More and more churches are using Naked Spirituality as a basis for sermon series and small groups. Pastor DavidlTinney of Vancouver First United Methodist Church prepared a set of daily devotions based on the book and graciously agreed to share them.
You'll find the first ten weeks of devotions below, covering the words Here, Thanks, O, and Sorry. Again, thanks to David!
The Beginning of our Journey
Theme for the week: Our response to God’s call
Day 1
Scripture: Genesis 17: 1-17
Reflection: It is good to know that the Bible is real and not written to hide emotions. I cannot imagine a document with such brutal honesty being written in today’s world of spin doctors and PR departments. We have all decided to take a journey together for the next year. We will also write and sign a covenant about how we treat each other and hold to the promises we agreed we wanted to share. Today’s reading is about a covenant and also about Abraham’s frank response to God’s promise. As you read this story today, put yourself in Abraham’s sandals and imagine that you are the one talking with God. Read it through completely and then go back again and find one word or phrase that captures your attention and spend a few moments repeating it slowly and heart-fully.
Questions to ponder:
What promise would you like to receive from God as you embark on this year-long journey?
If God spoke to your heart right now and said, “I am going to make you a mighty disciple and you will do great things,” would you fall down and laugh?
Prayer for the day: Lord this is all new to so many of us. This is the first time for many of us to take our spiritual journeys seriously. So we ask for your guidance and help.
As we enter into this journey we pause right now to pray for what we need for a covenant between us to be strong enough to bind and grow us.
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