Being Graced Daily Devotions

The resurrection is a sign that Rome's rule is not permanent, and that the powers of the day will not last, no matter how much they bluster. The resurrection confirms Jesus' agenda as well as his authority. Found Family: A World Put Right--May 15, 2026 beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/05/a-worl…

To hear the New Testament tell it, once you start making gold or silver statues as objects of devotion, it's a sure sign you have lost sight of the real and living God.  Found Family: The Un-Gilded God--May 14, 2026 beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-un…

When we take seriously the Scriptures' claim that all people everywhere belong to a common human family, we can no longer accept the faulty "Me and My Group First" mindset. It just doesn't hold up. Found Family: God's Grand Family Reunion--May 13, 2026 beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/05/gods-g…

Hey friends! Join us for this concluding episode in our series, "Why Our End Times Theology Matters" here on Crazy Faith Talk! open.spotify.com/episode/3jJZn2…

In the story of the early church, it's the Spirit who is leading Jesus' followers to new places, to cross old boundaries, and to reach out to those deemed as outsiders, strangers, or even enemies. The disciples have to trust where the Spirit is directing. youtu.be/SMx9D7CiUlw

"I will not leave you orphaned," has a different ring to it when you know the one saying it is fully aware he is about to be abandoned... and that he's saying it to the ones who will abandon him. Found Family: Jesus Knows...and Still Loves--May 12, 2026 beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/05/jesus-…

Word for the Week: (drawn from John 17:1-11) No matter what comes next, you are already on Jesus’ prayer list. #WordForTheWeek

It can be humbling to let ourselves be prayed FOR, especially when the person praying can see needs we didn't even know we had. What happens when we listen in for how Jesus prays for his followers? How might we be changed? youtu.be/2YLLbEbTxmM

Jesus promises the One who will be with us--who will not abandon us, no matter what--who will make us brave enough to face whatever uncertain things are ahead. God's Spirit gives us that courage. Found Family: The Promised Spirit of Truth--May 11, 2026 beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-pr…

Hours before the cross, Jesus says, "I am in the Father and the Father is in me." It's hard to avoid the implication that God's way of dealing with enemies is not to obliterate them but to die for them. Found Family: Jesus' Way is God's Way--May 8, 2026 beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/05/jesus-…

The Scriptures give the recurring promise that whatever life is like beyond the grip of death, we will be with Jesus--and therefore in the full presence of God. Maybe that's what really matters, Found Family: A Person More Than a Place--May 7, 2026 beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/05/a-pers…

Both Holy Baptism and Holy Communion take ordinary physical elements like water, bread, and wine, and become the "visible words" by which God's strong promises are made real for us. Neither "magical" nor mere "metaphor," the sacraments are Mystery. youtu.be/u2dhgf1e24Y

Every Christian--every last sister and brother who names the name of Jesus--is in fact simply a refugee whom Christ has claimed and called to belong to his realm.  Jesus' word is enough to make us belong. Found Family: God's Refugee Policy--May 6, 2026 beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/05/gods-r…

Here's a new episode in our series, "Why Our End Times Theology Matters." Listen in here! When Jesus comes in glory, will his personality or character have changed? Should we fear that the Suffering Servant will become a violent tyrant? open.spotify.com/episode/66Hm2a…

What if God's policy toward enemies wasn't to destroy them, but to love, transform, and gather them into community? Saul of Tarsus discovered just that, and so did the early church when it was dared to welcome the former persecutor in Acts 9. youtu.be/rxGOH87JMpM

If you've been rejected before, Jesus seeks you out and wants you. If you've been told you're not acceptable, Jesus doesn't hold others' opinions against you and sees you as he always has--beloved. Found Family: Jesus, the Chief Misfit Toy--May 5, 2026 beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/05/jesus-…

Word for the Week: (drawn from John 14:15-21) Jesus never leaves us to fend for ourselves alone. The Spirit keeps guiding our steps. #WordForTheWeek

Jesus' followers are more than a historical re-enactment society. Jesus has always intended for us to keep living out his way of life NOW in the present--and he gives us the Spirit as our Advocate to guide us as we continue into the future. youtu.be/9HUZuWAaAv4

The first followers of Jesus understood his kind of victory isn't won by overpowering an enemy with bigger guns and more ammo, but suffering love that will not bend to the power of hatred, of fear, or of death. Found Family: The Same Melody--May 4, 2026 beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/05/the-sa…

We aren't just left twiddling our thumbs in place waiting for an afterlife in heaven; we are led to all the places and people Jesus is going, because we are held in his orbit. Found Family: Moving with the Magnet--May 1, 2026 beinggraced.blogspot.com/2026/04/moving…