Treasure Valley Prays

Reimagining Church Together
SHARING STORIES AND EXPLORING SPIRITUAL CONNECTION

Devotions

My Sister Had a Cat

While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering

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Worship services in Holy Week

Holy Week Worship and Gatherings

Schedule On Palm Sunday or “Passion Sunday”, we encounter the paradox that defines our faith: Jesus Christ is glorified king and humiliated servant. We too are full of paradox: like Peter, we fervently desire to follow Christ, but find ourselves afraid, denying God. We wave palms in celebration today as Christ comes into our midst,

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Sculpture of a blind man

Listening for the Questions that Give Life

“Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, ‘Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?’Jesus said, ‘You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do.’… Jesus heard

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boy hugging girl

Lunch Buckets

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV) When I first started working in the public schools, I drove myself crazy collecting discarded jackets and lunch kits when I had playground duty after school. I waved

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man looking out over sky and mountains

Longing to be Rescued

Last year I had a goal to read the Bible from start to finish, five pages a day every day for a year, but I got stuck in Deuteronomy. Moses’s sermon to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land is long and not particularly hopeful. But then Moses had a lot of

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cosmic night sky over water

Peacemakers be with you

“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) One of the recurring questions of my life is, “what does faithfulness look like?” Another way to put it would be, “what is a peacemaker really?” It’s easy for me to be inspired by the poetry of scripture. The beatitudes

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Trinity sanctuary

Come Into the Wilderness

You would love the way our sanctuary looks right now, during this season of Lent. Some gifted women in our congregation have transformed it into a wilderness, visually inviting us on a Lenten journey. When you first walk into the sanctuary there is a display of sage brush, desert rocks and even a skull laying in

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woman standing on balcony

Do Not Be Anxious

My favorite social medium is the podcast. I have a variety of podcasts I follow, including several that are religious or spiritual. One of these is the Inverse podcast, available on Apple podcasts, and hosted by Jarrod McKenna in Australia and Drew Hart in the United States. Drew and Jarrod always get the conversation rolling

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brown mug with trust in the Lord

Trust

My child, do not forget my teaching,but let your heart keep my commandments;for length of days and years of lifeand abundant welfare they will give you.Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you;bind them round your neck,write them on the tablet of your heart.So you will find favour and good reputein the sight of God

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a stone painted with loved and lost

God is faithful still

“The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18) Earlier in February marked 10 years since my dad’s death. While I miss my daddy, I want to talk about my Abba. Early on, people outside of the family would remember the anniversary. Around the third anniversary,

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ashes on forehead

A Livable Faithful Life (and Lent)!

[Jesus said to the disciples:] “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. (Matthew 6:1) (Note: Matthew then goes on to give examples of “practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them—almsgiving, prayer and

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Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday Services

Introduction On Ash Wednesday we begin our forty-day journey toward Easter with a day of fasting and repentance. Marking our foreheads with dust, we acknowledge that we die and return to the earth. At the same time, the dust traces the life-giving cross indelibly marked on our foreheads at baptism. While we journey through Lent

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side by side with entwined arms

You Can’t Do it By Yourself

In the movie, A Man Called Otto, the main character played by Tom Hanks is in despair following his wife’s death and a forced retirement. The antithesis to his character, a woman named Marisol played by Mariana Treviño, is a young Latinx mother of two, who moves in across the street in a neighborhood Otto

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Volunteers with food and medicine

Being the Good

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1 John 4:7-8) LOVE, the theme for the month of February with Valentine’s Day celebrated by many and flowers, candy, and balloons

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fruit of the spirit

Fruit of the Spirit

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV) It’s the beginning of a new year, and had I made any New Years’ Resolutions, I’m sure by now I would have broken them all. Every year I

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NWIM Synod Bishop Elect: Rev. Dr. Meggan Manlove

NWIM Synod Elects New Bishop

At our 2023 Assembly, Rev. Dr. Meggan Manlove was elected to succeed Bishop Kristen E.M. Kuempel as Bishop of the Northwest Intermountain Synod of the

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two hands holding heart

Grateful

“As [Jesus] was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud

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person with flahslight walking down path in darkness

Embracing the Unknown

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that

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two men hugging and others in prayer

Watch With Me

And he cometh unto the disciples, and findest them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Matthew 26:40,

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My Sister Had a Cat

While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder

Read More »
boy hugging girl

Lunch Buckets

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations

Read More »