Proverbs 18:10-12 Pride comes before a fall!

Proverbs 11:2

When pride comes, then comes shame;

But with the humble is wisdom.

We were created in God’s love. May we always reflect it in our thoughts, in our words and our actions. Whoever loves loves God. 

What does He require of us? Micah 6:8 He requires us to be fair, to be quick to forgive, and always, always  be humble in our walk with Him. Carla

Proverbs 18:10-12 

The name of the Lord is a strong tower;

The righteous run to it and are safe.

11 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city,

And like a high wall in his own esteem.

12 Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,

And before honor is humility. 

The phrase name of the Lord is a way of speaking of God’s person. The righteous turn to God for security. Rich people, by contrast, tend to trust in their wealth. God’s protection is a prominent theme in Scripture .

The path to honor, which the proud so covet, is humility. The NKJV Study Bible

Both a watchtower (2 Kings 9:17) and a place of refuge (Judges 9:51). The Psalms often compare God to a tower of refuge (Psalms 18:2; 61:3).

The righteous trust in the name of Yahweh for protection, but here the rich trust in wealth. However, this security is a delusion or folly that cannot provide the protection of the name of Yahweh (11:28). Faithlife Study Bible.

Psalm 61:3

For You have been a shelter for me,

A strong tower from the enemy.

Proverbs 15:33

The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom,

And before honor is humility.

Proverbs 10:15

The rich man’s wealth is his strong city;

The destruction of the poor is their poverty.

Psalm 18:2

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

When life needs to be “in a box” (of expectations or belief), it is easy to miss the joy of anything outside the box. And the gifts of surprise, wonder, gladness, joy, delight, grace and the sacrament of the present moment. Sabbath Moments

“Today is going to be our peaceful day. This is the beginning—a fresh start, a new opportunity to live with awareness and care.

May we be mindful of our breath as it flows in and out, anchoring us to this present moment. May we be mindful of our daily actions, bringing intention and gentleness to everything we do—the words we speak, the way we listen, the kindness we offer, even in the smallest gestures.

May peace shine brightly in our hearts, and from that inner light, may compassion flow naturally to those who are struggling. May loving-kindness soften our responses and warm our connections. May unity remind us that we are all walking this path together, bound by our shared longing for a more peaceful world.

Let us walk together in spirit today—wherever you are, whatever you’re doing. With each mindful breath you take, with each compassionate choice you make, you are helping peace bloom more beautifully in this world.

We are not separate. We are not alone. We are walking together, each of us contributing to the garden of peace that grows when we tend to our own hearts and extend that care outward to everyone around us.

Today is our peaceful day. Let us live it with awareness, with love, with the understanding that every moment we choose peace, we help create more peace in the world.

May you and all beings be well, happy, and at peace.”

Walk for Peace is a long-distance pilgrimage in the United States initiated by Buddhist monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, to promote peace, compassion, and nonviolence.

We show the love of God for ALL of His creation. We are here for such a time as this.

According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which aggregates immigration detention information, more than 73% of people held by ICE nationwide have no criminal record. At the Northwest ICE Processing Center, that number is closer to 60%. Even many of the convictions are for minor offenses like traffic violations or for decades-old cases.

Videos showing ICE agents pinning a Target employee to the ground with a knee on the neck, hunting down a DoorDash driver as she hides terrified inside the home of the person who has hailed her, and threatening people who film them reveal a different reality from the administration’s heroic narrative.

The administration hasn’t left narrative control to official channels alone. It cultivates right-wing influencers by taking them on ICE ride-alongs and holding special briefings where they receive access to Cabinet members. The influencers then amplify DHS messaging and create content portraying ICE operations as righteous crusades.

When protests erupted in Minneapolis, DHS posted videos of DHS Secretary Noem filmed during ICE operations, content that conservative influencers amplified to their millions of followers. Pro-Trump influencers posted clips urging the president to invoke the Insurrection Act. Trump threatened to do exactly that unless Minnesota’s “corrupt politicians” stopped “the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E.” The Preamble

CHRISTIANS, LET’S STOP ABUSING ROMANS 13

That neither Paul nor Peter was giving moral carte blanche to the state is obvious not just in other Scriptures but also in their very lives. After all, both were later killed by the sword of Caesar (figuratively in Peter’s case, literally in Paul’s). Was the decree to behead Paul or to crucify Peter therefore morally right? No. Were the Christians who refused to say "Caesar is Lord" and were thus hounded, marginalized, or beheaded sinful in their refusal? Jesus said that, in that case, those who obeyed earthly powers were the ones bringing judgment on themselves (Rev. 14:11–12).

Moreover, the use of Romans 13 as a refusal to question the morality of a use of force is, ironically enough, a violation of the passage. We might well ask, what would Paul have written if Romans 13 were addressed to the authorities rather than to those under their rule?

Well, we actually know the answer, because the same Spirit who breathed out Romans 13 also breathed out John the Baptist’s instructions to tax collectors and soldiers. John told them not to extort money from anyone, implying that they would be held responsible for the misuse of their power (Luke 3:12–14). The same Spirit also favorably portrayed Paul’s interaction with the police who told him and Silas, on behalf of the magistrates, to leave quietly, to which Paul replied, "They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out" (Acts 16:37).

Paul knew of what he spoke. In his prior life, he had persecuted the church—with legal warrants and the full force of law. He did not see that legality of that action as being in any way an excuse (1 Tim. 1:12–14).

Romans 13 is about refusing to become what oppresses you, not about baptizing whatever the oppressor does. And Romans 13 puts moral limits around what authorities can and cannot do—it tells them to use the sword against "the wrongdoer," for instance. Paul wrote Romans 13 not to protect the state from critique but to shield the church from vengeance. Christianity Today “Moore to the Point”

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 Love, not hate, has the final word!!

In a culture that wants to control us by hating others… reject it. Rooted and grounded in God’s love, by our words and our actions, and His command to love others,  we share His love with everyone we meet. For God so loved the world that  He gave His sinless  life in exchange for ALL of us. 

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

We are able to love others because God first loved us! Carla

The Thessalonians had to face the fact that some of them were not living as Christians should, but were unruly. They needed to be warned about their behavior. Some were fainthearted and needed comfort. The congregation should also uphold the weak and be patient toward all, recognizing that all Christians have faults. To be most effective in promoting positive change in people’s lives, believers should respond to individuals according to each one’s particular needs. 

For a Christian to try to get revenge is a denial of basic Christian love (Romans 12:17; 1 Peter 3:9), and it goes against Jesus’ teaching (Matthew 5:38–42; 18:21–35). The NKJV Study Bible

The Thessalonians may have been tempted to retaliate against those who persecuted them. Paul advises them against this (Matthew 5:39–40; Romans 12:19). Believers must extend to others (believers and unbelievers) the same goodness the Lord has shown them. Faithlife Study Bible

Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Romans 12:17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 

2 Thessalonians 3:6–7 But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; 

1 Peter 3:9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.

Have you read Old Turtle and the Broken Truth, by Douglas Wood?
The children’s book tells an imaginary story of how the world came to be so fragmented when it is meant to be whole, and how we might put it back together again.
In a far-away land that "is somehow not so far away," one night a truth falls from the stars. And as it falls, it breaks into two pieces—one piece blazes off through the sky and the other falls straight to the ground.
One day a "truth" falls from the sky and breaks.
One day a man stumbles upon the gravity-drawn truth, and finds carved on it the words, "You are loved."
It makes him feel good, so he keeps it and shares it with the people in his tribe. The thing sparkles and makes the people who have it feel warm and happy. It becomes their most prized possession, and they call it "The Truth." Those who have the truth grow afraid of those who don't have it, who are different than they are. And those who don't have it covet it. Soon people are fighting wars over the small truth, trying to capture it for themselves.
A little girl who is troubled by the growing violence, greed, and destruction in her once peaceful world goes on a journey-through the Mountains of Imagining, the River of Wondering Why, and the Forest of Finding Out—to speak with Old Turtle, the wise counselor. Old Turtle tells her that the Truth is broken and missing a piece, a piece that shot off in the night sky so long ago.
Together they search for it, and when they find it, the little girl puts the jagged piece in her pocket and returns to her people. She tries to explain, but no one will listen or understand. Finally, a raven flies the broken truth to the top of a tower where the other piece has been ensconced for safety, and the rejoined pieces shine their full message: "You are loved / and so are they."
And the people begin to comprehend. And the earth begins to heal.

How is this possible? “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts.” (from Paul’s Letter to the Romans)

There is in every one of us an inherent dignity that no one can give you, and that no one can take away.

And this I know: forgetting (or not embracing) the love that has been “poured in our hearts”, we give way to fear. It is no surprise that we clutch “our narrative” as a kind of protection, and we live distrustful and guarded. Sadly, with time, becoming callous (cold-hearted) and resentful.

So. Here’s the deal: once we see our connectedness, we have to let go of the narrative that divorces us. The voice of Mr. Rogers helps us, “We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say, ‘It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.” Sabbath Moments

Martin Luther King's Last Speech: I've Been to the Mountaintop

King 

spoke “Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. So I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” on April 3, 1968, at the Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ Headquarters) in Memphis, Tennessee. 

On the following day, King was assassinated. The speech primarily concerns the Memphis Sanitation Strike. King calls for unity, economic actions, boycotts, and nonviolent protest, while challenging the United States to live up to its ideals. At the end of the speech, he discusses the possibility of an untimely death.

God does not want us as belivers to be lukewarm in following His commandments to love others

 “I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers… I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizens’ Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice;who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action... Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.’” Martin Luther King

Fighting for the Soul of America

 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the Church at Philippi, in what is today northern Greece, about 30 years after Jesus was executed, via crucifixion, by a cheap, brutish, ugly, superficial, violent Roman Empire, led by priggish, insecure, authoritarian white men who likened themselves to gods but paid homage to religion when it suited their pursuit of power.

When Paul wrote these words, he was a designated enemy of the state, and though it hadn’t killed him yet, it surely sought his humanity. They called him an agitator and a rioter, a dangerous foreigner who practiced a minority faith. More than once Paul had to prove his citizenship in order to evade Roman pursuit, and still he wrote most of his letters in chains, on house arrest or in prison, until they finally executed him, via beheading, around five years after he wrote those words.

So Paul’s command here is no flowery platitude, nor an excuse to look away from carnage and blood and bullet holes and stuffed animals and orphaned children. Rather, his truth and honor and justice and purity and pleasure and commendation and excellence and praise are reserved for what they rooted in reality, pain, sacrifice, and hard-fought grace. Kristin Du Mez

We will be judged on love alone”

 "'Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?' He (Jesus) said to him, 'You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22: 36-39

Fr. Mike Schmitz warns us of the dangers of making our lives too full, even with good things. He reminds us of the beautiful quote from St. John of the Cross, "In the twilight of our lives, we will be judged on love alone."

Jelly Roll & Celine Dion - The Lord's Prayer (Deliver Us From Evil) | 20...

Dolly Parton - Light of a Clear Blue Morning ft. Lainey Wilson, Miley Cy...

"One of Ours, All of Yours"...This Will Not End Well

After the fatal shooting of Renée Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, the Department of Homeland Security has rolled out a new slogan as it defends the lethal action: “One of Ours, All of Yours.” Skye explains why this will not lead anywhere good, and uses a current sports analogy to illustrate how tribalism and inflamed rhetoric have seeped into our politics.

What's Happening to Refugee Families?

Troubling Troubling n

This conversation is meant to inform and encourage you with terminology, latest happenings, prayer points, how to help, and wisdom on how to engage difficult conversations around immigration enforcement. Troubling news out of Minnesota right now that has us sounding the alarm for our refugees

Bri Stensrud, Women of Welcome
Matthew Soerens, World Relief Troubling news out of Minnesota right now that has us sounding the alarm for our refugee neighbors. This conversation is meant to inform and encourage you with terminology, latest happenings, prayer points, how to help, and wisdom on how to engage difficult conversations around immigration enforcement. Yes, it’s a long one, so put in your earbuds and go for a walk because this is a convo you don’t want to miss and will need to share. As more circumstances unfold, we’ll update as we’re able. Christians are called to speak up for the vulnerable, love their neighbor as themselves, do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. With you, Bri & Matt Bri Stensrud, Women of Welcome Matthew Soerens, World Relief

This conversation is meant to inform and encourage you with terminology, latest happenings, prayer points, how to help, and wisdom on how to engage difficult conversations around immigration enforcement. Yes, it’s a long one, so put in your earbuds and go for a walk because this is a convo you don’t want to miss and will need to share. As more circumstances unfold, we’ll update as we’re able. Christians are called to speak up for the vulnerable, love their neighbor as themselves, do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. With you, Bri & Matt Bri Stensrud, Women of Welcome Matthew Soerens, World Relief right now that has us sounding the alarm for our refugee neighbors. This conversation is meant to inform and encourage you with terminology, latest happenings, prayer points, how to help, and wisdom on how to engage difficult conversations around immigration enforcement. Yes, it’s a long one, so put in your earbuds and go for a walk because this is a convo you don’t want to miss and will need to share. As more circumstances unfold, we’ll update as we’re able. Christians are called to speak up for the vulnerable, love their neighbor as themselves, do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. With you, Bri & Matt Bri Stensrud, Women of Welcome Matthew Soerens, World Relief Troubling news out of Minnesota right now that has us sounding the alarm for our refugee neighbors. This conversation is meant to inform and encourage you with terminology, latest happenings, prayer points, how to help, and wisdom on how to engage difficult conversations around immigration enforcement. Yes, it’s a long one, so put in your earbuds and go for a walk because this is a convo you don’t want to miss and will need to share. As more circumstances unfold, we’ll update as we’re able. Christians are called to speak up for the vulnerable, love their neighbor as themselves, do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. With you, Bri & Matt Bri Stensrud, Women of Welcome Matthew Soerens, World Relief news out of Minnesota right now that has us sounding the alarm for our refugee neighbors.

Troubling news out of Minnesota right now that has us sounding the alarm for our refugee neighbors. This conversation is meant to inform and encourage you with terminology, latest happenings, prayer points, how to help, and wisdom on how to engage difficult conversations around immigration enforcement. Yes, it’s a long one, so put in your earbuds and go for a walk because this is a convo you don’t want to miss and will need to share. As more circumstances unfold, we’ll update as we’re able. Christians are called to speak up for the vulnerable, love their neighbor as themselves, do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. With you, Bri & Matt Bri Stensrud, Women of Welcome Matthew Soerens, World Relief

This conversation is meant to inform and encourage you with terminology, latest happenings, prayer points, how to help, and wisdom on how to engage difficult conversations around immigration enforcement. Yes, it’s a long one, so put in your earbuds and go for a walk because this is a convo you don’t want to miss and will need to share. As more circumstances unfold, we’ll update as we’re able. Christians are called to speak up for the vulnerable, love their neighbor as themselves, do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. With you, Bri & Matt Bri Stensrud, Women of Welcome Matthew Soerens, World Relief

Zephaniah 3:17-19 The light of God inside of us was given to us to share with the world.

 As believers, Holy Spirit, Christ within us, enables us to understand Scripture. His purpose is to  bring illumination of the truth of Jesus to a  darkened world. We became the hands and feet of God when we love others as He loves us. To gain understanding we need to listen to His still, small voice in our day to day lives  and in our Bible studies.

Zephaniah 3:17-19 

The Lord your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

18 “I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly,

Who are among you,

To whom its reproach is a burden.

19 Behold,, at that time

I will deal with all who afflict you;

I will save the lame,

And gather those who were driven out;

I will appoint them for praise and fame

In every land where they were put to shame. 

Let your light so shine that others are drawn to God by your good works! Matthew 5:16 Carla

The people of God would be called to sing because their deliverance had come. Daughter of Zion is an affectionate title for the city of Jerusalem. The people are first commanded to abstain from fear, to keep from hanging their arms in a posture of resignation. Instead, they were to take encouragement and strength from the new reality that their God lived among them.

God is going to make all things right. Those who are enemies of God’s truth will be gathered and removed; those who are disenfranchised, God will restore. Ordinarily Scripture speaks of the praise that should be brought to God. Here we find the praise that God will bring to His people. As in the beginning of His dealings with Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 12:1–3), where God promised blessing, honor, and a renowned name, so here God promises fame and praise to each individual in His family. Says the Lord is a solemn vow of God to do what He has promised. Zephaniah begins and ends with the strong assertion that the Lord is speaking. The implication is clear: “Listen and live!” The NKJV Study Bible

Zephaniah’s closing message takes up Yahweh’s promises throughout the book about salvation and restoration, encouraging faith in the future fulfillment of those promises. The call to rejoice is a call to believe in God’s faithfulness.

Yahweh, is in your midst In the Day of Yahweh, Yahweh Himself will reign over the entire earth from Jerusalem (Joel 3:16–17; Zechariah 14:9). The Hebrew term used here for misfortunes , ra’, here refers to calamity or disaster. The inhabitants of Jerusalem should no longer live in fear (Isaiah 13:7–8; Jeremiah 6:24). Faithlife Study Bible

Micah 4:6–7 

“In that day,” says the LORD,“I will assemble the lame,

I will gather the outcast

And those whom I have afflicted;

I will make the lame a remnant,

And the outcast a strong nation;

So the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion

From now on, even forever.

Ezekiel 34:16 “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

Isaiah 63:1 

Who is this who comes from Edom,

With dyed garments from Bozrah,

This One who is glorious in His apparel,

Traveling in the greatness of His strength?—

“I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”

Let us be this alive…
Which is another way of being reminded that spirituality means waking up.

So. Tell me.
Where are you finding replenishment for your heart and spirit?
What enables you, when despair or cynicism take a toll?
Where are you finding (embracing) moments of joy?
Where are you able to embrace apaixonante?
Where are you able to spill the light of kindness and compassion?

“My feet is tired, but my soul is rested.”

“The world is not respectable; it is mortal, tormented, confused, deluded forever; but it is shot through with beauty, with love, with glints of courage and laughter; and in these, the spirit blooms timidly, and struggles to the light amid the thorns.” George Santayana

Sabbath Moments

Psalm 119:105 (ESV) "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

The psalmist declared that God's Word is a guiding light for life. In the Ancient Near East, nighttime was very dark. With the glow of headlights and streetlamps today, sundown doesn't really stop us from going wherever we want. But before electricity, if a caravan set out at night, travelers had to carry lamps or torches that lit only their next few steps. This is the image the psalmist used for God's Word in Psalm 119:105: "a lamp to [our] feet and a light to [our] path," clearly guiding us one step at a time.

Psalm 119 is a deeply personal and poetic celebration of the illuminating power of Scripture. It's an acrostic poem with 22 stanzas, each beginning with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which was a common method in Hebrew poetry that aided memorization.Though the author is anonymous, many scholars point to David, Ezra, or Nehemiah. Whoever he was, the author's "delight" in God's Word is unmistakable (Psalm 119:14; Psalm 119:16; Psalm 119:24) …every verse in this psalm references God Himself directly, often with the personal address "you" or "your." Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp," and Psalm 119:130 echoes, "The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple". First5