Treasure Valley Prays

Reimagining Church Together

We are ELCA leaders and pastors from the Treasure Valley and Northwest Intermountain Synod.
Together, we are reimagining and revisiting what it is to be church together with daily devotions.

What Is Christian Freedom?

Di Seba October 11, 2020 2 Comments

“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).“But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of

Raised to Full Stature

Heidi Gainan October 10, 2020 3 Comments

“(Jesus) was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her,

Evergreen Stories

Gretchen Bingea October 9, 2020 1 Comment

We are now well into fall, and as the name of this season rightly describes, the leaves have begun falling from the trees. I always get a wistful feeling at this time of year. The hopefulness of spring when green buds emerged and grew, has now given way to colorful displays of yellow, orange, and

Continue in My Word

Brooke Freiheit October 8, 2020 1 Comment

October is finally here, and I boldly declare fall to be my favorite season. It feels like a refresh and a reminder to slow down, both of which I need right now. I have been enjoying the cooler mornings, wrapping up in a blanket while it is still dark out and lingering over my pumpkin-spiced

An Unexpected Thank You

Diane McGeoch October 7, 2020 3 Comments

One of my favorite things to do when I was a Youth Minister was to go on retreats with young people. The opportunity to be together away from the normal routine helped us grow closer to each other and to God. During each retreat we would create rituals together that matched the theme of the

“Life Happens…”

Penelope Smith October 6, 2020 3 Comments

Had he lived past the age of 40, John Lennon would have turned 80 this Friday. His lyrics had a huge influence on my generation. I have been thinking about one in particular this year, from the song for his son Sean called “Beautiful Boy”……. “Life happens when you are busy making other plans.” I

“Do the Right Thing, And…”

Keith Hammer October 5, 2020 No Comments

Jesus (speaking to the chief priests and elders of the people) said, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.” Matthew 21:31 There’s this one little (unspoken, but certainly implied) message in this story of Jesus’ encounter with the chief priests and elders of

Hate to Wait?

Kent Schaufelberger October 4, 2020 1 Comment

They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength… Isaiah 40:31 It had been a hectic afternoon of running errands, complicated by the fact that we were doing the running in a new place that we hadn’t been familiar with for nearly 15 years. Meridian and Boise had grown and expanded and we’d just

Where Do You Find Joy?

Barbara Condon October 3, 2020 2 Comments

“You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; In your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm16:11 “For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.” Psalm 92:4 “Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;”

“Put on hope each day like you put on your shoes”

Susan Bruns Rowe October 2, 2020 4 Comments

Recently I listened to a virtual talk by the author Barbara Kingsolver. Afterwards, she took questions from the audience and someone asked how she maintained hope during this time. She paused, and then with just the tiniest bit of sternness in her gentle voice, she said, “Well, hope is a duty.” She went on to say

What Shall I Pray?

Meggan Manlove October 1, 2020 1 Comment

Psalm 19 1 The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; 4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and

Make My Joy Complete

Casey Cross September 30, 2020 No Comments

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as

Turning, Turning

Kathryn Baerwald September 29, 2020 No Comments

Just southwest of Lexington, Kentucky, in the lush green and rolling hills, is the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. From 1808 until the early 1920’s, a group of Shakers made a home for themselves at Pleasant Hill to practice their religion. On a 4,000-acre settlement, the Shakers built seventeen sturdy, functional buildings. They farmed and

Praying the News

Kelly Preboski September 28, 2020 2 Comments

I am a person who does want to watch, listen to and read about the news to stay current on issues and concerns, learn new things, and know about where I am living. But, I have to be careful when and where and how I engage with the news. For one, I have a 9

The In Between

Sarah Henthorn September 27, 2020 4 Comments

As a child, I never really understood why scripture makes God’s people seem so discontented in the desert. They are freed from slavery in Egypt, provided with food and water by miraculous means, receive the ten commandments, and they get to see the active presence of God in the pillar of cloud by day and