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Author Archives: John D. Willome

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About John D. Willome

I post a blog of daily devotions that are my prayer journals based on scripture.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

05 Jun

12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

Dear God, I have to say that I’m grateful you didn’t call me to be a church staff or pastor. And I want to repent to you right now for not…well, there is the controversy in our town I mentioned a couple of days ago, and my response to it has been less than what you would expect from me. There has been some hubris on my part. Especially given that I am so ignorant as to what you would have to say about this. So let me start by saying that I am sorry to you for some of the things I’ve said this week. Help me to be an edifying person. Holy Spirit, reveal my inner insecurity to me and show me how you are making be to be better and more Jesus-like.

Pastors have a very difficult job. I was listening to the Voxology Podcast this week and, at the beginning, they were answering a listener’s question about the use of titles in the church and whether that was appropriate. Did calling someone a pastor or reverend sent them up in a superior position to others around them. The ultimate answer was (and I think I’m characterizing this correctly) that it is appropriate for pastors to carry that designation because of the responsibility that is on them to guide the people around them, but they just need to be careful to not use power over but power with the people they lead. It can seem like a fine line, but it’s an important distinction.

Father, help me to honor everyone today. Friends. Family. Coworkers. Those who like me. Those who don’t like me. Those who cooperate with me and those who stand against work I do. Help me to honor everyone and see them with your eyes. I have some important meetings today in which we will be making hard decisions. Guide me in that. Holy Spirit, be very present in each room. And for the one patient coming today who will need extra physical assistance, please provide for us as we try to help him.

I offer this prayer to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 5, 2024 in 1 Thessalonians

 

1 Chronicles 29:10-20

04 Jun

10 Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:

“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.

13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.

16 “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! 17 I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.

18 “O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes. 19 Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.”

20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.

1 Chronicles 29:10-20

Dear God, the thought that came to my mind as I read this story this morning was how “the people” need leadership. In this case, they needed David to lead them. To lead them to you. To lead them in worship. In sacrifice. They could not and would not have gotten there on their own. They needed David. Thankfully, David knew enough to really love and adore you. To worship you. And then the importance of getting his countrymen to worship you as well.

I have people in my life who look to me for leadership, particularly in my work. I’m in a position to lead there. But there are also some community groups who look to me as well. Not that I am at the top of the food chain in those groups, but I certainly have a leadership role. Oh, how I want to do it well and for your glory. How I want to bring others into worship of you through my life.

Father, help me to lead at work today. Help me to reach out and love my family today. Help me to be the man you want and need me to be for your kingdom to come and your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. And if you want to inspire me through the leadership of someone else, please open my eyes to hear your voice and see your actions in them. Use them to guide me into the middle of your heart. I want to know you better, Lord.

I offer this prayer to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 4, 2024 in 1 Chronicles

 

Proverbs 15:1-4

03 Jun

15 A gentle answer deflects anger,
    but harsh words make tempers flare.

2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing,
    but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.

3 The Lord is watching everywhere,
    keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.

4 Gentle words are a tree of life;
    a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

Proverbs 15:1-4

Dear God, I’m about to go into the office for the first time in over a week. I don’t know what I am walking into today. What, if any, conflicts happened while I was gone? What problems arose? Maybe it was all good, and it will be a smooth day. Whatever the case may be, I want to go into this day with your eyes, your thoughtfulness, your compassion, and your love.

One of the big things I want to do today and every day is be the person Solomon describes in these first four verses of Proverbs 15. There have been times (many times) in the past when I have been too quick to speak and been too harsh. It was rarely the right thing to do. I have made tempers flare with harsh words. I have belched out foolishness. I have crushed spirits. Wouldn’t it be nice if, from this day forward, I was to be know as a person who only builds up and nourishes others’ souls? If I deflected anger and helped lower it in others? If interactions with me left people simply wanting to know more of you? If my words sprung up your tree of life in others?

Father, make me mindful of my words all day, all week, and then into the rest of my life. But it starts here. Help me to be an encourager. But most important, help my life be a catalyst for others to come and know you.

I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 3, 2024 in Proverbs

 

Hebrews 9:27-28

02 Jun

27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, 28 so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

Hebrews 9:27-28

Dear God, it is interesting that this is the verse of the day for Bible Gateway while it is close to the New Testament reading for the Catholic church (Hebrews 9:11-15). For the Catholic church, today is the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ. All of their verses of the day tie in Exodus 24 when Moses is talking about the blood of the sacrifice covering the Israelites, the Hebrews passage, and then Mark 14 when Jesus talks about his body and blood in the bread and the wine. I don’t know how the Bible Gateway people pick their verse of the day, but I noticed this one actually lined up pretty closely.

I prayed about this yesterday, but it’s still been on my heart. I just don’t know so much. One of the reasons I decided not to be confirmed Catholic was because I did not believe in the act of transubstantiation. And maybe I’m right. And maybe I’m wrong. And maybe I just hope that this isn’t one of those dealbreakers over which I will find myself on the other side of the cutline from fellowship with you. I want to be in communion with you. I want to experience communion itself. But if I do not believe the same thing about the Eucharist that Catholics believe then I know that they do not want me to take the sacrament with them. And that makes sense to me. I respect that.

I guess I’m saying all of this because I’m about to go and visit that mainline denomination church this morning that is going through the conflict over LGBTQ+ ordination I mentioned yesterday. I feel compelled to be there. Mainly to show love. I guess, in some way, I am passively lending my opinion that it’s not important we agree on this one issue anymore than it is important we agree on pre-marital sex, the ordination of women or divorced people, etc. There are only really a few things in Christianity, as far as I can tell, are definitely non-negotiable. The rest is working our faith out with you with fear and trembling, asking you to examine our hearts and purify us, and bring us to both repentance where needed and then complete worship of you and love for others.

Father, I honestly don’t know what Jesus would do if he were here this morning. I’d like to think he would be comfortable in any worship environment that elevated you and Lord of all. I’d like to think he would be comfortable at the Catholic church, the mainline church I mentioned, the new church that is starting today, or any other Christian church in town. He might even be comfortable in some of the churches that aren’t Christian, but they think their hearts are earnestly pursuing you. I don’t know. Help me to be Jesus this morning to the world around me. Help me to treat everyone with love.

I offer this prayer to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 2, 2024 in Hebrews

 

Revelation 21:1-4

01 Jun

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

Revelation 21:1-4

Dear God, I just doublechecked this to see, but I rarely do any prayer journals on Revelation. Here’s my confession that you already know: I don’t care. And I realize I could be wrong to feel this way. There are several things regarding parts of modern Christendom that I don’t care about. I don’t care about going to modern Israel and the Holy Land. I don’t have an interest in watching The Chosen. And I don’t care about end-times prophecies. Jesus told us several times to not worry about tomorrow, but keep our focus on today. And I believe it. I mean, I’m glad to know that there will be a time when you will come and live among us. There is great hope in this passage. I’m very glad to know it. But I feel zero need to understand it and completely comprehend what it will mean or when it will happen.

I was talking yesterday morning with a friend, and he mentioned that his pastor is doing a series on Revelation. From the sound of it, his pastor and I would disagree about how it will play out. He believes in a pre-tribulation rapture while I don’t. But here’s the secret (in my opinion): It doesn’t matter! I can be completely wrong and he can be 100% right (which I don’t believe any of us are 100% right), but it won’t change the outcome. When I die, it’s all going to play out the way it’s going to play out. Jesus was pretty clear that there will be a sorting, but the cut-line is a little vague. Well, that’s yours to answer, not mine. He said that there will be people who think they are one side of the cut-line or the other, only to be surprised to find themselves on the other side of it. I hope that’s not me. I hope I’m on your side of that line.

I think one thing that has helped me to turn loose of needing to be right is the fact that I’ve attended Catholic Church with my wife for the last 13 years. There are many things about Catholic doctrine with which I disagree. But I’ve realized over that time how little it matters because the Catholics I know there, for the most part love you as much as any group of Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and non-denominational Christians I’ve known. Should a priest have to be male and celibate? Should I have to confess my sins to a priest for absolution? Does the bread and wine actually transubstantiate into the body and blood? I don’t think so, but what do I know? At the end of the day, they believe in Jesus’s fully human, fully divine life; death; and resurrection, and the fact that it reconciled us to you. Everything else is opinion that I’m comfortable living with them in disagreement.

Father, I just don’t have to be right about things like I used to be. And that’s good because I’m probably wrong about an awful lot. I can find example after example in the New Testament of people who were wrong but thought they were right. The apostles in Acts 11 when they were mad at Peter for baptizing Cornelius. Paul and Barnabas in Acts when they fought over John Mark’s inclusion on their journey. The Jewish leaders when they persecuted Jesus and the apostles. James and John when they wanted to call down fire on the Samaritans. So please forgive me of my foolishness and hubris. Also forgive me for holding others to a standard that none of us can reach. I know there is a new church starting in our community tomorrow solely because it is splitting from a mainline denomination that started to allow LGTBQ+ people to be ordained. In this situation, both sides feel strongly about what it means to be Christlike. At least one side is wrong (perhaps both are). So I pray your blessing over the original church, that they will follow you and bring your kingdom into this earth and let your will be done here as it is in heaven. And I pray for this new church, that you will use this to be a blessing to this community, regardless of the reasons they started it. Use the pain. Don’t let it be wasted.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 1, 2024 in Revelation

 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

31 May

13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.

I Thessalonians 4:13-18

Dear God, there have been a few tragic deaths in our community over the last few weeks. The one of the 10-year-old boy about 11 days ago was particularly tragic. I don’t know if there is any comfort to be had for his parents and all of the family involved, but if there is, please give it to them. For the children who lost their mother to suicide about three weeks ago, please protect them and minister to them.

I’ve always wondered how Paul knew all of this. Where did he get this information? Did he continue to directly commune and communicated with Jesus? Did the Holy Spirit reveal it to him? The same with Peter when he talks about life after death stuff. Where did he get that information?

The truth is, I have no idea what exactly happens to us beyond death from the earthly world. I have no idea how your second coming works. My brain is too small. But here’s the thing: I don’t have to know. If I start focusing on the outcome of this life, then the outcome will become my idol. Your promise to Abraham through Isaac became his idol and he almost had to sacrifice Isaac to learn his lesson. For me, I want you to be my God. I want worshipping you in this moment to be what it’s about. Death and what comes next will be revealed to me in time. But right now it’s about being reconciled to you through Jesus and then living for you in this moment. So I offer that to you right now. I offer you happiness and peace in my ignorance. I offer you my worship. My faith is in you and I will let you do with me whatever you will from this time forward.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 31, 2024 in 1 Thessalonians

 

Psalm 56:3-4

30 May

But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?
Psalm 56:3-4

Dear God, I stopped at Whataburger this morning to get a quick bite to eat and do this prayer journal to you before a haircut, and I came upon three men who are having breakfast next to a fourth man, and they are witnessing about you to the third man. It’s quite lovely. Let me sit here right now and give them prayer cover. Be with them. Send your angels to fight over this fourth man. Bring him into your kingdom. Love him. Help him to feel your love. Be with these other three men. Give them your words. Give them your love. Send your angels to protect them as well. Oh, Holy Spirit, hover over that 10 square feet in this restaurant and be loosed on this man’s life.

Now, let me get back to this passage. My wife and I both reported dreams to each other from last night that were each rooted in our sorrow. We obviously need your healing. Is there a part of us that is afraid? Maybe. Is there a part of us that is afraid for others? Yes. Is there a part of us that is hurt on a personal level? Yes.

Father, I prayed with my wife this morning, and I pray to you now. Heal us. Heal those we love. Fill them with your love. Fill us with your love. Oh, please to your will in all of our lives. Thank you for the ways you have used this pain to do positive things, but please heal this pain. Protect us spiritually. Send your angels to protect over us. Forgive us for the things we do to hurt ourselves, each other, and you. Forgive me for the things I do that grieve you. I offer myself to you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 30, 2024 in Psalms

 

“What gives you hope?”

29 May

Dear God, I was just listening to this week’s Holy Post podcast, and they were talking about Pope Francis’s recent 60 Minutes interview in which he was asked, “What gives you hope?” I’ve got nothing but love for Pope Francis, and I would probably do very poorly in a 60 Minutes interview, so I’m not going to throw any shade at his answer, but it did stir up some controversy. I think it’s a fair summary to say he said the basis goodness in people gives him hope. Taking his answer off of the table, and knowing that I have a chance to thoughtfully consider, think about, and edit my typed-out answer, what would be my response to that question? “What gives [me] hope?”

I’ve thought about this a little, and I think it comes down to the innate hunger for you that is in all of us. There is a conscience that gives us guilt. There is a dissatisfaction that comes from self-indulgence. There is an emptiness that accompanies selfishness. It is this existence of the innate hunger we have for you that gives me hope. And it might not happen in this generation. The pendulum might take a while to swing back. This isn’t measured in days, weeks, or months, but years, decades and centuries. From Abraham until now, one can read history and watch the pendulum swing. At some point, we all get disillusioned with all of the idols we chase that we think will give us the peace that only you can give.

It makes me think about the part of the movie Jesus Revolution in which the hippie evangelist tells the established pastor about the hippies and all of the drugs, sex, and self-indulgence they are pursuing. He says (paraphrasing): “They are looking for God. The don’t know they are looking for God, but they are looking for God. And when they find him they are amazed.”

Thinking about the Pope mentioning the innate goodness in people as giving him hope made me wonder what I think sin nature is. What is it in me, and what will make it different on the other side of death and in your new earth? What will be different about me then that is sinful now? I think at least part of it is the fight for survival that exists now that, I think, won’t exist then. The need for resources like food and structure to survive. The need for things of pleasure to give me pleasure. But if my spiritual self does not know a struggle to survive, but just a timeless existence with you in this other realm of earth then will that be the difference?

Father, I heard someone in the Holy Post Podcast say, “Before Genesis 3 there was Genesis 1.” We were created good. But sin entered in. And I have it. Boy, do I have it. But I lay it before you continually–even now, and ask that you please be with me as I learn to consider my life worth nothing to me. If only I may finish the race and complete the task you have given me. The task of testifying to the gospel of your grace. (Acts 20:24)

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 29, 2024 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

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Romans 12:9-21

28 May

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,[e] and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.[f] 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
    I will pay them back,”[g]
    says the Lord.

20 Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
    If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
    burning coals of shame on their heads.”[h]

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Dear God, I just wanted to stop before I get this day going and tell you that I need you. I thank you. I thank you for, well, everything. You are a good God. Oh so good. And I’m reminded of this through this passage. What a weird perspective of life Jesus authored for us as Christians. Everything here turns the world on its head. What would it look like if we really did this?

Father, help me to do this today. Maybe I should read this every day. If my enemies are hunger feed them? Okay. Wait for you to avenge me if there is something to avenge? Okay. Pray that you will bless those who persecute me? Okay. I will.

I offer this prayer to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 28, 2024 in Romans

 

“God Beyond All Names” by Bernadette Farrell

27 May

“God Beyond All Names” by Bernadette Farrell

God, beyond our dreams, you have stirred in us a memory,
you have placed your powerful spirit in the hearts of humankind.

All around us, we have known you;
all creation lives to hold you,
In our living and our dying
we are bringing you to birth.

God, beyond all names, you have made us in your image,
we are like you, we reflect you, we are woman, we are man.

All around us, we have known you;
all creation lives to hold you,
In our living and our dying
we are bringing you to birth

God, beyond all words, all creation tells your story,
you have shaken with our laughter, you have trembled with our tears.

All around us, we have known you;
all creation lives to hold you,
In our living and our dying
we are bringing you to birth

God, beyond all time, you are laboring within us;
we are moving, we are changing, in your spirit ever new.

All around us, we have known you;
all creation lives to hold you,
In our living and our dying
we are bringing you to birth

God of tender care, you have cradled us in goodness,
you have mothered us in wholeness, you have loved us into birth.

All around us, we have known you;
all creation lives to hold you,
In our living and our dying
we are bringing you to birth

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Bernadette Mary Farrell

Dear God, I heard this song in church yesterday morning, and I really stuck with me. Honestly, I think it is the haunting tune even more than the lyrics, but the lyrics are lovely worship of you as well. I thought I would spend some time with it this morning.

God, beyond our dreams, you have stirred in us a memory,
you have placed your powerful spirit in the hearts of humankind.

It’s amazing you choose to reveal yourself to us at all. You could sit there silently. You could walk away and ignore us. But that’s not what you do. You speak to us. You reveal yourself to us. You put a hole in us that looks for you to fill it.

God, beyond all names, you have made us in your image,
we are like you, we reflect you, we are woman, we are man.

What does it mean to be made in your image? What gives us a soul? What is in us that could possibly look like you? I feel very inadequate to even sit here right now and express my love to you. To worship you. To say that I will take you into this world and reflect you to the world. That seems ridiculous to me because I am such a poor representative of you. Help me to be just a little bit better reflection of you today.

God, beyond all words, all creation tells your story,
you have shaken with our laughter, you have trembled with our tears.

There are no words that can describe you, but the beauty of creation is more than all of the words I could possibly conjure. You are amazing, God. Everything around me attests to that.

God, beyond all time, you are laboring within us;
we are moving, we are changing, in your spirit ever new.

I was going through some pictures of myself from 35 years ago yesterday. I was 19 then. I’m 54 now. I thought I knew so much. Even now, I think I know so much. But one day I will look back on 54 and think about how young I was. How naive. Thank you for laboring within me. Moving me. Changing me.

God of tender care, you have cradled us in goodness,
you have mothered us in wholeness, you have loved us into birth.

Oh, Father, comfort me. Comfort my wife. Comfort my children and their significant others. Heal us. Make us whole, Father, God.

All around us, we have known you;
all creation lives to hold you,
In our living and our dying
we are bringing you to birth

I know you, Father, in that I know you are there. I know you are beyond what I can know. I know you love me. I know you are rooting for me. You comfort me. You live through me and bless others. Help me to not hurt, but to bless in your name and with fruit of your Spirit.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 27, 2024 in Hymns and Songs

 

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