Daily Pause

Today's devotion is adapted from the book "Restoration Year" by John Eldredge. A great daily devotional book. Click here if you would like to purchase your own copy. So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thin...

This week the Daily Pause will take on a little different format fitting  for the season we are in. Each day we will open with prayer to immerse  in the presence and love of God … then we will engage with a well-known  Christmas Carol, hearing something of the story behind the carol as well  as the deep soul stirring theology of the lyrics. We will get to  embrace these ag...

This week the Daily Pause will take on a little different format fitting  for the season we are in. Each day we will open with prayer to immerse  in the presence and love of God … then we will engage with a well-known  Christmas Carol, hearing something of the story behind the carol as well  as the deep soul stirring theology of the lyrics. We will get to  embrace these ag...

This week the Daily Pause will take on a little different format fitting  for the season we are in. Each day we will open with prayer to immerse  in the presence and love of God … then we will engage with a well-known  Christmas Carol, hearing something of the story behind the carol as well  as the deep soul stirring theology of the lyrics. We will get to  embrace these ag...

This week the Daily Pause will take on a little different format fitting  for the season we are in. Each day we will open with prayer to immerse  in the presence and love of God … then we will engage with a well-known  Christmas Carol, hearing something of the story behind the carol as well  as the deep soul stirring theology of the lyrics. We will get to  embrace these ag...

This week the Daily Pause will take on a little different format fitting for the season we are in. Each day we will open with prayer to immerse in the presence and love of God … then we will engage with a well-known Christmas Carol, hearing something of the story behind the carol as well as the deep soul stirring theology of the lyrics. We will get to embrace these age tested songs in a fresh way...

Luke 2: 22-32 22 When the time came  for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and  Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is  written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be  consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with  what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two youn...

Luke 2: 17-19 17  When they had seen  him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this  child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to  them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in  her heart.  Today’s Prayer: Heavenly Father, on this divine night you  gave the matchless treasure of your onl...

Luke 2: 13-16  13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: 14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to the people he favors! 15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 They hurr...

Luke 2: 8-12  8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been bo...

Luke 2: 1-7  1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and...

Luke 1: 67-79   67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: Today’s prayer:  68 I praise you, Lord, the God of Israel, because you have come to your people and redeemed them. 69 You have raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of your servant David 70 (as you said through your holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from th...

Luke 1: 59-66  59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” 61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” 62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing ta...

Luke 1: 45 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”  Today’s prayer: Heavenly Father, throughout Scripture you made promises to send your Son—That he would be born in the line of Abraham and David, and from the tribe of Judah. That he would be born to a virgin, in the village of Bethlehem. That he would provide a sacrifice for my sins and establish...

Luke 1: 43-44 (CJB) 43 “But who am I, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy! Today’s prayer: Today’s Prayer: O King of Heaven, when Jesus draws near to Elizabeth, she instantly recognizes her unworthiness to be in his presence; enough to join the refrain throughout Scripture and ask, “Who am I?...

Luke 1: 41-42 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! Today’s prayer: Heavenly Father, no one rejoices in the birth of your Son more than your Holy Spirit. In the Christmas account the Holy Spirit overshadows Mary, he l...

Luke 1: 39-40 39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. Today’s prayer: Today’s PRAYER: God, as my calendar gets closer to Christmas, the busier it becomes. In between Christmas parties and Christmas shopping, I’m fighting Christmas traffic in Christmas weather. If I’m honest, Lord, the stress of...

Luke 1: 38 (GW) 38 Mary answered, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let everything you’ve said happen to me.” Then the angel left her. Today’s prayer: Lord, I want to kneel with Mary this Christmas and proclaim that I am your servant, but I confess it’s hard for me. The thought of being a servant, bonded and captive to you, wages war with my pride and sensibilities. I would rather call you Father, or God,...

Luke 1: 30 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. Today’s prayer: Heavenly Father, beneath the frenzy of the Christmas season, there’s a brooding sense of fear. We brighten the longer evenings with strings of lights, we color the gray of winter with vibrant decorations, because there is a lingering sense of things beyond our control. This is fear. Fea...

Luke 1: 29 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. Today’s prayer: Lord, once Mary heard the angel’s greeting, she knew she was being called and summoned to your purpose. Yet while her mind flooded with questions, her wonder was never doubtful. Her wonder was expectant. ... Despite what she didn’t know, she did know with certainty that you could...

Luke 1: 26-28 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Today’s prayer: Today’s prayer: Most Holy God, you could have remained...

Luke 1: 23-25 23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” Today’s prayer: Today’s prayer: Father, after Elizabeth’s pregnancy in her old age, she gave thanks. Sh...

Luke 1:20-22 “And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” 21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making sig...

“A Prayer to Bring Back Many" Luke 1: 13-16 13 “… Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many...

“Luke 1: 5-13  5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old...