captivity to sin.

Preparing for this devotional, I read each of the lectionary texts.  The story of Lazarus is powerful, but this verse seemed to pull me back again and again.  I was reminded of how powerful the grace of God can be in our lives.

There have been times in my life, and yours as well, I imagine, when the burdens of the day felt far too heavy to lift.  I can hardly believe that twenty-three years have passed since I lost my dad.  When that happened, I was so angry, I couldn’t really pray, let alone listen for answers.  As the years passed, my anger thankfully gave way to forgiveness.  Now, when I pray looking to God for help, I do not always find an answer that makes sense.  Many times, the answer we seek is not necessarily the direct answer to our problem, but the opportunity to learn from the situation or problem that we face.  Instead of looking for the direct or “easy” answer, we must have faith and understand that through grace God will show is the way.

As we travel though life today, take time to pray and listen for God.  His methods may not always make sense on the surface, but as we continue to listen, the answers will be revealed through Grace and Love.

Dear Lord, Help us to pray and listen.  Help us to put our angers and imperfections aside so we can listen for the Grace that you so freely share. Help us to pe patient was we watch and listen for you to share your Grace and Love. Amen

Hulse Budd

Devotional 3-3-12

As I prepared for this devotional, I was sent a devotion for lent that I found interesting. It reminds us that even though Lent is often a time of sorrow, we need to take this time to remember and reflect on out lives as we prepare for the renewal of Easter.

Return to Me with All Your Heart

Here we are again—the time we call Lent. For many of us, the word “Lent” connotes drab days, giving up things and a long, long time waiting for spring. Lent means many things. A time of repentance. A time of sacrifice. A preparation for Easter. A time of letdown after the excitement of Christmas and New Year’s hopes.

We often overlook another meaning—the idea that Lent is an invitation to “return,” to be reconciled with God, with each other and with ourselves. Lent calls us to return to our hearts, to see what’s there and act from what we see.

Lent is a season of the heart.

The scriptures, both the Hebrew Prophets and the New Testament texts, are our guides for the journey of Lent. They make a powerful point, one that our culture often forgets: it is the heart that matters. What is in our heart deeply influences our vision, our hearing, our behavior.

Lent begins on a day we call “Ash Wednesday.”

On that day, Christians everywhere are called to remember, repent and return. Through the symbol of ashes, we are asked to remember that we are of the earth, created by another, and will not walk the earth forever. We are asked to repent; to look at ourselves,to recognize our separation from our God, and to return to the one who has created us.

Repentance, remembering, returning to God—all of these begin in our hearts. None of these is an intellectual exercise.

What if Lent is a time to return to our hearts and find comfort there, and solace, and strength? What if Lent is a time to return to our souls and find our calling and our source of life?

Is that what happened for Jesus when he was in a desert for 40 days?

Can that happen for us?

In the scripture reading for Ash Wednesday, the prophet Joel cries: Even now, says the Lord, Return to me with your whole heart, With fasting and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, And return to the Lord your God. Why should we take the risk to do this? Joel answers: For gracious and merciful is God, Slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment. (Joel 2: 12-13)

Lent need not be drab. Lent can be a time of finding ourselves and finding ourselves held in the mercy and rich kindness of the God who loves us.

by: Sr. Juliana Casey, IHM, Ph.D.

Prayer for Lent:
Dear Lord,
As we begin this time of lent, help us take the time to return to our hearts. Show us the path for our journey through this time of remembrance as we repent through this season. As we bring our transgressions to you, help us to see your call for us in this time, as we grow in our relationship with you. Amen

Hulse Budd

Devotional 4-1-11

Read John 9:1-41

“You can’t see the Forest for the Trees”

How many times have we heard this in our lives? We are working on a project, and at every turn, there seems to be another wall. Then, usually from what we believe to be an unlikely source, the answer drops in like a lightning bolt. That “Ah-Ha” moment, and everything continues to fall into place.

In John 9:3, we read, “he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed to him”. After this, Jesus makes some mud on the ground, rubs it on the man’s eyes, and tells him to “Go wash in the pool of Siloam”. He goes, and washes and is granted the gift of sight.

I believe this story is teaching us much more that the fact that Jesus was able to restore a man’s sight. In verse 39, Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind”. The scripture explains this further, explaining that we are neither gaining nor loosing physical sight. What we are made to see is the Glory of God in the example of the works of Jesus on earth.

So, when does our “Ah-HA” moment come? When do the walls come down, so that we are granted sight? That is up to each of us because God’s grace is given to us freely. We don’t deserve this gift, but all we need to do is say, “Yes Lord, I believe”, and we will be made to see.

During this season of Lent, we reflect on our lives, and listen for God. Hopefully we find ourselves saying “I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now, I see”.

Grace and Peace,
Hulse Budd

Devotional 3-21-10

Read Philippians 3:4b-14

…yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus

As I read this passage, I once again think about the amount of time I spend worrying and complaining about not having enough time. When I am finally alone, I realize that all of the worry and emotion is very misplaced. Many times I am overly concerned with the things I have, or think I need.

The value of knowing Christ as a King and Savior surpasses all of the “things” we have. Working to have a close personal relationship with Christ helps us to not only be better Christians, but just better people.

The relationships I share with friends and family are my most prized possession. Having a relationship with Christ is the most important of all. I believe that as I attend the Walk to Emmaus this weekend, I will take a step closer in my journey with Christ.

Lord, help us to realize that everything we have is through your grace. Help us to place our energies into loving others and serving in your name. Each day, as we meet with others, help us to see others as if they are at their best, even when they look and feel at their worst.

In your holy name
Amen

Hulse Budd

Devotional 3-26-09

Psalm 119:9-16

How can young people keep their way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; do not let me stray from your commandments. I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you. Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes. With my lips I declare all the ordinances of your mouth. I delight in the way of your decrees as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts, and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

How can young people keep their way pure? Growing up, I remember going to church and learning about Jesus. In Sunday school we learned many stories about the Ten Commandments and the miracles of Jesus. We learned of the “golden rule”, and that we are to love the Lord with all our heart, strength and mind.

Now that I am a little older, I find myself looking back. “Have I learned from the mistakes of my past?” Have I learned to fix my eyes on the way of the Lord? I can find only one answer, and that is I continue to try each and every day. Being an imperfect being, I know that there have been times I looked away. I find myself looking at the mistakes I have made, the lessons I have learned, then meditating and praying to God for help to know the right path.

I believe that in my search for the right path, I am helping “young people” to find their way to God. I try share the lessons I have learned through my interactions with friends, family, and even strangers. Sometimes this is as simple as offering a smile. Many times it takes little more than a kind word or a loving touch. People can feel that God is in our heart through these interactions.

How can young people keep their way pure? As the scripture says, by guarding is according to God’s word, but it takes all of us to help provide the love and support needed for people that are “young” in Christ’s eyes to find their path.

Lord, thank you for each and every day. Show us the way to guide “young” people to you. Come into our hearts that we will know your way and be able to declare your message to others. Amen

Hulse Budd

Mission Response and Prayer Focus:
March 26: One important ministry is the summer camping program. Give a nickel for every person in your household who went to a camp last summer.

Devotional 2-18-08

Read Psalm 56
When I am afraid, I will trust you (verse 3)

Pressure. Every day, many of us are under some type of pressure. There are projects to be completed at work, school projects that are due, music concerts to attend, or lists of other things that are important to each of us. We all have a fear of being taken over, to a degree, by the demands of life.

When we begin to feel trapped by these fears, we need to remember to trust in God. We simply need to take a few moments to realize that God is always with us, especially when we feel lost or afraid.

Psalm 56 reminds us that when our pressures and fears become unbearable He is there. God listens to all of our fears and problems. He listens when our lives are happy and “normal.” He listens even more when we are afraid.

When we take time to call on Him for help, we can be sure that he completely understands our problem and is ready to help. God is always ready to protect us from pressure and fear. What a truly amazing gift. Today’s world is so busy, to know that by simply asking for guidance, God is there to help show us the path.

Lord, thank you for all you do. In our busy lives, many times we forget to make time for you. Help us to realize that through you, all things are possible. Our greatest fears can be overcome, and our greatest enemies defeated when we place our faith and trust in you. Amen

Hulse Budd