Pathways Press.com

Written by Julie Riddle, a contemporary writer and editor.

Some of us may not be able to see the stars between all the buildings and streetlights. Others of us may see stars so often that we don’t think to look up and gaze at them with wonder anymore. When was the last time you looked up at a sky full of stars and marveled at the Creator who made them? Abraham looked up at those stars thousands of years ago, and God Himself spoke. God promised Abraham a family of descendants that would outnumber the stars. Even more than that, One in Abraham’s line would make the children of Abraham the children of God. In Jesus, born in the line of Abraham, all who believe in God are numbered with Abraham’s descendants—and there are more of us than there are stars in the sky. So the next time you look at the stars, think of God, who had the power and creativity to make them. And also think of all  your brothers and sisters in Christ, who are so many they would outshine the heavenly bodies with the light of God’s Word to a darkened world.

Look toward heaven, and number the stars. [Genesis 15:5]

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Written by Rich Villodas, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from his book “The Narrow Path.”

Jesus looks into the eyes of his ragtag community and says, “You are the light.” Of course, Jesus is the light. In John 8:12 he says, “I am the light of the world.” But remarkably, he gives his students the same title. In the same way the moon reflects the light of the sun, Jesus is the light, inviting his followers to reflect his brilliance in a dark world. Our light might not shine as bright, but he knows that a little bit of light goes a long way. Like salt, light has many purposes. One of its primary purposes is to scatter darkness. Light helps us see. It makes things visible and reveals what would otherwise remain hidden. Light helps people find their way, especially to God. What a sacred calling!

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” [John 8:12]

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Written by Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), a Danish philosopher and theologian.

You have loved us first, O God, alas!

We speak of it in terms of history

as if You loved us first but a single time,

rather than that without ceasing.

You have loved us first many times

and everyday and our whole life through.

When we wake up in the morning

and turn our soul toward You –

You were there first – You have loved us first;

if I rise at dawn and at that same second

turn my soul toward You in prayer,

You are there ahead of me, You have loved me first.

When I withdraw from the distractions

of the day and turn my soul toward You,

You are there first and thus forever.

And we speak ungratefully as if

You have loved us first only once.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins … We love because he first loved us. [1 John 4:10, 19]

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Written by Nina Pope of the Village Church.

There are 5 of them, full of charm that delights the heart, individual and unique in their gifts and talents, yet as a group cohesive. There is a clear sense of each personality with a visible affection and concern one for the other. They range in age from teen to elementary grades to a nearly three-year-old. They are our five grandsons. On a recent holiday weekend, they gathered in San Diego, the memory of which still warms the cockles of my grandmotherly heart. Miles separate their households so the opportunity to gather is limited, but when it arises, it is roughly equivalent to an occasion of state. The three-year-old is enchanted with the older cousins who lavish attention on him chatting, laughing, playing indoors or out. Activities almost always involve some version of building or other creative play. Noise and motion combine as different cousin combinations group, re-group then go on to the next exchange or activity. It is rather like a happy kaleidoscope where each distinctly colored piece brings its beauty to join in the fun of the moment, pauses, then whirls anew into a different, happy collaboration with a luster all its own. On and on, the kaleidoscope of personalities emerge, share their gift, then continue into a new array and experience. Palpable fun and affection bond these cousins. The true joy for the surrounding adults is watching the enduring relationships develop despite the miles that separate their daily lives. My heart swells as I see a reflection of God’s love acted out on the family stage. God is all around us in ways minute and great. The blessings are plentiful and are ours for the savoring. NOTE: There is also a treasured granddaughter in the mix who was unable to join recently but who also brings her unique contribution to the kaleidoscope.

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. [Psalm 127:3]

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Written by Ryan Maher, a contemporary writer and app developer.

Lord Jesus, please help me see the areas in my life where I do not represent you well. Help me to shine brightly today and put others first. My heart is to serve you every day of my life. Help me to honor you today. When people see me, I pray they see you. In your holy name Lord Jesus, amen. 

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  [2 Corinthians 5:20]

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Written by Jennifer Ayotte, a contemporary Communications Director.

I have been pondering my wilderness journey and my encounter with Christ. For some reason, I am saddened by the thought that I don’t know the day of my very first encounter with Jesus. I didn’t grow up in a family that attended church, but when I was a child, some men from a church in town knocked on our door and asked my dad if he’d want to let his kids go to church on the bus. He was thrilled to get rid of us for a few hours each weekend, so he happily agreed. I don’t remember the day or age, but I do remember asking Jesus into my heart in a Sunday School class in that church as a child. My parents never did attend church and through some difficult family circumstances and moves, I did not get to go to church through most of my teen years. When I was a senior in high school—dealing with more difficult family issues—I asked a friend of mine who I knew went to church if I could go with her sometime. From that point on, her family picked me up and took me to church with them every Wednesday and Sunday. That church is where I fully committed my life to Christ. I know I was a senior in high school, but again, I don’t know the actual date. In thinking about all of this, I’ve realized that I have had more than one encounter with Jesus throughout my life, and each one has been eye-opening and life-altering in different ways.

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. [Psalm 16:11]

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Written by Chris Eggemeyer of the Village Church

I have found the last few years challenging. Our world feels darker, not just in the proliferation of war, hunger, and disease, but in more intimate, common ways. It feels as though hatred, anger, fear, and aggression run amok in our daily lives. I find my own life offering a great many small temptations to give into these feelings, some as simple as speaking ill of someone, or muttering angrily at a passing driver who fails to dim their brights at night. I increasingly find God’s comfort and direction in Luke Chapter 6.  It is a beautiful summary of our calling as believers. Jesus tells us that faith must extend beyond ourselves, reminding us that even those who do not believe can do good to those who do good to them. We, however, are called to love our enemies and do good to them without expecting anything back. To do this we must change from the inside. Jesus tells us that ‘the mouth speaks what the heart is full of’, and so I find God calling me, challenging me, to fill my heart with his goodness, his mercy, his charity, and his compassion.

People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the goods stored up in his heart, and an evil man bring evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. [Luke 6:44-46]

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Written by Phil Ware, a contemporary writer.

Jesus made clear that his ministry was to seek the lost, serve the broken, and save those imprisoned by their past as prophesied in the prophets. This meant he got involved in messy situations, helped “undeserving” people, associated with sinners, and sought out often forgotten people. Jesus’ example here is crucial for us as we seek to be Jesus’ bodily presence in the world as his disciples. As we follow his example, he promises us that we will meet him in those we serve!

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ [Matthew 25:40]

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Written by Saint Patrick, a 5^th century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland.

As I arise today,
may the strength of God pilot me,
the power of God uphold me,
the wisdom of God guide me.
May the eye of God look before me,
the ear of God hear me,
the word of God speak for me.
May the hand of God protect me,
the way of God lie before me,
the shield of God defend me,
the host of God save me.
May Christ shield me today.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit,
Christ when I stand,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Amen.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. [Psalm 84:11]

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Written by Lyn Lloyd-Smith from the Village Church

I love graveyards. There is so much to be learned about a community in reading the headstones and seeing families buried together through the generations.  I love researching birth, marriage and death certificates, and following family lines through history. And yet, my heart breaks a little every time I see the deaths of so many small children, taken by epidemic and infection, diseases not seen today. This was brought home to me in January when I was helping a friend with her family tree and discovered that between 1920 and 1930 her great-grandfather had lost 7 of his grandchildren, as babies and toddlers, to diphtheria, whooping cough, and pneumonia. While doing this research two of my own grandchildren, in the space of three weeks were in hospital on IV antibiotics, thanks to medical care they both recovered quickly and are back in good health. I thought of Matthew 10:8 where Jesus says “Heal the sick…. Freely you have received; freely give.” Christians, in monasteries and homes, through the ages have sought to follow this calling but for many centuries their tools were of comfort and care, bringing the love of God to the sick and the dying; often there was little they could do practically. However, the rapid expansion of medical science and community health since the late 19^th century, and particularly since the 1940s with the introduction of widespread vaccination and antibiotics, has changed our world. Today I give thanks for the hand of God, the love of Jesus in the medical research, the scientists and doctors who have made this a healthier world for all our children.

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. [Matthew 10:8]

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