PresbyCan Daily Devotional podcast

#Christianity #Religion #Presbyterian #Canadian #Daily #Dailydevotional #Christiandevotional #Canada #Presbyterian Church in Canada #Devotional

44:09

When a young Eva Kollisch arrives as a refugee in New York in 1940, she finds a community among socialists who share her values and idealism. She soon discovers ‘the cause’ isn’t as idyllic as it seems. Little does she know this is the beginning of a lifelong commitment to activism and her determination to create radical change in ways that include belonging, love and one's full self. In addition to Eva Kollisch’s memoirs Girl in Movement (2000) and The Ground Under My Feet (2014), LBI’s collections include an oral history interview with Eva conducted in 2014 and the papers of Eva’s mother, poet Margarete Kolllisch, which document Eva’s childhood experience on the Kindertransport. Learn more at www.lbi.org/kollisch . Exile is a production of the Leo Baeck Institute , New York | Berlin and Antica Productions . It’s narrated by Mandy Patinkin. Executive Producers include Katrina Onstad, Stuart Coxe, and Bernie Blum. Senior Producer is Debbie Pacheco. Associate Producers are Hailey Choi and Emily Morantz. Research and translation by Isabella Kempf. Sound design and audio mix by Philip Wilson, with help from Cameron McIver. Theme music by Oliver Wickham. Voice acting by Natalia Bushnik. Special thanks to the Kollisch family for the use of Eva’s two memoirs, “Girl in Movement” and “The Ground Under My Feet”, the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College and their “Voices of Feminism Oral History Project”, and Soundtrack New York.…

PresbyCan Daily Devotional

Series home•Feed

A daily Christian devotional based on real-life experiences

79 episodes

PresbyCan Daily Devotional

updated about 17 hours ago

Series home•Feed

A daily Christian devotional based on real-life experiences

79 episodes

#Christianity #Religion #Presbyterian #Canadian #Daily #Dailydevotional #Christiandevotional #Canada #Presbyterian Church in Canada #Devotional

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PresbyCan Daily Devotional

1
Trust?

17 hours ago

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Matthew 8:25 – And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." (ESV) I sit here with incredulity, having read the latest world news. I could say "with disbelief", but currently, the news is totally believable. On the world stage today, there is a move by some to let the aggressor win. The weak have no answer to contest the outcomes because might is right, purely by its outcomes rather than by any morality. It seems to me there is no longer much appetite to pay the price in lives or money for justice. That tendency has been growing since the turn of this century. Back in the 1980s, I forecast this to some of my then youth group members. As time passes, we forget or demote the outcomes and trauma of World War II. In time of need, we have become feckless. The United Nations has been shown to be found wanting, as previous history showed its predecessor, the League of Nations, to be. History repeats itself. Back in Jesus' time, Rome followed Greece in conquering and taking over the Mediterranean world. Life was lived under the constant threat of violent rule. People in Judea looked to anyone, including Jesus, who could rise up and save them, to bring them out from under brutal oppression and corruption, but were disappointed when He died — and for some, their hope died with Him. It seems nothing has changed or evolved for the better in the way humanity has acted over the preceding two millennia. In dark times, might has become right, and financial expediency has become more important than moral obligation and justice. In the retrospective of several decades, however, the improvement in my personal circumstances has taught me that even when we think that God is absent or silent, He is still steadily working. We may not see what God is doing with us, but Jesus' oversight has eternal vision! At that time, I was bitterly upset with my circumstances, and through that lens, it was hard to see how Jesus could be working. Yet for me, 25 years later, I know Jesus was moving to heal and restore my trust in myself and in His total commitment to accept me and not to give up on our relationship. It is always true for those who have the ears to hear: Jesus saves. The road ahead may not be easy for our world. It was the same two thousand years ago: the promise of Jesus has always been to be with us continually, facilitated by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus calls us to trust in His unfailing love, no matter how things appear. Matthew 8:26 – And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. (ESV) We have an amazing God. Keep the faith! Prayer: Father, in times of weakness and oppression, strengthen us so that we may be more willing to follow You. In our days ahead, grant us wisdom to see the need in those who travel alongside us, and Your grace to stand up as we walk in step with them. Amen.…

PresbyCan Daily Devotional

1
Self-Examination

1 day ago

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Matthew 6:7 – When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. (NRSV) Our church is a liturgical church, which means that our congregation follows an outlined service in a Book of Worship. We always say the Lord's Prayer at one point or another, and it seems that on this one particular Sunday, the words of the Lord's Prayer were being repeated very quickly by the congregation. We all say words by rote without thinking and without digesting every word or line. Do we really think about the words that Jesus taught His disciples in the Lord's Prayer, passed on to us? When I arrived home that Sunday, I opened my Bible to the book of Matthew, chapter 6 and started reading at verse 9 and really thought about what Jesus' words meant to me: Our Father who art in heaven: Do I respect and honour Him in all things? Hallowed be Thy Name: Do I do or speak certain things that will bring disrespect and dishonour to His Name? Thy kingdom come: The kingdom of God is within me and will come when I follow and obey Christ. Thy will be done: Do I follow my own self-interests, or do I obey and step out in faith as the Holy Spirit leads? On earth as it is in heaven: Do I sit back and do nothing to bring about God's will right now? Give us this day our daily bread: Do I acknowledge that everything I have is from God? And forgive us our trespasses: Do I live as a forgiven servant of Christ or am I carrying many burdens unnecessarily? As we forgive those who trespass against us: Do I hold grudges when someone hurts my ego? I have to remember where I have been and what I have become in Christ. Lead us not into temptation: Do I really believe that God is alive today, tomorrow, and forever? And deliver us from evil: Do I believe that God is able? For Thine is the kingdom, the power, the glory for ever and ever. Amen. Not mine. Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to meditate on every word that You speak to us through Your holy Word, the Bible, a gift from You to us. Reveal, by Your Holy Spirit, Your will for us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.…

PresbyCan Daily Devotional

1
Evidence Left Behind

3 days ago

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How do others know that we believe in Christ? Here are three clues that I have thought about recently: dust, sparkles, and aroma. Dust – At the beginning of the book, Practicing the Way , the author, John Mark Comer, quotes from a first-century Jewish blessing: "May you be covered with the dust of the rabbi". Dusty sandals and clothing would be evidence of a close relationship. Is there any evidence of my walk with Jesus that others might detect? Acts 4:13 – When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. (NIV 2011) Sparkles – Recently, I bought some closet sachet air fresheners with a clever printed message on the packets that read, "She Leaves Sparkles Everywhere She Goes." That reminded me of discovering a few tiny bits of sparkles revealed by the sun shining on our carpet near where our Christmas tree had stood. This was long since the holidays and several times of vacuuming. Greeting cards had left tiny sparkles, reminding me of joyful family gatherings. Do I leave behind any joyful "sparkle" that would encourage someone to rejoice in God's love and care? 1 Peter 1:8 – Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. (NIV 2011) Aroma – While my head was bowed and eyes shut during an opening prayer at church one recent Sunday, I suddenly became aware of a very slight and lovely aroma. At the end of the prayer, I saw that a young woman had quietly slipped past the aisle to take her seat at a distance from me. There was evidence that she had been near me. What sweet fragrance of God do I carry to others around me? 2 Corinthians 2:14 – But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. (NIV 2011) As these bits of thoughts came together in my memory since the recent holidays, I was struck with how God used them to ask me about the kind of evidence there is in my life that would cause others to be astonished at my courage, or my joyfulness, or my spreading the knowledge of Him everywhere I go. Friends, what evidence do you leave behind for others to consider? Is there enough to draw them to Christ's love and grace? How can we introduce them to our Wonderful Counsellor, our Everlasting Father, our Prince of Peace? Prayer: Loving Father God, in our weakness amid these hard times, help us to walk courageously and closely with You. Thank You for the joy You put in our hearts to spread the knowledge of You to the world. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.…

PresbyCan Daily Devotional

1
Clear Vision

4 days ago

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I had quite a scare at a recent optometrist appointment. The glasses I was wearing had been giving me problems, so I wasn't surprised when she told me my prescription had changed. But when I put my left eye in front of that device with all the lenses that they use to check your sight (did you know it's called a phoropter?), I couldn't see a thing on the eyechart! It was literally blank. I was both shocked and afraid. Had my left eye gone blind all of a sudden? Just a few minutes before, I had been sitting in the waiting room, reading my phone without a problem, and had driven to the appointment able to see out of both eyes. The optometrist scared me even more when she started making dire predictions about the deterioration of my eyesight. Fearfully, I peeked around the edge of the phoropter. She quickly said, "No cheating!" but I didn't care, I needed to reassure myself that I could still see — and thankfully, I could. Then, she looked at the lens and discovered it was smudged. As soon as she cleaned it, all was well. Seeing clearly is a blessing not to be taken for granted. I've worn glasses since I was 11 years old, and I clearly remember how well I could see after I got my first pair. But even more important than clear physical vision is clear spiritual vision. The psalmist wrote, "Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions." (Psalm 119:18 NLT) What's the prescription for clear spiritual vision? It is simple: take our focus off ourselves and put it on God's Word. Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. (NLT) 2 Timothy 3:16 – All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. (NLT) Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. (NLT) Most of us are pretty faithful to have our eyes checked on a regular basis, but how often do we check our spiritual vision? Is our spiritual lens smudged? Let's use God's Word to bring our life into focus. Then we will be like the blind man Jesus healed at Bethsaida: "his eyes were opened … and he could see everything clearly." (Mark 8:25 NLT) Remember, "No eye has seen … what God has prepared for those who love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT) Prayer: Lord, thank You for the physical sight You give us. Help us to focus our spiritual sight, that we may see everything clearly. Amen.…

PresbyCan Daily Devotional

1
Fair Play

5 days ago

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Matthew 25:40 – The King will reply, "I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me!" (GNT) Our son plays Spuds basketball (co-ed ages 6-9). Two weeks ago, at a basketball game, my son's team was playing against opposition which had only six players. It was obvious that the other team was at a disadvantage. By half time, they were so fatigued and injured that they were ready to concede the game. My son's coach did a wonderful thing. He sent in two players from our team to play with the other team for the second half of the game. The coach did not send just any players. One of the players was our best. With two new team members, the opponents finished the game. I was happy to see sportsmanship displayed, but also, I saw God's character revealed. The Lord of lords comes to the aid of the underprivileged. God wants justice in the world. God uses Christian men and women, like my son's coach, to bring justice! Prayer: Lord God, we thank You on this day that You care for the disadvantaged. Use each one of us as Your instruments for fairness in this world. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.…

PresbyCan Daily Devotional

1
Holy Spirit Peace

6 days ago

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A few short weeks after his double bypass, my husband Matthew deteriorated. He was sent to the hospital in Faial, Azores, because Pico is not equipped for heart problems. The next day, I took the boat to go and see him. The doctor took me aside afterwards and told me that they were expecting his passing in two days because of the medical information. I listened in disbelief because I was praying and believing for God to give him more time. I told him of miracles for people I knew back home who were told the same thing, and they didn't die. As I left, I had a few minutes of a pity party cry, and then, the Spirit took over, and I walked out of there confident. Isaiah 41:10a – So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. (NIV) The next day, I received a phone call that the boat to Faial was cancelled. I called the hospital to see how Matthew was and to let them know about the boat. The nurse informed me that the doctor was not there yet, but then, she said, "Wait a minute." I was expecting the doctor to come to the phone, but I was put on hold. With no one coming to the phone, I hung up. All of a sudden, I got a gut pain and started to pray in the Spirit. The pain became stronger as I was walking back and forth — I'm not sure for how long — but then a peace came over me. I asked God to be with whoever that was all about. I had no thought that it involved Matthew. I called the hospital again. The doctor answered and informed me that when the nurse put me on hold, they called Code Blue and were shocking Matthew. By then, he was okay and resting. I believe that the following Scripture describes what was going on when they called Code Blue. Romans 8:26-27 – In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. (NIV) The Spirit was interceding for Matthew's life. Praise God, I got to have eleven more days with him. I thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit and the gift of praying in the Spirit. We are never alone. God has the last word. He is in control no matter what the doctors say. Prayer: Heavenly Father, giver of all good things, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit Who helps us in so many ways. Open our hearts and ears so we can clearly be where You want us to be in our lives spiritually, emotionally, and physically. In Jesus' holy name, we pray. Amen.…

PresbyCan Daily Devotional

1
Redeemed

7 days ago