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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Mechthild of Magdeburg , the thirteenth century mystic (not

to be confused with St. Mechthild of Hacheborne, not that this is

likely) wrote this beautiful paean of praise to our many-named God.

O burning Mountain, O chosen Sun,

O perfect Moon, O fathomless Well,

O unattainable Height, O Clearness beyond measure,

O Wisdom without end, O Mercy without limit,

O Strength beyond resistance, O Crown beyond all majesty,

The humblest thing you created sings your praise. Amen.

God is rightly named by all of these titles and infinitely many more. Each

appellation adds an aspect to our emotional or intellectual understanding while

simultaneously stirring us to desire a wider experience and deeper comprehension of

what and who deity is by whatever name. Conversely, the mightiest of titles are mere

sobriquets when referring to ultimate reality.

Perhaps God is beyond names so as not to be limited by human naming. Could it

be that naming God is akin to making a “graven image” of God? It is possible we make

our conception of God too small when we refer to God as one thing rather than another.

On the other hand, we must refer to God in some manner in order to consider, seek and

communicate what we have learned to date. Rather than stop naming names, maybe

the most appropriate thing we can do is to acknowledge the God of many names and to

call upon God by the best name we know.

What name then is the loftiest? What name is best? For me, that name is “Jesus.”

As we are told in Philippians 2:9-11, “God gave the name that is above every name, so

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend in heaven and on earth and under the

earth.” It was given in recognition of the grandest humility ever acted out and the

surpassing obedience to which the named adhered.

We could worthily meditate on that all season long and ours would be a well spent

Lent.

Prayer:

Jesus, help us learn more of your true name today. Amen.

─Pastor Dave Alberts

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Thursday, February 11, 2016

In Times of Crisis: How do I Name Him?

“Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.”

─ Psalm 86: 3-4

In my work as a counselor, many people came to me in times of crisis. In times of crisis we feel fear, anxiety, hopelessness, hope, agitation, inability to concentrate, the need to “do” something, loss of focused energy, helplessness, loss of control, restlessness, exhaustion, sleeplessness, or sleepiness, loss of appetite, increased appetite. Normal everyday activities may seem impossible. We forget about taking care of ourselves and yet taking care of ourselves is what enables us to cope and to help others. We may want to talk about it or be unable to talk about it. We may seek help or avoid help. We may not even be aware that there is help. In short, crisis can be a roller coaster time of anguish.

Our family is now going through a time of crisis and joy at the birth of our baby granddaughter. She has some feeding problems due to a traumatic birth and is still in the NICU at 12 days old as I write this. Most of the family feels some or all of the things listed above most of the time. I am calling out to the Lord all the day long for the strength and peace to do what needs to be done, and that I can do and to leave the rest to the Lord. It should be a joyful time and it is; Julia is beautiful and we love her so much and yet fear enters in. O Lord. The Lord is my shepherd. If I can look to Him and follow Him, I will not lose my way in the chaos of crisis. I lift up my soul to Him in prayer and my peace returns. And I must do this many times a day.

Prayer is my work right now, and encouraging our daughter and son-in-law, helping Caroline to pump milk for Julia when I am there and Jason has to be at work, preparing meals for them, running errands, doing laundry and calming my mother’s fears with information in phone calls. Visiting Julia in the hospital and talking with her to tell her how glad we are she is here and how much she is loved is important work. Giving space to the in-laws to love and care for the little family as well is something I can do. I can exercise even when I don’t feel like it and eat right. (Except for those chocolate covered peanuts)! I can choose not to take on other people’s anxiety or spread my own. The Lord is in control. I am not. He is my refuge and my strength. And the joy of the Lord is my strength! When I lift up my soul to him to praise him as our Lord I am restored to peace and joy.

Prayer: Lord, Jesus, thank you for the gift of baby Julia! Thank you for the progress she is making to come home bit by little bit. Help us to celebrate. Thank you for sustaining us all throughout our struggles. Thank you for being our Lord and for bringing us joy even in the midst of crisis. Amen

─Karen Allbright-Jones

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Friday, February 12, 2016

“Bless God’s glorious name forever, let his glory fill the earth!” −Psalm 72:19

How do I name God? I suppose to some degree it depends on the situation and the focus of my thinking at a given moment. If I am praising God for the wonders of creation or the vastness of space, I may very well say, “Almighty God, Creator and Ruler of the universe…” I find myself most often saying, “Lord” in my prayers. E. Stanley Jones, a noted missionary to India and worldwide witness to the gospel came to represent his relationship to God by holding up three fingers and saying, “Jesus Is Lord.” Since the term “Lord” has been used to identify persons of many types through history, I some-times use a double address, “Lord God.” Jesus often referred to God as Father. Some people have trouble with Father because of very negative experiences with a human father. This is not a problem for me. I had a kindly, devout and dedicated Christian father. However, I do not use that designation often in public prayer. Perhaps I am too sensitive to the feelings of a few. For me, “Lord” seems to address God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The term indicates to me that God is in charge. Jesus often referred to himself in this way. One example is in his description of the judgment of the nations. He has the righteous saying, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?” (Matthew 25:37b). He also said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven will enter.” (Matthew 7:21) The words of the hymn keep singing joyfully in my mind: “Crown him, crown him, crown him Lord of all!” Prayer: Gracious God, we know that the many names by which we call you are too few to describe the awesome greatness of your love, patience and timeless outreach in search of fellowship with human kind, but we offer you our thanks and prayers. Amen.

─Dick Unkenholz

of All

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Saturday, February 13, 2016

One of the most comforting and personal passages

of Scripture comes from the first verses of Isaiah 43. God is telling the trampled and downtrodden people of Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers they shall not overwhelm you...”

You don’t have to be literally swept away by flood waters to recognize that Isaiah is telling you that God personally knows you by name. Have you ever heard God call your name? Not audibly but I have definitely felt God’s presence. As a teenager I sensed that all the thoughts that had been tumbling around in my head suddenly fell into place one night at a church camp. I felt as though I were being pushed to walk down that aisle and answer the preacher’s call. I already knew Christ as my Savior, but this was different. God wanted me to minister in the Kingdom and the nudging of the Spirit toward the altar was God’s way of calling me. For more than 70 years I have lived by that life-changing call.

Names are important in the Bible. We know the name of each of the 12 disciples whom Jesus called. He renamed Simon as the rock, Peter. He called Zacchaeus by name down from his perch in a tree to tell him that he would dine at his table. His friends in Bethany we know were Mary, Martha and Lazarus. And in a most touching account, Mary does not recognize the risen Jesus in the garden until he calls her name.

God goes by many names in Holy Scripture, but the one fact indisputable is that this God-of-many-names knows who you are. When losing a child, when abandoned by a loved one, when threatened in a career, when facing a grave illness, when things did not seem to be going my way—God knew my name and was with me. And when I laughed and sang in the happy moments of love with family and friends and good health, God was there, too—and still is!

Dear Readers, haven’t you found this to be true in your experiences? Easter confirms that God so loved us, this world, that no waters can finally sweep us away. God revealed to Isaiah long ago, and so to us today, that we belong to this loving God. Listen again to these words and rejoice:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine.”

─Clyde Chesnutt

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Sunday, February 14, 2016

God of Many Names

God of many names, gathered into One,

in your glory come and meet us, moving, endlessly becoming; God of hovering wings, womb and birth of time, joyfully we sing your praises, Breath of life in every people,

God of Jewish faith, exodus and law, God of Jesus Christ, rabbi of the poor, in your glory come and meet us, joy of Miriam and Moses;

joyfully we sing your praises, crucified, alive forever,

God of wounded hands, web and loom of love, God of many names, gathered into One, in your glory come and meet us, carpenter of new creations; joyfully we sing your praises, moving, endlessly becoming,

Hush, hush, hallelujah, hallelujah!

Shout, shout, hallelujah, hallelujah! Sing, sing, hallelujah, hallelujah! Sing God is love, God is love!

−Brian Wren

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Monday, February 15, 2016

The Reflections of a Name

When you think of names for God, or for Jesus, you think of names that reflect your relationship to God. Savior. Messiah. Teacher. Healer Friend. Companion. Guide. Creator. Sustainer. Redeemer.

Or you think about the names others have called God. Adonai. Jehovah. Yahweh. Rabbi or Rabboni. Elohim.

And maybe the names you would call God are the names of those whom you have seen God reflected through. Jeff. Bill. Sue. Dave. Mary. Dan. Susan. Esquire. Rene. Jessica. Brian. Rich. Kelley. Arnesto.

Right now I have a different name for God. I can feel God resonating through the saguaro cactus and the rocks.

And the creosote. The smell of the creosote. The smell of rain on a dry, parched, desert soil. God is in that familiar view of mountains; the ones I can name: Santa Ritas, Santa Catalinas, Tucson Mountains.

God is in the quail I can see rustling underneath the mesquite trees, and in the sound of their movements as they squeak over rocks and call to one another.

God is in the sunset that lasts for hours and leaves the profiles of looming giants, mountain shadows dark on the horizon.

Names are important. They reflect relationship, they reflect history and traditions. They reflect presence and activity. Some tradition claim God has one name and one name only, but I know God has many names and loves them all.

Today I feel God, God is smooth, comfortable and so familiar. Today God is Home.

─Pastor Misty Howick

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Tuesday, February 16, 2016

“I am with you always.” ─Matthew 28:20

In Stillness – now, here, Lord, come sit with me,

Rest your weary soul, as I mine…

I often wonder – are you tired, are you hungry, do you sleep…

For I fear not, as I ask much of you, My Father,

Always wanting your assistance,

Your suggestions, your thoughts, your prayers,

With my issues, my next challenges or illness –

Not thinking of your desires and hopes for me.

Gosh, heavenly Father, today I give you

My blessings of gratitude, of love, of kindness, of forgiveness, sheer joy,

For always being present, no matter when I call.

Gracious Lord – Thank you for being my spiritual guide

My steering oar, my fellow path walker, my guiding conscious

During easy and difficult times…

I name you my “go to Man,” “go to Guy,” “go to best friend,” “go to person.”

Who I name – Miracle Worker, Intelligent Advisor, Passionate Protector,

Father of All, Wise Sage, Patient Caregiver, Defender of All, Funny Humorist,

Grace-filled Redeemer, Amazing Artist, Understanding Peacemaker, Beloved Jesus!

Thank you Jesus for sitting with me for just awhile and to give you praise. Amen

─met {Beth Talbott}

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Wednesday, February 17, 2016

The Preacher Got My Attention

“No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on you know him and have seen him.”

─John 14:6-7

I was startled out of my adolescent daydreaming one Sunday when the preacher was praying and addressed God as “Dad.” This was a rather staid Presbyterian congregation where my grand-father had been a founding elder and my dad was an usher. To me this informal address seemed out of place. The pastor, Dr. Thomas, was from Northern Ireland and had that beautiful, intriguing Scotch-Irish enunciation that made one want to go to church just to hear it. I later learned that there was an informal term in Jesus’ native Aramaic language by which He sometimes addressed the Father God. It was “Abba,” a term of tender endearment used by a beloved child for his father, and it was similar to addressing our fathers as “daddy” or “papa.” I understood this because I always called my father “Dad.” Of all the names for God, “Father” is the one I find myself using most often in prayer. I do use variations at times, perhaps depending on my mood: Our Father and our God; Almighty God our Father; Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father; or simply, “Father God.” Of course, in praying our Lord’s model prayer I say “Our Father who art in Heaven,” but that doesn’t flow so freely in spontaneous conversation with God. And early in life, I learned that prayer “is conversation with God.” I usually am so aware of being in His presence I simply begin, “Father…” When I was a pastor in Phoenix one of the members of the congregation was a superin-tendent at the Arizona Boy’s Ranch. He told about a boy who had been so abused by his father it was not possible for him to pray the Lord’s Prayer, which opens with an appeal to “Our Father.” One day this social worker overheard the boy praying, “Our Deputy Sheriff who art in Heaven…” He asked the boy why that term, and the answer was that a certain Deputy had shown the boy love and had won his trust. This reminded me of my own dear father, a gentle man of faith who was so quick to show me his love as I was growing up. Not only were there thoughtful little gifts every time he came home from a business trip, there was forgiveness when I broke the rules. Forgiveness even when as a child I played with fire and nearly set the house on fire, or when as a youth he caught me smok-ing or when the police delivered me home after a juvenile infraction of the law. The obvious pain I caused him in such instances was punishment enough to cause sincere repentance. His modeling for me not only shaped my own values and behavior but made it so easy to transfer my love for my Dad to God my Father. I can understand how difficult it might be for a person to relate to God as the Father, let alone as Abba, if their experience of “father” was a negative relationship. How wonderful it is to know that Jesus has come to make the Heavenly Father known to us. For those who find the father figure troubling, I suggest becoming saturated with an understanding of Jesus and make him the definition of “Father.”

Prayer God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father, I thank you for your colossal gift by which we can come to you as Jesus did, and call you Abba. Amen.

─Stan Brown

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Thursday, February 18, 2016

Read the Gospel of Luke

From social distinctions the Christ was exempt.

He chose humble fishermen to be His true friends.

His first miracle was performed at a wedding feast.

He listened to and healed an outcast leper.

He became the guest of a Publican, a sinner.

He touched the dumb, and dead tongues praised God’s name.

He touched the blind, the closed eyes lit up like flame.

He touched five loaves of bread and fed five thousand men.

He sat down at a well to talk with a Samaritan woman there.

He touched the man whose mind was mad and left his mind serene.

He touched the many children and made them laugh and sing.

For countless seekers after Truth He removed from death its sting.

His last walk among the crowds, in agony trod,

Left forever sacred a way called the Via Dolorosa.

He met Everyman in every road along the way,

And rays of divine love passed through the prism

Of every life He touched.

He died on a cross between two sinners there,

Affirming His love, aloud, for the mother who gave Him birth,

And for His closest disciple friend, and for all

Who had sought His death…And for all mankind since then.

Prayer: As we center down this Lenten time, may we feel your gentle touch

and your divine love—and pass it on. Amen.

─Virginia H. Williams

Christ’s Touch

MICROSOFT

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Friday, February 19 2016

Learning to follow our all-knowing

“So God created man in his own image!” ─Genesis 1:37

Albert Einstein was quoted saying, “When

the solution is simple, God is answering.”

Another quote I found is from Alvin Toffler, “The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read and

write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” We have all created things with pride, only to find out later that it was

really stupid! Those occurrences are just part of the process of arriving at the

solution we desire and need. It is very humbling to realize, like Mr. Toffler said, that we need to unlearn and relearn from a more informed source.

This principle is absolutely fundamental for our spiritual lives. If we are frustrated about the problem, we have two choices: We can fail or change our

attitude by hearing a new source. After all, following the magnitude of losing

possibilities from what I call the “Heathen Herd” can and will destroy the focus needed to create the important new! And if we knew everything about God, our

faith would be useless, and faith is how we create. Praise God for those who instantly believe and don’t need to feel the nail

holes. He called them “Blessed.” So the most constructive thing about our

incomprehensible God is that He is incomprehensible! I have found that if I think I know everything, I am automatically telling

my mind not to learn anything new. Our mind is like nature; it abhors a vacuum. Our mind will find something to replace the discarded loser thinking.

God’s ways open important new fields for society. We only see what we are

prepared to see. God’s Word is for people who have ears to hear and eyes to see! And His Kingdom has no limits.

Prayer:

With his principles in mind, ask Him for big things, because we have a

very big God. He can really light dismal things up!

─Karl Kendall, another recipient!

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Saturday, February 20 2016

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,

but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry “Abba,

Father” it is that very spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. ─Romans 8:15-16

I grew up in a dysfunctional family, always searching for

a relationship with a father. My own father wasn’t able to be

present and seemed to care more for his step-children than for

me, and I couldn’t relate at all to my rather violent stepfather. I

felt unloved, perhaps even unlovable.

The pastor of the Nazarene Church my family attended

during my teen years took an interest in me. He was gentle and

caring, and treated me as if I was a valued child of God. In him I

glimpsed the nature of the father I was yearning for. I didn’t

realize at the time that his nature was a result of his relationship with God, but my search

for the love of a father ended when, largely due to that pastor’s influence, I turned my life

over to God and he became my personal father.

I use many names for God. He is “The Most High,” “The Almighty.” His position

is exalted and his power is limitless. I am stunned with awe when I think of the universe

he has created and how every part of it interrelates, all the intricacies of the life cycle,

even our own bodies, and the knowledge he is giving us to take care of them.

Yet, this amazing God is accessible to me on a personal level. Abba, Father, is the

one I speak to who gives me peace and direction. It is the name that embodies for me

God’s loving care, provision, and discipline.

Prayer:

Lord of the Universe, I thank you every day for filling all the gaps in my heart

with the peace and joy of knowing you, the Mighty God, are also my Everlasting

Father, even my Abba, to whom I can come with my smallest concerns.

─Pat Batta

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Sunday, February 21 2016

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with thee; thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; as thou hast been, though forever wilt be.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest sun, moon, and stars in their courses above join with all nature in manifold witness to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; all I have needed thy hand hath provided; great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

−Harry Emerson Fosdick

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Monday, February 22, 2016

Once upon a time, long, long, ago (not in a galaxy far away) but right here on the planet Earth, there was a wise king

who wrote poetry about God’s spiritual existence in our lives. In one of his most popular poems, he referred to the Almighty as

Shepherd. This king had some very difficult times in his life. He had made some seriously bad choices. He had sinned in the eyes of his Creator

and often fell to his knees in prayer, seeking guidance for his life. After much soul searching and organizing, he came to understand that God is a loving God and accepts and offers strength for living our lives. David became a strong man of faith

and a powerful leader of his people. He became like a loving Shepherd for his “flock” and wrote that most inspirational passage of scripture, “The Lord is my

Shepherd, I shall not want”… Shepherds have a tough time. Keeping the flock together is no simple task. I

discovered this truth some years ago when I was assigned to a forest lookout tower in the Clearwater National Forest in northern Idaho. This was Beaver Butte Lookout

Station, in a very remote area. Below the tower, about a quarter mile, there was a grassy clearing and in the summer a shepherd brought in his flock to grace. I had a

good view of the action. Some sheep would stray and the shepherd had to go get them back. One day a single sheep found its way up to my tower. I pushed and

shoved and pulled and struggled to get the stupid thing back down the mountain and to the flock. The crazy critter kept trying to go the wrong direction, but finally

we got to a place where the animal saw the flock and ran to join them. Since this was bear country it was imperative that strays get back to the fold. I was proud of

myself and I was certain that my good deed saved the life of that sheep. I also determined that I would never want to be a shepherd!

So we can get some idea about what the Loving Shepherd goes through with us. We often stray and have

to be dragged back to the flock. Isaiah 40:11 proclaims, “He feeds his flock like a shepherd.” Jesus identified with

God as Shepherd when he said, “I am the good shepherd, and there shall be one flock.” John 10:11, 16) So that is a

very good name for God…Shepherd. He will keep us even in the “valley of the shadow.” Even when we stray, the

Shepherd comes after us.

−Lloyd Ewart

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Tuesday, February 23, 2016

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”

−Isaiah 43:1

We were in the waiting area at a crowded restaurant. There was much

noise; people talking, several children cutting up. The names of people I do not know were called, people who had gotten there ahead of us, and I was

lost in conversation with my wife so I paid no attention to the announce-ments. Suddenly my name sounded over the din, and it had my immediate

attention. All else receded into the background as I responded to my name

being called. When someone calls me by my name it produces for me a warm

feeling; a feeling of belonging, a sense of personal worth. When I am addressed by name it invites my response. It brings an assurance that I am

not an unidentified blob, but a real human being for whom someone cares. During this Lenten time we have been considering the Names by which

we address God. Now consider the “other side of this valuable coin.” In fact when we call God by name, it is not our initiative. It is our response to God

who has first called us by name. We are answering the conversation that God has already begun. This is said succinctly in I John 4:19, “We love

because God first loved us.” Theologians call it “prevenient grace,” that is God is taking the initiative and as Isaiah put it, “I have called you by name.”

In the Gospels Jesus calls people by their names: Lazarus come out! Mary why are you disconsolate? Martha, your sister has chosen the better

part! Peter, come, follow me. John, stay here and keep watch. And…

Jesus call us o’er the tumult of our life’s wild, restless sea;

Day by day his sweet voice soundeth, saying, “Christian, follow me!”

Will we be like Bartimaeus? When his friends excitedly told him, “ ‘Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you’ Throwing his cloak aside, he

jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.” (Mark 10:49)

−Stan Brown

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Wednesday, February 24, 2016

“When you are praying … do not be like them (the Gentiles) for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

−Matthew 6:7-8 (NRSV) The names used by us to recognize and describe God are many! As for me, I often use two words when I am praying out loud before a meal, or at a church or community event. I say “creating and sustaining” God. I use these two words because I believe that God is daily involved in the continuous process of creation, as well as nurturing and strengthening each one of us who realizes that the energy and power to get through each day is beyond our own strength and abilities. When I pray personally, the name I most often use is Father. In doing so I am following the directions given the disciples and us by Jesus in Matthew 6:5-15 and Luke 11:9-13. I am convinced that Jesus knew more about God than anyone else during or after his lifetime. Jesus talks convincingly about a Father in heaven who loves all of creation particularly those persons who are

living on the margins of society. Today we are called to particularly love and care for refugees (political and economic) and homeless persons. Jesus knew about darkness and sorrow; yet Jesus also knew joy and exultation. Jesus knew God as a good father – a loving father who allowed Jesus freedom of choice. Jesus was free to do good and also free to sin; free to love and free to live in fear. Jesus chose to do good and to love. The electronic and print media daily bombard us with stories of violence against innocent persons and we might be tempted to ask God – why did you let this happen? If we find ourselves wondering about this, we need to remember that God at this very moment is asking us the same question! We are free to do good and to love and to question who would do evil or promote fear.

Prayer: Father, praise be your name. Help us work unceasingly to do acts of love, and to counter fear, so that your kingdom can become real on

this planet earth.

−Jim Swenson

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Thursday, February 25, 2016

“Abba, Father” In Ethiopia

“And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are God’s own child, and if a child you are also his heir because of what God did.”

−Galatians 4:6-7

Abba, Father has frequently been the name with which I address God in my prayers. I think that part of this is simply due to the fact that as children this is how we are taught. We can relate to God the Father, we memorize the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father…” In Aramaic, Abba even comfortingly translates most closely to “Daddy.” Daddy, God: big, strong, intelligent, loving, caring, protector, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound…you know, sort of like my Daddy, only more so (and without his few flaws). “Daddy, thank you.” Or, “Father, I don’t know what to do. Help me,” works for me. But, “Lord God Almighty, I screwed up” would lead me to avoid that conversation. And while “Master,” “Creator,” “Judge,” “The Lord who sanctifies” etc. are good names for the God you want on your side, they aren’t the God I can or want to talk with.

In October, how I think about Abba as the name of God changed dramatically. I was fortunate enough to be able to go over with the mission group to Ethiopia to work with the children in Hope for the Hopeless. On our first Sunday there we attended church with the children. The service was in Amharic (a language I do not speak). Most of the service for me was spent in my own contempla-tions, intercut with the recognition of the word, “Abba.” I noticed that especially when the children lifted up a prayer it was started with “Abba.” How much more important the idea of God the Father is to these children? While they were denied an earthy father who could provide for and protect them, the Lord God Almighty calls them his children and asks them to call him Abba. Talking with many of the kids I realized how much they believe God their Father loves them and has protected and blessed them. After all He provided them with a new family through Hope for the Hopeless.

Then came the evening of October 22. When the kids were coming home from school in Addis Ababa, their vehicle was struck by a dump truck coming down the hill. As they waited for word on their injured brothers and sisters, we sat with them, held them, and prayed with them. When word came that Habte and Miki had been killed, a wail of “Abba, Aj!” “Father, No!!!” spread across the campus. The girl I held at the time alternated between wailing and simply sobbing, “Abba.” In that one word I was brought to thinking of Jesus on the cross crying out to his Father, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” However, like Jesus neither Habte, Mikios, nor the children who survived were abandoned by God. In one of the impromptu church services in the week following the funerals, Abba again became my recognizable word in the pastor’s message. When I asked later for a summary from one of the older kids, they told me the message had been about Hope and Joy. Habte and Miki were home with their Heavenly Father and someday they too would get to join them there. What joy it is to know that God our Father so loves us that he sent his Son into the world and waits with open arms for us to come home.

Prayer: Dear Lord Daddy. Thank you so much for loving us as your children. Even when we do not live up to your expectations, we know that you are waiting with open arms to lift us back up and welcome us home. Help us to do your will and to be worthy of being your heir.

−Bonnie Bolkan

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Friday, February 26, 2016

I call Jesus the Vine of Visions

“All things were made and came into existence through Him.”

--John 1:3

In a rural Indiana community, high school evening classes included tractor

maintenance, which I found easy. Art classes led to a college degree in sculpture and a listing in “Who’s Who in America’s Colleges and Universities.” I didn’t know why

creativity with sequential mechanical methods and elements came to me this way, but I

would find the reasons later in life. Upon graduating, General Motors Design representatives saw more of who I was

than what I was recognizing. They asked if I would join over 1,500 very creative employees that constantly conceived automotive vehicles of all sorts for world produc-

tion. I thought I was just “very fortunate” to be a part of this world-class activity. After all, to enter into this elite position was hundreds of times more unlikely than, let’s say,

making a professional sports team, which is very, very hard to achieve. Again, I thought I was “just fortunate” to escape the two or three years of orientation schooling that new

employees had to attend in order to join the team in a production at GM. Man, was I also “lucky” to be meeting kings, movie stars, top singers, or world-class motorcycle

dignitaries. How about being greeted by the greatest Italian designers of those fabulous exotic sports cards—whew!

Here in Prescott, the mayor asked if I could design tooling and then use those tools to enlarge in clay most of the public sculpture in Prescott. More luck.

Over time, I was beginning to understand who is behind all this activity I called

“luck” and all the creativity my mind was envisioning as well. While in the Paradise Valley, Arizona, hospital, it was found that I have an Incomplete Circle of Willis.

Normally the vertebral artery splits as it enters the skull to feed both sides of the brain stem. My artery does not split. It only feeds the left side. The right side of my brain gets

leftover blood pressure from the left side! The left brain is strong in creative logical thinking, analysis, sequencing, linear, and facts, etc. I primarily think in lines of

explanatory words and computations. God has designed each side of the brain to share duties, so I still can operate fairly well with right side qualities, too, which include

creativity, imagination and arts. Feelings and emotional things are a little less efficient. Facial formations give me problems. God creates all things in life for His glory. In

creating me, I can see God tweaking things a little bit with His spiritual screw driver. He has that right!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, to succeed in life we need a strong reason; I make you, “The

Righteous Creator,” that reason. I remain a little creator, just as You wish for all

of us, no matter who or what the calling. Praise You!

−Karl Kendal

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Saturday, February 27, 2016

I fainted in the Los Angeles airport. Within a minute I

awoke and was helped by the lady who had been standing behind

me in line. "Can you sit up?" she asked. When I did my eyes

suddenly rolled back in my head, blood issued from my nose, and I

fell over again unconscious. EMS was there quickly, loaded me on a

gurney and began to push me through the busy airport toward a

waiting ambulance.

I was awake on the gurney, looking up watching the ceiling

lights flash by as the emergency crew headed me toward an exit. I

didn't know what had happened. Did I have a heart attack, I

thought? Was I dying? What kept coming to my mind were

snatches of the 23rd Psalm: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not

want...Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of

death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me."

"You have not had a heart attack," the doctor told me in the

hospital, "but you do need a Pacemaker." So I got one. And now, 24

years later, I am wearing my fourth Pacemaker.

I remember telling myself on that gurney as we weaved

through the crowd that no matter what was happening, God was

with me. That I felt, that I knew. My initial panic subsided. I

became calm. I was in the Shepherd's care.

The amazing fact about Easter is the certainty that God so

loves us that God will always be with us no matter what. That's

what the cross and Resurrection are all about. No darkness, no

fearful unknown, no crisis can overcome the love of God that

comes to us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus

Christ. Call God whatever name you wish Father, Shepherd,

Creator, Abba, the I Am, Almighty that deity, that God will be

with us in our time of need.

That's the foundation of our faith, friends. "I will fear no

evil, for Thou art with me."

−Clyde Chesnutt

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Sunday, February 28, 2016

Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee

Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of Glory, Lord of love;

hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the sun above.

Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;

drive the dark of doubt away. Giver of immortal gladness,

fill us with the light of day!

All thy works with joy surround thee, earth and heaven reflect thy rays,

stars and angels sing around thee, center of unbroken praise.

Field and forest, vale and mountain, Flowery meadow, flashing sea,

chanting bird and flowing fountains, call us to rejoice in thee.

Thou are giving and forgiving,

ever blessing, ever blest,

well-spring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!

Thou our Father, Christ our brother, all who live in love are thine;

teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the mighty chorus

which the morning stars began; love divine is reigning o’er us,

binding all within its span. Ever singing, march we onward,

victors in the midst of strife; joyful music leads us sunward,

in the triumph song of life.

−Henry Van Dyke

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Monday, February 29, 2016

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.

–Jeremiah 29:13

This Lenten topic caused such a Solomon-style dilemma as if I had to choose between my children for some important matter. So many meaningful names for Jesus…Heavenly Father, King of kings, Redeemer, Savior, God with Us, Son of God…too many to name. But the one that tugs at my heart and brings tears welling up is…The Lover of My Soul! Jesus loves us enough to see us through from birth to eternity. All the while he knows each of us completely, “warts and all.” He wants a personal relationship with each of us. He wants to walk by our side in this life on to the next. Jesus is the ultimate lover of my soul (and yours). Such a gift is beyond my understanding. His nature is to bless. Ours is to receive with thanksgiving*

Prayer Dear Father, thank you, Jesus. What more can I offer for the blessing of you and your unfailing love? Who can say thank you enough? Amen!!

−Karon Keeler

* Jesus Calling Devotional Book, page 20

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Gringo or Richard

An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream saying, “She will

give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. . . .” −Matthew 1:21

How many months did it take you to come up with a name for your child? Kelley and I started

thinking about names for children even before we were married. We recently got a rescue dog. We

didn't perseverate over her name too long; but understanding its importance, we sifted through

alternatives before arriving at Pumpkin. Whether human or dog, your name stays with you your

whole life. As we age, our skin wrinkles, sags and bags; hair changes color, unless you're Ronald

Reagan; and muscles weaken. However, Rich remains Rich and Kelley is still Kelley throughout life.

I tried really hard to learn the names of the people in my village in Panama in 1969. One

gentleman kept calling me, “Gringo.” I don't think he meant it derogatorily, but at the very least he

was treating me impersonally when I was knocking myself out to be personal and relational. One day

I approached him and said in a stern voice, “Me llamo Ricardo. Llameme Ricardo.” My name is

Richard. Call me Richard. Especially in a foreign country, hearing your name buoys your spirits, and

may be the one word you hear clearly amidst the blur of new words. Dale Carnegie reminded us that

“a person's name to that person is the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”

Does any of this apply to Jesus, the “name above all names”? Jesus and I want to have a

personal, loving relationship. “Hey, God” leaves both of us cold.

If a friend saved me from drowning but lost his own life in the process, I would do all I could

to help his loved ones. Jesus' ultimate sacrifice inspires me to reach out to His family, the family of

man, to comfort and support.

How could I do this? I can't help everyone so I'll help someone. Love the ones you're with;

take food to the hungry and sick; help build a home for the homeless; shovel snow from your

neighbor's driveway; smile, shake hands, hug, welcome, open doors, introduce yourself, ask for

his/her name, introduce God, show hospitality, pray and pray again.

Why am I led to carry on the work of Christ Jesus, “the sweetest name of all”? Philippians

2:5-11: He “made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant…he humbled himself and

became obedient to death, even on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave

him the name that is above every name…”

The name of one man, Jesus Christ, has the power to inspire us to continue His work for His

family, our neighbors.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we are all children of yours. We each have names. We are all important.

Sometimes we don't feel important and we forget we are yours. Help us to realize how much

you love us and how worthy we are. Amen

−Rich Poynter

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Wednesday, March 2, 2016

O How the Name

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual

songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” −Ephesians 3:16

When those early Methodist circuit riders mounted their horses and moved out across the American wilderness, they carried three precious books in their saddlebags: the Bible, the Methodist Discipline, and the Hymnal. The hymns were as important as the preaching for teaching the Gospel; perhaps more so. The hymn tunes remained and carried with them the theology of the Church long after the preacher had moved on. Today the solid teaching imbedded in the hymns has often been replaced by “praise songs,” which do work wonders in raising an awareness of God’s presence. This is good, but not to the elimination of the hymns that carry the truths of the Gospel. In our Church’s hymnal we sing an almost limitless collection of names by which we call on God. I realize that my opening address to God in prayer is sometimes the line from hymn 77, “O Lord, my God…,” or hymn 64, “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty,” or hymn 61, “Come Thou Almighty King.” When we sing the names for God we encounter The Trinity. This “doctrine,” so confusing to non-believers, gives us handles to visualize the unimaginable. The Creator or Father is reflected in hymns like number 88, “Maker in whom we live, in whom we are and move…” or hymn 577, “God of grace and God of glory…” Of course God the Son is in almost every hymn. Number 171, “Jesus, there’s just something about that name…” or 432, “Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love…” One of my favorite lines to open prayer is from a hymn not in our current hymnal, “Jesus, O How Sweet the Name…” Then the Holy Spirit gives us an enriched name for God. Hymn 393, “Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh one me…” or 332, “Spirit of faith come down…” Every time we sing hymn number 103 I am overwhelmed by the collection of names for God: “Immortal, invisible, God only wise, In light in accessible hid from our eyes, Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.”

It would make an interesting act of devotion to thumb through the Methodist Hymnal, or any hymnal for that matter, and make a list of the names by which God is addressed.

Prayer: God, our Father, we give thanks for so many wonderful names that become doors opening into your presence. Amen.

−Stan Brown

23

Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Thursday, March 3, 2016

The theme stumped me. I had writer’s block for days. Praying for guidance, I awoke this morning with the floodgate open and I began to write. The thing that caught me and held me back was that trying to identify “how” or “who” I name God in one word was something I could not do. He is greater than the one-word answer I was searching for. Breaking through that stumbling block, free to now write, here is where I am with my naming of God. The name is found in my prayers; that is where I whisper God’s name. I have always taken the following scripture to heart, talking to God throughout the day and falling asleep at night often still in prayer.

Philippians 4:6 (NIV) Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God.

In all things, I pray for guidance from God with some prayers quite somber and others addressing smaller concerns. I believe God hears them all and responds according to his will and in his time. My prayers always begin with “Dear God”… (funny how I never thought about it being a letter salutation)…the “ACTS” format is my general style for my prayers, beginning with Adoration (praising God), moving into Confession (asking for forgiveness): then to Thanksgiving (thanking him for all he has done in my life each and every day, and ending with Supplication (asking for daily needs—mine and others). I name God personally as “Dear God, creator of all things know and unknowing to man.”

Colossians 1:16 (ESV) For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,…

My Prayer: Dear God, creator of all things known and unknown to man, I praise your Holy Name. I believe you are who you say you are and that you will do what you say you will do.”

Numbers 23:19 (God’s Word translation) God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn’t change his mind. When he says something, he does it. When he makes a promise, he keeps it.

Forgive me my sins” (I name them). Thank you for hearing my prayers. Please be with…(I name them). I ask this in your name. Amen.

−Rebecca Koppin

Dear God, Creator of all things known to man…

24

Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Friday, March 4, 2016

“Give thanks to the Lord; call on his name; Make known among the nations what he has done,

And proclaim that his name is exalted.” −Isaiah 12: 4

This twelfth chapter of Isaiah is set between one that envisions Christ

setting up the kingdom and another that prophecies the assembling of a great host of warriors. Setting up the kingdom includes references to

gathering exiles, doing away with jealousy and hostility. Sounds good! This being the Old Testament, the next bits talk of annihilation, great

wrath, terror, pain and anguish. So perhaps, we can be forgiven for evading that bit of context.

While one embraces the notion that the nations should be made aware of what the Lord has done, I am looking more to his New Testament

teachings for how to actually name Him in these days. In Matthew (variously, from Chapters 5 through 8), Jesus tells us that we will know

genuine followers of His way “by their fruits.” True believers will “hear these words of mine and put them into practice.” And by so doing, we learn the

true name of the one we follow:

“Blessed are the merciful . . .”

His name is Mercy.

“Blessed are the peacemakers . . .” “Love your neighbor and pray for those who persecute you . . .”

His name is Peace. “Blessed are those who are persecuted . . .”

His name is Righteousness. “Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . “

His name is Justice. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and

with all your mind . . Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37)

His name is Love.

Prayer:

Lord, we see your glory through all your names. Help us to fulfill your plans for our lives as we strive to exemplify the attributes

you embodied.

−Donna Gaddy

25

Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Saturday, March 5, 2016

Jesus Is My Shepherd

Read Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd!

As I recall the many times I was a ‘shepherd,’ it is a fitting name. With the frisky young lambs alongside their mothers, it was my task to herd our family’s sheep to greener pastures on those hot summer days. (Yes, it does get hot in North Dakota!) My father would stake a “lambing tent”—about a 4’ x 4’—on a slope of the barren butte so that his ten-year-old-sheepherder would have a shady respite from the blazing summer sun. With the family dog Dingle, a jar of water and a couple of magazines to read, the task began. There were coyotes aplenty in the southwest corner of North Dakota that would like nothing better than a tasty lamb! I wonder how effective Dingle and I would be if a coyote actually came creeping toward our large herd of sheep. At least, we didn’t lose any sheep in those summer days! The image of shepherding resonates with me as I contemplate Jesus as our Shepherd, keeping us in green pastures and nudging us when dangers threaten. Truly, “my cup runs over, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”!

Prayer: Gentle Shepherd, we are grateful for your leading. Help us today to heed your nudges as we follow you in the pastures of life. Amen.

−Pat Unkenholz

26

Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Sunday, March 6, 2016

Be Thou My Vision

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;

naught be all else to me, save that thou art.

Thou my best thought, by day or by night,

waking or sleeping thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;

I ever with thee

and thou with me, Lord; thou and thou only,

first in my heart, great God of heaven,

my treasure thou art.

Great God of heaven,

my victory won,

may I reach heaven’s joys,

O bright heaven’s Son!

Heart of my own heart,

whatever befall,

still be my vision,

O Ruler of all.

−Ancient Irish

27

Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Monday, March 7, 2016

Addressing the Lord

“Rejoice in hope. Be patient in suffering. Persevere in prayer.” −Romans 12:12

Both our corporate and our private, personal prayers play a critical role in our striving to live Christ-

like lives. Typically, our corporate prayers are offered by ordained clergy. The responsibility for our own

personal prayers rests with each of us individually. It is during our private prayer over a lifetime that we

have our best and most frequent opportunities to nurture our intimate relationship with our Lord. It is also

the most fertile time for us to be open to being nurtured and guided by the Holy Spirit. One theologian has

suggested that prayer time is when the divine within communicates with the divine above.

Years ago, my wife and I attended an adult Bible study class during which the facilitating pastor

offered a most helpful structure for engaging in extended daily personal prayer. Using the acronym

A.C.T.S., he suggested we pray within the following four categories, in order:

A: Adoration loving expressions of admiration and praise of God, our Creator.

C: Confession sincere contrition of all of our sins known and unknown, petition for

forgiveness of our sins coupled with a pledge to avoid repeating them,

expression of gratitude “in Christ’s name” for the forgiveness of our

acknowledged sins.

T: Thanksgiving expression of thanks for all of life’s “basics” that are truly appreciated by us

including family and home, church, vocation, friends, personal freedom…the

list goes on.

S: Supplication intercessory prayers for our own and our loved one’s personal concerns;

requests for God’s help with respect to the healing of specific individuals who

are sick, psychologically troubled, grieving, financially insecure, or otherwise

burdened; prayers for specific community, state, national, and international

level problem resolution.

How to properly address the Lord in one’s daily private prayers is most definitely a personal matter,

based on one’s experienced sense of appropriateness. This protocol will evolve over time as we become

more intimately acquainted with the Lord during our own private times of prayer with Him. In my case, I

have become accustomed to almost always addressing our Lord as “Good and gracious God” when entering

into my morning and evening prayers. Occasionally I will alternate with “Great and glorious God,”

“Heavenly Father,” “Most wonderful and loving God,” or “Our Father.” Inasmuch as Jesus said, “I am the

way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6), I always close

every prayer with the affirmation, “In Jesus name I pray. Amen.”

Prayer:

Good and Gracious God, thank you for the birth, life, sacrifice and resurrection of your Son for us.

Guide us in our prayer life in ways most pleasing to you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

−Philip Gates

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Tuesday, March 8, 2016

The Human One

“Now when Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Phillipi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say The Human One is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still

others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets,’ He said, ‘And what about you? Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ ”

−Matthew 16:13-16 (The Common English Bible)

His first name was Jesus. Other witnesses in the Bible named him Rabbi, or teacher. Others named him Lord or Master. In the Gospels he often refers to himself obliquely as “The Son of Man.” In more recent years he has been thought of as a Hero or Martyr. A rock Gospel opera called him Superstar. Whatever his name, he is usually thought of as someone qualitatively different from us as ordinary human beings, a Super Man. I concluded several years ago that I had a problem thinking of Jesus of Nazareth as anyone different from us as ordinary human beings. How could he be our “savior” if he never knew what it is like to live and die under the mortal conditions in which we all live and move and have our being? He was said to be “without sin,” but what does that mean? Does it mean he was a morally perfect human being, above all the rest of us who are far from morally perfect? Or does it mean, simply, that as an ordinary human being he was at-one with the One God? In a book entitled The Human Being, the late Walter Wink traced the origins of the enigmatic phrase, ”The Son of Man,” used 87 times in the Christian scriptures, mostly by Jesus. Wink discovered that the phrase occurs 108 times in the Hebrew scriptures, 93 times in the Book of Ezekiel alone. He also discovered that it is not correctly translated from the original language of the scriptures. It comes from the phrase “ben Adam,” or son of Adam, in reference to the ancient myth regarding the evolution of human life on earth in the midst of all other mortal creatures. Adam is the generic name for “man” just as Eve is the generic name for “The Fruitful One.” “The Son of Man” should more correctly be translated as “The Human One,” just as it is rendered in the text above and throughout the Common English Bible. (Check it out!) What might this mean for our understanding of “incarnation,” or God in the flesh in Jesus Christ? Could it be that the living presence of the mysterious Reality of God, which is beyond our understanding, is implicit from the very beginning of creation and especially in the evolution of Human life? If so, could it be that the Reality of God evolves into becoming explicit in the Hebrew scriptures in a human being named Ezekiel, a mortal creature called The Human One? Could it also mean that in an ordinary human being, Jesus of Nazareth, the presence of God in human flesh is even more explicit as The Human One called Christ, or Son of God? Wink concludes, “Lo, I tell you a mystery: God is Human and we are to become like God.” According to Biblical Faith, we are mortal creatures, created in the Image of God, with the immortal DNA of God’s unconditional love grafted into our souls! Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Most loving God, whose will is that we give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of thee, and to case all our care on thee, who cares for us; Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hid from us that love which is immortal, and which thou has manifested unto us in thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

−Bob Fiske

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Wednesday, March 9, 2016

The Anchor Holds

“We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope That enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a

forerunner on our behalf, has entered...” −Hebrews 6:19-20

Pastor Dave gave an inspirational and meaningful sermon on the topic recently and I was once again reminded of a powerful word for Jesus Christ that sustained me at a time of desperate need in my past. Anchor is a personal favorite word for Christ that comes back to me for the healing it provides. It was the Christian country singer Ray Boltz that hit the airwaves, in a timely way, with his album “Allegiance” and the song that carried me through, “The Anchor Holds.” These words of faith helped bring me through the storm of my life:

“I have journeyed through the long, dark night out on the open sea By faith alone, sight unknown, and yet His eyes were watching me...

Chorus: The anchor holds though the ship is battered, The anchor holds though the sails are torn... I have fallen on my knees as I faced the raging seas, the anchor holds in spite of the storm.

“I've had visions, I've had dreams, I've even held them in my hand... But I never knew they would slip right through like they were only grains of sand.”

(chorus)

“I have been young but I am older now, and there has been beauty these eyes have seen... but it was in the night through the storms of my life Oh, that's where God proved His love to me.”

(chorus)

The powerful and inspirational music, with these words, gave me a comfort I can't describe! Over and over, this song and its message reached the depths of my soul. While instrumentation that accompanies the vocals adds a healing dimension that only music can provide, the scripture in Hebrews provides the message that is needed. Jesus Christ, our anchor, is the hope, the stability, the comfort, care and guidance that we all needed, for all of our lives. Saved through Jesus' death and resurrection that we remember so well at Easter, we are assured that death is no more! To God be the glory!

Prayer: Oh God, what could be more full of hope and promise than the glorious resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we remember so well as we hold it in our hearts-- and especially now! Let our lives be a living testimony of the assurance you have given! Amen!

Thought for the day: Now and always, Jesus is our anchor!

−Carol Mumford

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Thursday, March 10, 2016

Taps and Reveille

Did you realize that Winston Churchill planned his own

funeral and that it ended with an astonishing witness, to the

Easter faith? In an article written several years ago, John

Claypool tells the story of the former British Prime Minister

and wartime political leader who gave specific instructions

for his funeral.

It was held in London's magnificent St. Paul's Cathedral,

in itself a testimony to the endurance of Britain during the

Nazi blitz in World War II. The procession down the long aisle

included Queen Elizabeth and the royal family, high ranking

government officials, and the heads of state and representatives from 113

countries. Churchill had chosen several of the great hymns of the church, and the

eloquent Church of England liturgy with its stately prayers and comforting

Scriptures was used.

As the service ended, at Churchill's instructions, a lone bugler positioned

high in the balcony of the great dome of St. Paul's sounded "The Last Post," which

is equivalent to "Taps," played at the end of the day and at military funerals in the

United Kingdom.

But then came the most dramatic turn. Just as

Churchill had instructed, as soon as the last notes of the

"Taps" number floated away, another bugler on the other

side of the great dome began to play "Reveille" "It's

time to get up, it's time to get up, it's time to get up in

the morning."

That was Churchill's testimony that at the end of

history the last note will not be "Taps," but "Reveille."

For the person of faith, death is not the last word, no matter how final it may

seem. "Taps" may sound the end of the day but "Reveille" heralds a new day, a new

morning that dawns.

The grave is not allowed to have the last word. God always has something

more to say.

Hallelujah! Christ is risen!

−Clyde Chesnutt

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Friday, March 11, 2016

One Version or Another

I was 12 years old, but on the brink of advancing to 13, when I received my first Holy Bible as a Christmas gift from my brother Gene, who was eight years my senior. (It was easy to keep track of our ages, as he was born on Christmas Eve in 1924, while I came along on December 28, 1932.) At the time, Gene was serving as an Army medic, fighting the Japanese in the Solomon Islands, and he had sent money to my parents for purchasing the Bible – an “Authorized or King James Version” – which had my name embossed in gold on the cover and had “Presented to Jerry Jackson by Gene Jackson 12-25-44” written on the first page.

In the 1966 to 1976 era, though, the American Bible Society published its Good News Bible in “Today’s English Version” that my sister Shirley subsequently gifted me, and the contrast in writing style is downright dramatic. Let me provide a couple of examples:

First is the King James version in Judges 14:1-3, with italicizing faithfully followed: ”And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, ‘I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.’ Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, ‘Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.’ ”

Now here are the verses Good News-wise: “One day Samson went down to Timnath, where he noticed a certain Philistine girl. He went back home and told his father and mother, ‘There is a Philistine girl down at Timnath who caught my attention. Get her for me. I want to marry her.’ But his father and mother asked him, ‘Why do you have to go to those heathen Philistines to get a wife? Can’t you find a girl in our own clan, among all our people?’ ” (Note: This wording sounds more Judeo than Christian.) “But Samson told his father, ‘She is the one I want you to get for me. I like her.’ ”

And then there’s this King James reference in Isaiah 41:14: “Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” In contrast, here’s the Good News take on it, which doesn’t even mention poor Jacob: “The LORD says, ‘Small and weak as you are, Israel, don’t be afraid; I will help you. I, the holy God of Israel, am the one who saves you.”

All of which brings us to our Lenten Devotional Booklet theme of “How Do You Name Him?” and I’ll first provide the King James version of Philippians 2:8-11: “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

And Good News (the chariot’s a-comin’!): “He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death – his death on the cross. For this reason God raised him to the highest place above and gave him the name that is greater than any other name. And so, in honor of the name of Jesus all beings in heaven, on earth, and in the world below will fall on their knees, and all will openly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Go ahead … call me “picky Jerry” if you’d like. But in my abject cussedness I can’t help but lean on the Good News compared to King James’s approach. It’s simply more understandable, so please forgive.

−Jerry Jackson

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Saturday, March 12, 2016

“…And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, shall keep your hearts and

minds through Christ Jesus.” –Philippians 4:7

My wonderful friend, my loving father…when I pray, I call you by the name that is above all names, I call you Jesus. For when I say your name, heavens open, sun shines through clouds, angels sing, and I am in our garden, basking in your sunshine, relaxing in your gentle, loving presence, suddenly remembering once again all that you are. Your gentle sweet peace flows through me like rivers of living water, and your joy and love flow through me in smiles and out to others, embracing them and filling their empty spaces. And I know that all I ever want to do for the rest of my days is to give your love to others as you have given your love to me. Oh, my true heavenly father, my prince of peace, my wonderful counselor, my lord and savior, my best friend who will never leave me nor forsake me…you are the light

of my life. When I pray to you, Jesus, I am then full, no longer hungry, no longer thirsty. You are my spiritual food and water; you quench my emptiness and quell my fears. When I pray in the name of Jesus, you build my faith and courage, you give me patience, you strengthen and guide me through every challenge making all things new, making all things work for good, restoring what the locusts had eaten, what the enemy had stolen. And again, I remember that your peace lives within me, a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Prayer: May all personally know you, clearly hearing your gentle guiding voice, feeling the peace and power of your holy presence, knowing that as they speak your name they are healed and their prayers are answered in God’s perfect time and way. Thank you, Father. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

−Marla L. Gable

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Sunday, March 13, 2016

He Leadeth Me: O Blessed Thought

He leadeth me: O blessed thought! O words with heavenly comfort fraught!

Whate’er I do, where’er I be, still ‘tis God’s hand that leadeth me.

Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom, sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,

by waters still, o’er troubles sea, still ‘tis his hand that leadeth me.

Lord, I would place my hand in thine,

nor ever murmur nor repine; content, whatever lot I see,

since ‘tis my God that leadeth me.

And when my task on earth is done, when by thy grace the victory’s won,

e’en death’s cold wave I will not flee, since God through Jordan leadeth me.

He leadeth me, he leadeth me, by his own hand he leadeth me,

his faithful follower I would be, for by his hand he leadeth me.

−Joseph H. Gilmore

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Monday, March 14, 2016

“. . .she will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus. . .” −Matthew 1:21

His life on earth

Jesus' name connects us to His words and actions on earth.

Jesus came to us as a human being sharing earthly life's joys and trials.

Jesus came to us as God in that He knew the future

He had power over the seas

He healed the sick

and resurrected the dead.

Sacred

His name is sacred, holy,

demanding respect.

To swear using His name profanes that name.

We open and close services and prayers with His name.

Healing

Jesus' name brings all kinds of healing,

broadcasts blessings of the good things on earth

such as family and friends, water and food, shelter, work and play.

Presence and Protection

Jesus' name transports His presence

Listening

Watching

Staying close by my side as a parent watches a newborn.

Like the wax on my car and the roof on my house

Jesus name protects my soul from outside harm.

Though trials come

they roll off without soaking in and doing damage.

IF/THEN

If I adopt Jesus' life-death-resurrection,

If I accept His sacred name and use it,

If I desire the healing and blessing of life on this planet,

If I request His presence and protection,

THEN

I CHOOSE

Jesus as my CEO

the ultimate authority

that helps me plan my life

my actions and words

each day of my life.

−Kelley Poynter

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Tuesday, March 15, 2016

I also call HIM the

The evidence in the design of this world did not encourage all of us to worship Him. Some are still desiring to “play God,” just as Satan does!

“When they knew and recognized Him as God, they did not honor and glorify Him as God, or give Him thanks. Instead they became futile and godless in their thinking [with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, and stupid speculations] and their senseless

minds were darkened.” −Romans 1:21

In the Pontiac II Studio, where we were designing the Firebird in clay, which became the star of the movie, “Smoky and the Bandit,” I, along with many others in the building, was searching for the answer to the poisoning that was killing us! Later it was found to be coming from a petroleum distilment…Benzene! We were using it to soften painted plastic film to be applied to the clay models. (By the grace of God, I was one who remained above the grass, although my pituitary gland did not!) Before I left the corporation and came to Prescott, I reasoned that mankind is needlessly causing great suffering and early death to millions of people with the use of petroleum and its octane-controlling Benzene with internal combustion engines! I was part of the problem, not the answer. Our fabulous designer tells us in His word that life begets life and death creates death. In order to produce greater income, man is maximizing the use of petroleum. Oh, if we would just consult the Master before we attempt to design or misuse anything!

Prayer: Lord, allow us to see that the only handicap in life

is a bad attitude and help us take care of the earth, so when we get to heaven, it’s not such a shock to us!

−Karl Kendall

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Wednesday March 16, 2016

God of our fathers, who through the ages loved every one in every place, Quiet the war that in us rages; quiet our hearts by your loving grace.

God of the Saints in each generation, your Spirit stirs the very best. Fill every heart with inspiration; your Spirit steels us for every test.

God of the world, whose will is to change us, never again to be the same, Change by our faith the world around us; we claim the world in your holy name.

God of the Church, the Body of Jesus, Christ in the world of this new day, We are united, one in Jesus; we claim the world for your holy way.

At the marriage feast in Cana, Jesus’ blessing stood the test;

From the water in the vessels, Jesus made the very best.

People there in awesome wonder saw his power beyond all sense;

People everywhere still ponder his eternal providence.

Your surprise will turn to praises when you walk his perfect way;

He will fill you when he raises you to life and love today.

Jesus fills our empty vessels

As he did in Galilee.

There he made the wine from water

Like he changes you and me.

─Charles Poole

to His

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Thursday March 17, 2016

Read Philippians 2:1-11

During my morning prayer time I read this from "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young, "Thank Me for my peaceful Presence, regardless of your feelings Whisper My Name in loving tenderness. My Peace, which lives continually in your spirit, will gradually work its way through your entire being."

Later that day, I nervously stood outside the door of a lady's apartment. She is one of the ladies I visit through my church work. She has some forgetfulness and at times feels very angry and frustrated.

I said a little prayer before ringing her doorbell. "Ding dong" sounded exactly like the first 2 notes of the hymn by the Gaithers called "There's Some-thing About That Name." The notes are b flat and g and the word is "Je sus." Oh for heaven's sake, I didn't even have to whisper His name, her doorbell sang it for me! It served as a divine reminder that Jesus would be with us both, bringing a sense of peace to the situation.

During our visit together I was able to allow her to express her anger and frustration without my feeling nervous. I breathed and silently prayed for her. Near the end of the visit I offered to pray out loud. As we held hands, I felt His peace wash over us. She was quiet and still as the prayer flowed from my mouth. We both expressed our gratitude for our blessed visit together.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, we come to you in gratitude for your Peaceful Presence. May we become more keenly aware of the divine reminders in our midst that help us keep our eyes upon you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

─Leigh Downing

There’s Just Something about That

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Friday March 18, 2016

He’s My Brother

When the topic was announced for this year’s Lenten stories, I thought, that should be easy; I will Google it. To my surprise I found many different sites with many different answers. Then I thought, I am not looking for the generic name of God, I am looking for what I call Him.

God, and His Son Jesus, have been talked about, taught about, prayed to, sometimes even gotten mad at, and listened to all through my life. I was brought up Catholic and when I was in grade school I was an altar boy. I did my best to impress the priests and the congregation. I wanted to be noticed. As I grew older, in my teen years, there was even a thought of me going into the priesthood. As you can tell, that did not happen. During this whole time I do not remember having a special name for God or Jesus. They were just there. When I went to college, I met a few “free spirited” people; people who did not go to a church, but who did pray to God. We had some long discussions about religion, but again, I never had my special name for Him. After college I went into the US Air Force and the whole time in the service I still did not have a special name for God or Jesus, I just prayed for protection.

God gave me the love of my life and He also gave us two wonderful children, but again, no special name for Him. As time went on, I started to realize that He was always there for me. Watching Beth and me grow together, watching over our children, putting subtle hints in our minds about what direction to go, and helping us with hard decisions, this was when I finally realized that God was acting like a family member. He was always there for us. The more I thought about it the more I came to the conclusion that He was my big Brother, always there to help and to lean on when times were hardest. I began to talk with Him more about everyday things; he became the family member that was always there.

Even today we set our dining table with one extra place for our unseen guest, the family member who is always there for us, Jesus our Brother. As I grow older, I talk to my older Brother more often. I ask Him why I have this health problem or that memory loss. Each time I get the same answer back. “I am with you until you meet me at my home and we can enjoy eternity together.” My Brother is the best one I can rely on for all life’s needs and joys. I do have an older brother and we talk quite often, but he has his life and I have mine. My big Brother is fully involved with me.

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for being there for me during all my times of need and joy. Thank you for coming into my life and helping me to live, laugh, and love. Amen.

−Bill Talbott

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Saturday March 19, 2016

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust

in the name of the Lord our God.” −Psalm 20:7, NIV

Having been raised as a Christian Scientist and then a member of some new

age churches, when I call upon our Heavenly Father here are some of the names I’ve

been using lately.

Holy Spirit:

This is my current most used and a special favorite. I love seeing the

dove in our Agape Hall coming down to be with us. Lately I’ve been using the

one word prayer: Help.

Father-Mother God

This is from my background as a Christian Scientist. I like thinking that

our God has both the male and female energies loving us and protecting us. It

gives me great comfort. Here is the prayer my Mama taught me which is from

the founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy: Father – Mother God,

loving me. Guard me when I sleep. Guide my little feet up to thee.

(As an aside, as a child, I used the word fee rather than feet and

wondered what that meant.)

Creator God

This term brings me in alliance with the deity that is in charge and is

giving me the support I need and want all the time. In His care always, there is

a way out of any situation and all I have to do is acknowledge the spirit of

goodness that is present to help me. Since that isn’t always easy, I keep

working to remember it.

El Shaddai

This is a female term for God. It means, or so I’ve read, The God that is

enough. Having enough used to be a ‘want’ for me. Lately, I’ve realized that

there is on this earth never enough. Not enough peace, money, friends,

clothes, etc. So to understand that God is enough is a blessing.

OK, I’m sure there are more names for our God. I include in this devotion the

Bible verse “God is Love.” Surely that is enough.

Prayer:

Thank you God of us all, God whose names fill us with your love and protection

here, now and everywhere.

−Phyllis Rhyner

In the Lord

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Sunday March 20, 2016

There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy like the wideness of the sea; there’s a kindness in God’s justice, which is more than liberty.

There is welcome for the sinner, and more graces for the good! There is mercy with the Savior; there is healing in his blood.

For the love of God is broader than the measure of our mind; and the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.

If our love were but more simple, we should rest upon God’s word; and our lives would be illumined by the presence of our Lord.

−Frederick W. Faber

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Monday March 21, 2016

“Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth

as it is in heaven.” --Matthew 6:9,10

In Isaiah 9:6 we read “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

I have read, repeated and sung these words through most of my 84 years and always been so satisfied that I had an Everlasting Father that I could seek, talk to, count on, trust His promises and whom I knew always understood my life, feelings and wishes in life and for life with Him. I assume most Christians would find it hard to choose one of these titles, as in so many special moments and events in our lives He fulfills each, plus much more, of these descriptions of His Caring about and for us.

As our Almighty God, He is above all others so I try to never be disrespectful- but during busy or stressful days, I often ask Him for help addressing him as ”Father.” When something miraculous for me “happens,” I often am immediately saying “Thank you, Father,” sometimes out loud as I proceed with my walk in life. I find it so breath-taking to enjoy the loving things He makes happen to me.

As it seems to be harder for me to remember things now, I do ask Him often to remind me of things He wants me to do and places I should be going.I enjoy depending on Him more. These days of Lent have changed through the years in ways of studying and celebrating, but nothing has changed our belief that He sent His Son to die for our sins and to lead us to His Resurrection and life in the world to come. We have so much to be thankful for in the years we have shared with our Father, on earth….and in our coming heavenly home.

Prayer: Thank you, Father, for our wonderful loving families, friends, churches, neighborhoods, countries and the life You have given us through our many

years together. Thank You for leading us in ways to lead and help others as You do. We look forward to our tomorrows with You and Your loving family from these many years.

−Barbara Polk, church member

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Tuesday March 22, 2016

The Journey

“I am the Lord who heals you.” – Exodus 15:26

Recently I realized my life has been a series of rest periods. Often times via windows which varied in size, shape and their views, where I had sufficient time to contemplate and pray. Yet, the one thing each had in common was that they were all hospital or bedroom windows. Each was a result of an emergency which turned into a month-long stay or birth of our children or major surgeries, which left me with less body parts and physical changes. All of these times altered me to see our heavenly Father through different eyes and with different names.

Sometimes crying out to Abba for relief and strength to get through the night, I would look out upon the night sky, looking toward the heavens asking for the Lord’s help through my tears of pain and asking not only why, but how can I go forward? Show me the way, Father; I want to know. It was during these times that I was asking our Lord Jesus, for the courage to get through the next surgery so I could return home to my family as a whole person, not a person who was lost and broken on so many levels. Even then my gracious Father looked upon me as one of his beloved children needing comfort. More times than I care to admit, it was shown to me by total strangers via unspoken words, caring hands of nurses and doctors, and most importantly, by my family and close friends. I found myself looking out my window daily to pray and give thanks for their presence in my life as it made a definite change in me. I saw our caring Father’s love poured forth countless times over those years via these people, whether it was by meals brought to our home or taking care of our children or just sitting by my bedside reading to me. His passionate and unfailing kindness was proof to me that he did not only care about me, but loved me unconditionally. No matter what, he had my back. He was in this life of mine for the long haul! The prayers of my family and faith community sustained me and allowed me to grow in my faith during those 20 plus years.

What I discovered during that time is that our Lord is the best listener ever! Yet he is a

great advisor, counselor, and peacemaker too! He is my faith soul maker the one who redeems me, who gives me hope when none is there, who hears my cries when no one else seems to. He is the one who has changed my life over all those years and through all the challenges. He has allowed me to see who I am and in so doing to name who he is to me – Jesus!

Thank you, Jesus, for showing me yourself through others, but most importantly through the journey of my life! Amen!

Prayer: I give thanks today for peace that heals and restores me and for your strength, Jesus, that gives me the courage to live my life to the fullest. Amen

−Beth Talbott

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Wednesday, March 23, 2016

“And He said unto them, when ye pray, say,

“Our Father which art in heaven.” −Luke 11:2

The subject assigned for this writing would seem to prompt a simple, short answer to a direct question. Instead, it set me to ponder-ing just what do I say to introduce prayer? At meal time, “Oh, Lord” comes naturally into the thanks yous for our day, our family, fellowship, etc., followed by the request for blessings of the food and our use of it toward His loving service. My bedtime and impromptu prayers tend to launch into content without formal introductions. It’s as if He’s always listening, and I don’t have to get His attention, although “Our Father” creeps into the rhetoric occasionally. “Our” rather than “my” reflects my attitude even though I live alone and am geographically distant from family. Being a people person, I guess I include everyone in my thankfulness and petitions for help or guidance because sharing is my password. Writing for publication of this very private topic made me wonder if I am any less sincere about praying openly expecting Him to be con-stantly available. Am I taking too much for granted? The door to my heart remains open from prayer to prayer, and I know there’s a welcome to enter, but is that enough? As a child, my routine bedtime prayer simply opened with “Now I lay me down to sleep…” and always ended with “God bless” the entire family one by one. The various terms of endearment, familiar since Sunday School and in church services, are comfortable and standard, but I privately find that the communication always opening with a specific salutation as being reserved for groups such as the Lord’s Prayer. Yet, Father and Lord are respectful names sprinkled throughout my relationship. Evidently a one-term identity is not necessary for everyone all the time.

Prayer: Our Father, may our prayers be welcomed as genuine no matter how they are addressed. Amen.

−Jean Phillips

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Maundy Thursday, March 24, 2016

"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

So writes the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas as he urges his own

father to fight against the elder's oncoming illness. Don't give up,

he pleads. Life is too precious. Fight for it, we hear him shouting.

Jesus knew something of that battle, don't you think?

"Father," he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane as he faced the

terrible ordeal he knew was coming. "Father, let this cup pass from

me." Jesus loved life, he knew its joys, tasted its sorrows, but he wanted to live to finish the

movements of change that he had started in the lives of people. On the cross he felt the

anguish of that night. Quoting Psalm 22 that he knew so well Jesus cried out, "My God, my God,

why hast thou forsaken me?" He was raging against the dying of the light.

Yet in the end, Jesus did go gentle into the night because he knew in whose care he

rested, he knew his Father's love that would not forsake him but would win out against the

darkness. So in Gethsemane he prayed that his Father's will be done, not his. And on the cross

he relinquished his life as he sighed, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."

The name most used by Jesus for God was Father, embodying all the strong and tender,

loving and protective traits of a human father with his children. Not all human fathers show

those noble traits, of course. But enough of them do so that the image of God as a father still

holds a powerful grip on the modern believer's mind and heart.

It's like the story Ken Jones tells about a three-year-old boy, Marcus, who got lost from

his dad in a busy crowd for 30 frightening minutes. When finally found, he sat on his dad's lap

quietly, breathing deeply. Finally he spoke, "Dad, what would you do if you didn't find me today?

What would you do if I stayed lost?" The father, recognizing that the child's feelings of separ-

ation and desperation were close to the surface, said, "Marcus, if I hadn't found you, two things

would have happened today. First, I would never stop crying never. And second, I would never

stop looking for you never."

That's the kind of heavenly Father I believe in: the one who stays with us even if we are

raging at the darkness or lost or bewildered; the one revealed in the life and ministry of Jesus,

in his suffering and death upon the cross, and in his glorious resurrection from the grave into

eternal life; the one who has promised through my faith in Christ that I, too, may go gentle into

that night because God the Father is there. No wonder we Christians celebrate the good news

of Easter!

−Clyde Chesnutt

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Good Friday, March 25, 2016

Read Luke 23:32-43

Upon a hill three men shared death, But only one man died; The other two─ A thief and God himself─

Made rendezvous.

Three crosses still Are borne up Calvary’s Hill, And Sin lifts them high: Upon the one sags broken men Who, hating, die;

Another holds the praying thief, And those who, penitent as he, Still find the Christ Beside them on the tree. There is Hope for you and me.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, may we in penitence come to You right now knowing You are ever ready to receive us with love again and again…That You are the hound of heaven—that wherever we go, there You will be. Amen.

--Virginia H. Williams

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Lenten Devotional Booklet How Do You Name Him? Saturday March 26, 2016

Loving and Gracious

Therefore God…gave him the name that is above every name…”

─Philippians 2:9

I talk to God. A lot. God and I are on a first

name basis. That’s the way it’s always been. I can

remember in years past when I began a prayer with

the words, “Our Dear Heavenly Father….” I liked those

words and found them to be comforting and

consoling. I think now that the “Father” to whom I

prayed was the abba whom Jesus addressed. I believe

that I identified that Father as a father like my own ─

one who protected, guided, nurtured, and loved me

though my life, no matter what.

Now when I open a prayer, the words have

changed, “Loving and Gracious God, in whom I live

and move and have my being.” I suppose my way of

thinking of God has changed over the years and that

accounts for some of the difference, but mostly I

think that I consciously want to address God from the

feelings in my heart about who and what God is now

in my life.

Prayer:

Loving God – We give you thanks for your care,

guidance and protection, every minute of every

day. Amen.

─Rev. Patti Blackwood

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