change Archives - Treasure Valley Prays

You Can Go Home Again

Post author:Diane McGeoch
Post published:September 26, 2022
Post category:Diane McGeoch
Post comments:1 Comment

“See I am making all things new.” Revelation 21: 5I was standing in the kitchen of my former home in Maryland. Only it wasn’t the kitchen anymore, the current owners had turned the space into an eating nook. The old dining room became the kitchen, and I admired the new appliances and cupboards and counter tops. Holly and Joe lovingly described the kitchen and dining room renovation, and how the room switch had opened space for entertaining.The transformation of the home I lived…

“What you pay attention to grows.”

Post author:Casey Cross
Post published:August 17, 2022
Post category:Casey Cross
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“What you pay attention to grows.” - Adrienne Maree Brown Tweet Psalm 100 - A Psalm of thanksgiving.Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.I have been beginning…

A Good Goodbye

Post author:Casey Cross
Post published:February 18, 2022
Post category:Casey Cross DEVOTION
Post comments:3 Comments

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NRSV) Over 2,000 years ago, Greek philosopher Heraclitus stated, “The only constant in life is change.” Yet, we still grapple with this idea as though it is new. It seems as though the last few years have been full of unprecedented change and transition. Much has been said about this. However, it is one thing to talk about all the…

Perspective Changing and Changing Again

Post author:Diane McGeoch
Post published:October 13, 2021
Post category:Diane McGeoch REFLECTION
Post comments:2 Comments

I pulled a tendon in my right ankle doing yard work. I stepped away from the bush I was trimming, and my foot got caught between the edge of a concrete landscaping border and the grass. That stepping away immediately changed my perspective. I knew something was wrong when I couldn’t put weight on the foot without pain and it was swollen. The tendon will heal if I keep weight off my foot for at least two weeks, so I am wearing an…

Teachable Moments on Steroids

Post author:Keith Hammer
Post published:September 27, 2021
Post category:DEVOTION Keith Hammer
Post comments:2 Comments

(Jesus and his disciples) went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. (Mark 9:30-32) I am struck by the number of occasions in Mark’s gospel…

Swimming Lessons

Post author:Kent Schaufelberger
Post published:August 23, 2021
Post category:Kent Schaufelberger
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Come gather’ round wherever you roam, and admit that the waters around you have grown, accept it that soon you’ll be drenched to the bone. And if your breath to you is worth saving then you better start swimming, or you’ll sink like a stone, for the times, they are a changin’. Bob Dylan In 1963 Bob Dylan wrote these opening lines to a song which reflected the events which surrounded those of us who grew up in the 50’s and 60’s. To…

Becoming Truth-Tellers

Post author:Mia Crosthwaite
Post published:August 11, 2021
Post category:Mia Crosthwaite
Post comments:2 Comments

“What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.” Ephesians 4:25Taking in the extravagant love of Christ changes us. God loves every single person extravagantly, profoundly. But there is something important that happens as we take in that love, as we accept that love. We become transformed by that love, and…

“I’m Weary”

Post author:John Hergert
Post published:July 14, 2021
Post category:John Hergert
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What is it we are looking for these days of the hottest summer in my memory? The heat has sucked all my energy and driven me to give up walking until it breaks. I know I’ve been looking for several things. A return to normal just might be one of those items we’d all like to experience. Sure, we have begun the process of returning to normal in the heat and as Covid stubbornly hangs on, or perhaps it’s the people who won’t…

Remodel

Post author:Justin Tigerman
Post published:May 19, 2021
Post category:Justin Tigerman
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We’re in the process of remodeling a room in our house. A room. Singular. It’s a smaller one, too—the guest bathroom (not the one pictured above, but similar size and layout).You’d think, 45 square feet or so, not too big of a deal. It should be taken care of in a month or two at the most. Well, one thing has led to another and here we are—4 months later-with materials in the garage and lining up labor to get the job done.…

Wearing Out

Post author:Kent Schaufelberger
Post published:May 17, 2021
Post category:Kent Schaufelberger
Post comments:2 Comments

I have an old chamois skin which I use when I wash my car. This chamois and I have been together for forty years, at least. The truth of the matter is that it is getting pretty ragged and worn out. Something about that is upsetting for me--perhaps I want it to be the same—like it was when it was new.New cars are somewhat the same way. I really like the smell of the interior of a new car. When I buy a…

Seasons of Growth

Post author:Heidi Gainan
Post published:February 27, 2021
Post category:Heidi Gainan
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Everything visible, without exception, is the outpouring of God. Fr. Richard Rohr, “The Universal Christ” This year, more than most, I feel closer to nature and the changing seasons. It was just about a year ago, at the beginning of the pandemic, I started my long daily walks. It was also the beginning of spring and those vibrant changes filled me with hope. Since I’ve walked pretty much the same route for a year now, I’ve had a front row seat watching creation…

Migration and Movement

Post author:Diane McGeoch
Post published:February 15, 2021
Post category:Diane McGeoch
Post comments:3 Comments

What would it mean for Christians to rediscover their faith not as a system of beliefs, but as a just and generous way of life, rooted in contemplation and expressed in compassion, that makes amends for its mistakes, and is dedicated to community for all? Could Christians migrate from defining their faith as a system of beliefs to expressing it as a loving way of life? Brian McLaren, The Great Spiritual Migration The word migration has deep meaning for me. In a sense,…

Time for Change

Post author:Heidi Gainan
Post published:August 31, 2020
Post category:Heidi Gainan
Post comments:4 Comments

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” ~Anne Lamott Tweet I confess to Almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters…that I am addicted to being plugged in. What? You may ask. Isn’t this the lady who goes off to a hermitage twice a year and wanders around in silence watching grasshoppers? You are right, ‘tis I. But let me tell you what I am fleeing FROM when I go to the hermitage.Picture it:…

Travel and Grief in a Pandemic

Post author:Sara Manning
Post published:August 2, 2020
Post category:Sara Manning
Post comments:1 Comment

Last week I was supposed to be in New York spending some time with my family for my dad’s birthday. When I booked my flight back at the beginning of June, we still had low numbers of new cases in Idaho, I had an e-credit to use from a different cancelled trip from this fall, and flights were as cheap as I have ever seen them to Albany or Syracuse. I booked my flight knowing that things could change and I might not…

Change

Post author:Kari Sansgaard
Post published:June 30, 2020
Post category:Kari Sansgaard
Post comments:2 Comments

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28 CHANGE. This is my 2020 “Star Word.” I received it in early February. Some churches (ELCA and other denominations) around the world have these available each year on the Sunday closest to the Feast of Epiphany - the celebration of Christ’s revelation to the world. The star shape emulates the star…

How it Was: a short memoir

Post author:Mary Braudrick
Post published:June 29, 2020
Post category:Mary Braudrick
Post comments:12 Comments

I pretty much had an ideal upbringing in the 50’s here in Nampa. Not unlike “the Beav” shall we say—you know, as in “Leave it to Beaver.” My mom was a typical homemaker, my dad a family practice medical doctor, and there were four of us kids. Other than the usual drama, I know I was blessed to have grown up without any real childhood trauma. At the time, Nampa’s population was roughly 25,000 and was largely lily white. Mexican migrant workers and…

I Love Simplicity

Post author:Joy David
Post published:June 8, 2020
Post category:Joy David
Post comments:3 Comments

Casting all anxiety on him, for he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 (watch video) 2020 I designated as the year of "Joy." I decided to look and take action on things I was unhappy with. Do I seek God first? Or, do I do it on my own first and then go to him?

New Beginnings

Post author:Dawn Busch
Post published:May 25, 2020
Post category:Dawn Busch
Post comments:3 Comments

6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be…

Freedom to Care

Post author:John Hergert
Post published:April 3, 2020
Post category:John Hergert
Post comments:3 Comments

“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female for all are one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28A few days ago at our book study at a Trinity Lutheran in Nampa we were studying and conversing via Zoom about Rachel Held Evans book “Inspired.” The question was asked what is the Gospel or good news in one word? My answer was “freedom.” Yet in light of everything are we truly free?…

Life in the Rearview Mirror

Post author:Tammy Heimgartner
Post published:April 2, 2020
Post category:Tammy Heimgartner
Post comments:2 Comments

How much time do we spend looking in the rearview mirror of our lives, convinced that the sunny days behind us were the best ever? When the world around us is dark and stormy we look back wistfully at how things ‘used to be’. Remember when church on Sunday morning was just the thing to do? Remember when the stores were closed on Sundays and life was simpler? Remember when we could just leave the house and go wherever we wanted and greet…

The Rules of Perspective

Post author:Casey Cross
Post published:March 23, 2020
Post category:Casey Cross
Post comments:2 Comments

Breathe... Close your eyes. Inhale for three seconds, pause, and exhale for three seconds. Take as many breathes like this as you like. Read... John 14:15-31 ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he…