Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD June 9, Sunday ABBY’S PRAYER Dave Branon I urge . . . that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.  1 Timothy 2:1 Ephesians 6:16–20 2 Chronicles 32–33; John 18:19–40 When Abby was a sophomore in high school, she and her mom heard a news story about a young man who’d been critically injured in a plane accident—an accident that took the lives of his father and stepmother. Although they didn’t know this person, Abby’s mom said, “We just need to pray for him and his family.” And they did. Fast forward a few years, and one day Abby walked into a class at her university. A student offered her the seat next to him. That student was Austin Hatch, the plane crash victim Abby had prayed for. Soon they were dating, and in 2018 they were married. “It’s crazy to think that I was praying for my future husband,” Abby said in an interview shortly before they w...

OUR DAILY BREAD June 8, Saturday KNOCKING DOWN PINS Lisa M. Samra What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again.  Ecclesiastes 1:9 Ecclesiastes 1:3–11 2 Chronicles 30–31; John 18:1–18 I was intrigued when I noticed a tattoo of a bowling ball knocking down pins on my friend Erin’s ankle. Erin was inspired to get this unique tattoo after listening to Sara Groves’s song, “Setting Up the Pins.” The clever lyrics encourage listeners to find joy in the repetitive, routine tasks that sometimes feel as pointless as manually setting up bowling pins over and over again, only to have someone knock them down. Laundry. Cooking. Mowing the lawn. Life seems full of tasks that, once completed, have to be done again—and again. This isn’t a new struggle but an old frustration, one wrestled with in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. The book opens with the writer complaining about the endless cycles of dail...

OUR DAILY BREAD June 7, Friday DON’T MISS THE CHANCE John Blase The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Psalm 19:1 Psalm 19:1–4 2 Chronicles 28–29; John 17 “Don’t ever miss the chance to show your babies the moon!” she said. Before our mid-week prayer service began, a group of us talked about the previous night’s harvest moon. The full moon was striking, as it seemed to sit on the horizon. Mrs. Webb was the eldest voice in our conversation, a gray-haired lover of God’s grand creation. She knew my wife and I had two children in our home at the time, and she wanted to help me train them in a way worth going.  Don’t ever miss the chance to show your babies the moon! Mrs. Webb would’ve made a good psalmist. Her brand of attentiveness is reflected in David’s description of the heavenly bodies that “have no speech . . . . Yet their voice goes out into all t...

OUR DAILY BREAD June 6, Thursday BLOOMING IN THE DESERT Xochitl Dixon They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.  Isaiah 35:2 Isaiah 35:1–10 2 Chronicles 25–27; John 16 The Mojave Desert includes the expected sand dunes, dry canyons, mesas, and mountains of most deserts. But American biologist Edmund Jaeger observed that every few years an abundance of rain results in “such a wealth of blossoms that almost every foot of sand or gravelly soil is hidden beneath a blanket of flowers.” The Mojave wildflower show isn’t a yearly phenomenon, though. Researchers confirm the dry earth needs to be soaked by storms and warmed by the sun, at just the right times, before blooms will cover the desert with vibrant colors. This image of God bringing forth life despite the arid terrain reminds me of the prophet Isaiah. He shared an encouraging vison of hope after delivering God’s message of judgment on all nations (Isaiah 35). Describing a future time when God will...

OUR DAILY BREAD June 5, Wednesday FINDING TREASURE James Banks The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.  Matthew 13:44 Matthew 13:44–46 2 Chronicles 23–24; John 15 John and Mary were walking their dog on their property when they stumbled on a rusty can partially unearthed by recent rains. They took the can home and opened it, discovering a cache of gold coins over a century old! The couple returned to the spot and located seven more cans containing 1,427 coins in all. Then they protected their treasure by reburying it elsewhere. The cache of coins (valued at $10 million) is called the Saddle Ridge Hoard, the largest find of its kind in US history. The story is strikingly reminiscent of a parable Jesus told: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44). Tales of buried treasure have captured imagi...

OIR DAILY BREAD June 4, Friday CAN WE RELAX? Anne Cetas Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14:27 John 14:25–31 2 Chronicles 21–22; John 14 Darnell entered the physical therapist’s office knowing he would experience a lot of pain. The therapist stretched and bent his arm and held it in positions it hadn’t been in for months since his injury. After holding each uncomfortable position for a few seconds, she gently told him: “Okay, you can relax.” He said later, “I think I heard that at least fifty times in each therapy session: ‘Okay, you can relax.’ ” Thinking of those words, Darnell realized they could apply to the rest of his life as well. He could relax in God’s goodness and faithfulness instead of worrying. As Jesus neared His death, He knew His disciples would need to learn this. They’d soon face a time of upheaval and persecution. To encourage them, Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit to live with them and remind them of wh...

OUR DAILY BREAD  June 3, Monday NIGHT WATCHES Evan Morgan On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.  Psalm 63:6 Psalm 63:1–8 2 Chronicles 19–20; John 13:21–38 During my college days, my summers were spent working at a guest ranch in the stunningly beautiful mountains of Colorado. On a rotating basis, staff members were assigned “night watch” duty—to keep an eye out for forest fires in order to protect the guests as they slept. What initially seemed to be an exhausting and thankless task became a unique opportunity for me to be still, reflect, and find solace in the majesty of God’s presence. King David earnestly sought and thirsted for the presence of God (Psalm 63:1), even from his bed and through the “watches of the night” (v. 6). The psalm makes it clear David was troubled. It’s possible the words contained in it reflect his deep sadness over the rebellion of his son Absa...