stories Archives - Treasure Valley Prays

A Story to Tell

Post author:Sarah Henthorn
Post published:July 19, 2021
Post category:Sarah Henthorn
Post comments:1 Comment

The stories we tell about ourselves and others matter. The stories we tell about our God matter. Stories are how we build relationships and cultivate faith. Throughout the Old Testament, we see the people of God being instructed to remember how God has engaged them. Sometimes they are called to remember by creating festivals and holidays where they reenact the story (like Passover). Other times they are told to leave a pile of stones, build an altar, or name a significant place in…

Wonderfully Made

Post author:Mary Braudrick
Post published:July 16, 2021
Post category:Mary Braudrick
Post comments:1 Comment

I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139:14) New American Standard BibleI was awakened from sleep quite recently with tears slowly going back into my hair. There was this calm feeling of relief and release within me. A recognition that my body was, in fact, in the process of healing. There had been a few dark days where I was wondering if that was ever…

Our Personal Community of Saints

Post author:Susan Bruns Rowe
Post published:March 9, 2021
Post category:Susan Bruns Rowe
Post comments:4 Comments

This week we heard the story of Jesus’ transfiguration, that moment on the mountain in which Peter, James, and John witness Jesus conferring with Elijah and Moses. I like to think of Moses and Elijah offering words of encouragement, words of hope and resilience to prepare Jesus for all that lies ahead. And I like to think of Jesus drawing strength from their counsel and wisdom, from the experience of those who had gone before him. As a memoirist, and as someone who…

I Wonder As I Wander

Post author:Kathryn Baerwald
Post published:December 15, 2020
Post category:Kathryn Baerwald
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When I was a small child, I loved to look at the night sky. Doing so in Milwaukee was not the best experience, given all the ambient light, but what a difference when we were at the lake. My father and I would sit on the dock and he would tell me the names of the constellations and how to find them. I would look at the sky, marvel at its beauty and be entertained with stories of why the stars, according to…

Not Expendable

Post author:Meggan Manlove
Post published:September 3, 2020
Post category:Meggan Manlove
Post comments:6 Comments

“They make us sound so expendable,” was a comment made a few months ago by several people in my congregation and in my family/friend circle. What did they mean? These elderly people were repeating the sentiment they have read or heard that they are old and that their potential deaths from COVID-19 are just part of how we, as a global community, will get through the pandemic. This all made me think about my reaction to the 2015 film, The Second Best Exotic…

What’s the Story Here?

Post author:Keith Hammer
Post published:July 28, 2020
Post category:Keith Hammer
Post comments:1 Comment

I miss church. If being a part of a Christian community of faith has been a part of your life before this pandemic, you probably are missing church too. Oh, we have our online worship, Zoom groups and meetings, phone calls, and texting as ways of trying to find some semblance of the togetherness we experienced when we could gather every week. Some of us have even met with a few friends and members every now and then while trying to be safe…