Author: Sweet Tea and Front Porch Storyteller
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When life wounds us, where do we place our trust?
Readings: Psalm 55 • 2 Samuel 1:1–16 • Acts 15:22–35 • Mark 6:1–13 Life has a way of placing burdens on our shoulders. Sometimes those burdens come through grief. Sometimes through disappointment, conflict, betrayal, or uncertainty. The question today’s readings ask is simple: What do we do with those burdens? The psalmist gives us the…
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Open Heart. Open Hands. Clear Boundaries.
Today’s Curious Pilgrim topic is “We all stand on the shoulders of someone who believed in us.” The greatest lessons I have learned in life have not come from books or classrooms. They have come from experience. As I reflect on the people whose shoulders I stand on today, I have realized that one of…
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What God Is Saying Through Today’s Daily Office Readings
Readings: Psalm 34 • Jeremiah 16:14–21 • Mark 1:14–20 Today’s readings remind me that God is always the One who takes the first step. The psalmist writes, “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry.” Later he adds, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and…
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What God Is Saying Through Today’s Daily Office Readings
Readings: Psalm 50 • 1 Samuel 28:3–20 • Acts 15:1–11 • Mark 5:1–20 The psalmist opens today’s readings with these words: “Our God comes and does not keep silence… Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, God reveals himself in glory.” God is not hidden. God desires to be known. The question is not whether…
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Some Places Become Holy Simply Because We Lived There
I’ve lived in Springfield, Missouri, for thirteen years now. That may not seem like a long time to some people, but for me, it is the longest I have ever lived in one city. I’ve also lived in the same apartment for ten years, another personal record. For most of my life, I was a…
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The Curious Pilgrim
What God Is Saying Through Today’s Daily Office Readings Readings: Psalm 119:49–72 • 1 Samuel 25:23–44 • Acts 14:19–28 • Mark 4:35–41 Storms come in many forms. Some are the storms of nature. Others are storms of conflict, disappointment, fear, grief, or uncertainty. None of us escape them. Jesus had spent the day teaching and…
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The Curious Pilgrim
What God Is Saying Through This Week’s Daily Office Readings Readings: Psalm 116 • Zephaniah 3:14–20 • Mark 15:47–16:7 There is one word that echoes through today’s readings: compassion. The psalmist declares, “Our God is full of compassion. He is gracious and righteous.” What a beautiful description of God’s character. God watches over the innocent,…