Tag: fear
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One Step at a Time
There are weeks when the Daily Office feels like reading four unrelated passages of Scripture. Then there are weeks like this one. As I sat on my front porch each morning with a cup of coffee and my Bible, I began to notice a pattern emerging. The journey began with a simple invitation: Trust God…
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Fear Is Part of the Journey, But Not the Final Chapter
Series: What Book Changed the Way You See the World? How many of you remember the Weekly Reader we received in school? It introduced us to new books and gave us the opportunity to order them. I looked forward to those little newspapers and the adventures they promised. Growing up just after World War II,…
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The Curious Pilgrim
What God Is Saying Through Today’s Daily Office Readings Readings: Psalm 119:49–72 • 1 Samuel 25:23–44 • Acts 14:19–28 • Mark 4:35–41 Storms come in many forms. Some are the storms of nature. Others are storms of conflict, disappointment, fear, grief, or uncertainty. None of us escape them. Jesus had spent the day teaching and…
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The Curious Pilgrim
What God Is Saying Through This Week’s Daily Office Readings Readings: Psalm 116 • Zephaniah 3:14–20 • Mark 15:47–16:7 There is one word that echoes through today’s readings: compassion. The psalmist declares, “Our God is full of compassion. He is gracious and righteous.” What a beautiful description of God’s character. God watches over the innocent,…
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Experience Is the Best Teacher
The famous Roman general Julius Caesar once wrote, Ut est rerum omnium magister usus—”Experience is the best teacher.” Isn’t that the truth? Have you ever done something you immediately wished you hadn’t? One of those moments that seemed like a good idea at the time but ended up teaching you a lesson you never forgot?…
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Fear Is Not the Final Word
A Curious Pilgrim Reflection for Sunday, May 31, 2026 Daily Office Readings: Psalm 66, Ezekiel 3:16-27, Ephesians 2:1-10, Matthew 10:24-33, 40-42 The Bible is a collection of books written over hundreds of years by people who lived in different lands, spoke different languages, and experienced very different cultures. Yet beneath all those differences runs a…
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“Why Are You Afraid?” — Faith Without Fear or Manipulation
Mark 4:35–41 The disciples are doing exactly what Jesus asked. They are crossing the lake at evening, following his command, when suddenly a violent storm breaks out. Waves crash into the boat. Water fills it. Jesus sleeps. Fear takes over. They wake him with words that sound less like a prayer and more like an…
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**“Do Not Fear, for I Am With You”
Learning to Live Courageously in a Fear-Filled World** Fear is one of the most universal human experiences. It shows up in the quiet moments of the night and in the loud headlines of the day. Fear whispers that we are alone, vulnerable, and powerless. Yet when I read Isaiah 43:1–13 and Ephesians 3:14–21, I hear…
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Fear That Heals, Not Harms
Learning the Fear of the Lord in a Fear-Filled World We live in an age saturated with fear. Fear of violence. Fear of rejection. Fear of the future. Fear of being “othered.” Fear of not having enough. Fear whispers constantly that we are alone and unprotected. Yet Scripture speaks of a very different kind of…
The Curious Pilgrim 