mercy Archives - Treasure Valley Prays

Meditation on Psalm 23

Post author:Penelope Smith
Post published:July 13, 2022
Post category:Penelope Smith
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Psalm 23 is perhaps one of the most recognizable passages of scripture. It is a passage that millions of people have committed to memory. It is frequently requested as the psalm to be read at funerals. It is so well known that some of its phrases have even found their way into modern advertising; remember the “Fear No Weevil” commercial for systemic insecticide?Please join me in revisiting these familiar words. Allow visual images of these descriptive words to float into your mind and…

From Light into Lent

Post author:Anne Palma
Post published:February 28, 2022
Post category:Anne Palma DEVOTION
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Two days from now, the festive feast days of Epiphany will give way to the somber season of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday. We are invited to reflect on God’s great love and mercy in sending Jesus Christ to reconcile us to God and to one another, through the forgiveness of sin, giving to us the gifts of life and salvation. The appointed Psalm for Ash Wednesday, March 2, is Psalm 51:1-17. While some Psalms speak about God, this penitential Psalm is…

Gifted

Post author:Kathryn Baerwald
Post published:November 10, 2021
Post category:Kathryn Baerwald REFLECTION
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We’re coming into the time of the year when thoughts turn to gifts. Many of us will have Thanksgiving dinner at the home of a family member or friend. We may bring food to share with others. Sometimes we also bring a gift for the host and/or hostess. It could be flowers or little delicacies or a bottle of wine – something a bit special to express gratitude. Of course, the big gift-giving extravaganza will be coming in about six weeks. Some may…

Food and Fear

Post author:Mary Riedl
Post published:May 11, 2021
Post category:Mary Riedl
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“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7A while ago I went on a diet. I was tired all the time, and just felt generally bad. So, I joined a program that encouraged me to record everything I ate for several weeks. At the end of the first week I realized that I was eating a LOT of food. Not only that, but A LOT of food that…

Psalm 23

Post author:Mary Riedl
Post published:April 24, 2021
Post category:Mary Riedl
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The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.Thank you, God, for my many blessings. I live in and have become accustomed to a lifestyle and culture of excess. I often feel as though I am lacking when I am not. Help me to be content. To feel as if I am enough. Help me not to desire more, but enough. Help me remember what enough is.The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters.Jesus, my good…

man embracing joy in the morning

Joy Comes with the Morning!

Post author:Keith Hammer
Post published:April 3, 2021
Post category:Keith Hammer
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Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.Psalm 30:5bToday we are in the midst of the Easter Three Days, the high point of the liturgical year beginning the evening of Maundy Thursday and continuing until the evening of Easter Sunday. These three days are a single celebration that mark the end of the season of Lent to the celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection at the Easter Vigil and the later Easter Day worship celebrations. (Go here for a slightly longer…

“Mercy!”

Post author:Keith Hammer
Post published:March 6, 2021
Post category:Keith Hammer
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Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people;once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.1 Peter 4:10Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.Matthew 5:7“Mercy!” An exclamation of surprise or fear.Mercy—a word that radiates compassion, grace, charity, forgiveness, humanity, tender-heartedness, kindness, liberality, or generosity.Mercy as gift—the descriptor of the gift of our God who created the world and universe as we know it and all of humanity who live in it.Mercy—the descriptor of both…

Faith Without Works Is…

Post author:Penelope Smith
Post published:January 7, 2021
Post category:Penelope Smith
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I’m a “cradle Lutheran”. During the 1950s-60s, I attended Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and (by my calculations) about 200 hours of Confirmation Class (two hours each Saturday morning for the three years of Junior High). We memorized many Bible verses, the Ten Commandments, The Apostles’ Creed, The Lord’s Prayer and Martin Luther’s explanations – all very important. We did a LOT of memorization – this is most certainly true! By the time I was confirmed, I felt I had been exposed to…

God’s glory revealed……is Love shared

Post author:Heidi Gainan
Post published:December 13, 2020
Post category:Heidi Gainan
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“Then, the glory of the Lord will be revealedand all flesh shall see it together.”Isaiah 40:5The other day as I listened to my favorite devotion app (Pray-As-You-Go) this was part of the reading of the day. I love these Advent readings from Isaiah and PAYG always has some lovely, ponderous questions to chew on. The question they asked this day was, “What will the glory of the Lord revealed mean in your life?” Good, huh? I thought about it for quite a while…

Choose Something Like a Star

Post author:Kathryn Baerwald
Post published:August 10, 2020
Post category:Kathryn Baerwald
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When I was in high school, I was a member of the Wauwatosa (Wisconsin) East High School Concert Choir. Every weekday at 11:05, we took our music, got into our assigned seats, and readied ourselves to practice for the next hour. Mr. Bilderback, the director, was a task master but he took great pride in the choir. As a second alto, I rarely got to sing any exciting parts.Sometimes we competed in the Wisconsin high school choir competition, but that depended on whether…

How Prayer Works

Post author:Paul Olsen
Post published:August 4, 2020
Post category:Paul Olsen
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It has been a long six, eight months, hasn’t it? Aren’t you tired of this? Don’t you want your summer back, your life back, your economy back? What are we supposed to do with millions unemployed, and now, maybe millions who can’t pay the rent? Or buy groceries? (see video)

Mad Libs

Post author:Sarah Henthorn
Post published:June 15, 2020
Post category:admin Sarah Henthorn
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One thing that I’ve enjoyed during the stay at home order is Mad Libs. If you haven’t experienced them before let me give you a quick guide: Mad Libs are small stories that have strategically removed important words. The players are asked to provide adverbs, adjectives, nouns and verbs without any context. These words are then plugged into the story and read to the group. It’s usually a great way to get some laughter into your day.In any Mad Libs session, there is…