Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open the eyes of my heart to see You--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God--as I look and listen for Your leading today.
"Now on that day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.... So He went in to stay with them. When He was at the table with them, He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. They said to each other, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking to us on the road, while He was opening the Scriptures to us?'" (Luke 24:13-32).
Two disciples were walking to Emmaus after all the events of the cross and Easter. They had known You, loved You and had faith in You. But in their grief and sorrow and disappointment, they couldn't see You. They "had hoped" that You were the Messiah, but now they thought all their hopes and dreams were shattered (v. 21). They had even heard stories of Your resurrection, but they were still "slow of heart to believe" (v. 22-25). Even when You came alongside them, they couldn't sense that it was You, they couldn't recognize Your voice, even though they had such a personal relationship with You.
That may be a picture of many of us at times along our journey of faith. We know You, we have a real and personal relationship with You, we know the stories of Your resurrection; we celebrated at Easter, but at the same time, down deep inside, we still find ourselves "slow of heart to believe." Those times when our dreams and hopes are shattered, when things don’t work out as we planned, when we find ourselves in those times of grief and sorrow and disappointment. At those times we find it hard to see You and hear You and even recognize and remember that You are with us--that You're with us "always," just like You promised (Matthew 28:24), that Your sheep "hear (Your) voice," just like You said (John 10:3).
But even in those times--maybe even especially in those times--You'll come near and go with us (Luke 24:15). You'll come in and dine with us in the communion of our hearts if we'll invite You in to come abide with us (v. 29). Just as You did with those two discouraged disciples who desperately needed an encounter with You, You're ready to come and commune with all who would "urge (You) strongly" to come and stay (v. 29).
In the breaking of the bread with them, "their eyes were opened, and they recognized (You)" (v. 30-31). In the breaking of the Bread of the Word of God with them, "(You) interpreted to them the things about (Yourself) in all the Scriptures" (v. 27). Then their hearts burned within them in fresh fire and faith, in renewed hope and excitement, from their personal encounter in Your Presence with Your Word (v. 32).
Thank You for walking with me on my journey with You, Lord Jesus. Thank You for opening up the Word of God to me this morning and every morning, for revealing Yourself in Your Scriptures to me, "beginning with Moses and all the prophets" (v. 27) and being the source of these devotions. Thank You for coming to abide within me, for opening the eyes of my heart to see You, for making me more and more sensitive in my spirit to hear You. Thank You for the grace and faith to believe in my heart from my personal encounters in Your Presence with Your Word that "the Lord has risen indeed!" (v. 34) And thank You that every day You want to arise in me! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray following the joy of Easter your heart burns within you with fresh fire and faith, in the renewed hope and excitement that the resurrection of Jesus was meant to provide. I pray every day of your journey with Jesus, you will invest the time and invite Him to walk with you and encounter His presence in His Word, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Give A Gift
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning Lord Jesus, I begin my day with the word of this psalm of longing for you on my lips.
O God, you are my God! I long for you!
My soul thirsts for you,
my flesh yearns for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
Yes, in the sanctuary I have seen you,
and witnessed your power and splendor.
Because experiencing your loyal love is better than life itself,
my lips will praise you.
For this reason I will praise you while I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
As if with choice meat you satisfy my soul.
My mouth joyfully praises you,
whenever I remember you on my bed,
and think about you during the nighttime hours.
For you are my deliverer;
under your wings I rejoice.
My soul pursues you;
your right hand upholds me.
(Psalm 63:1-8)
Easter, and Jesus’s resurrection opened up to us the presence of God. As this psalmist desire, His presence is made available if we want to seek Him
The Bible is filled with stories of people who longed for and were filled with the presence of God. The one who has been in his presence.
Gideon in Judges 6-8
Jonathan in 1 Samuel 14
David 1 Samuel 30 But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
Paul, I have done more than any of you.... That I may know God. His Resurrection, life.
This what this book is about.
Is that you right now?
Are you are a person like those in this book?
Are you in His presence? Does Do you yearn for God ? ( Do you even know what that means?)
What is your promise you are claiming from Jesus’ resurrection at Easter?
What is that Easter miracle you are praying for, asking for?
Good Health? Successful business? Restoration of your family?
What is your promise land? what is your miracle you want for your church? To get pews/chairs set up different? Color changed? Growth in attendance? A bigger church?
How many of your miracles you asked for or prayers for things you need this week were to know Jesus better? To long for Him? To thirst for Him deeper?
How many of you desire to part of a church that longs for Jesus? That the minute you walk in you feel His presence? That when a person walks into this service, you want them to be freaked out by what they experience?
When they hear the person up front, or sitting next them, or across the aisle pray, there is something different about them and their connection with God. The pastors prayer is not just a cue to move on in the service but moves out from his heart of his service to God.
That during the prayer time, that visitor listens to the honest, desperate prayer requests of those around him, they hear them praying like they really know this Jesus they are praying to. The visitor sees them at the altar, and in their seats praying for one another and they want what they have.
Moses went up the mountain because he desired to be in God’s presence.
People are not going up to the mountain. Churches are not going up to the mountain. They are busy with so much stuff. I am busy with so much stuff.
And you know I can’t, your pastor can’t, even Jesus can’t make you go up to the mountain.
I can’t, your pastor can’t, even Jesus can’t make you love him and long for him.
I love church. I love you.
But There has to be something more than this.
I remember sitting in the church as a kid at the rituals that was part of the service. I remember when I made my confirmation that the bishop spoke some words over us and then gave me a rose.
There has to be something more than just this.
That somehow I need to lead us beyond this, somehow I need you to lead me beyond this.
And if you are hearing this understand that I am not talking in any way negatively about the church or a church building. It’s just that when I read this book I see so much more in the church and I don’t want us to settle for less. And I believe that if you heart is burning inside it is because of the Holy Spirit confirming in your heart that you don’t want to settle for anything less.
I see a church that is not just fine with the unsaved people around them.
I see a church that is not complacent or fine with people going to hell.
I see a church that is not ok to just sing another song, and tie it up right, and then let’s have another year of services.
I see a church that says, God, we got to have you.
God, I got to have you.
God, I got to experience what I read in this book.
Jesus, death and resurrection and Easter was so we could know Him.
Do you know Him?
I am not talking about some time in your past when you said a prayer and began your relationship with Jesus.
Do we Know Jesus?
Do we Long for Jesus?
Do we Thirst for Him?
Do we want to be the one who has been in his presence?
My family, there has to be something more than just this.
Somehow I need to lead us beyond this.
Somehow I need you to lead me beyond this.
To where our prayers are like those of the psalmist:
“O God, you are my God! I long for you!
My soul thirsts for you,
my flesh yearns for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” In Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them!
My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Grounded in Your Word, filled with Your Spirit, I want to begin my day in communion and alignment with You. ...
“So (the women) went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, ‘Rejoice!’ So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me!’” (Matthew 28:8-10)
Jesus, When You met the women outside the empty tomb, You told them two things: “Rejoice!” and “Go!”
When you encountered each of us Easter Sunday, you spoke the same words to us “Rejoise”, now “Go”!
At Easter we rejoiced! We came together in churches and shouted “Hallelujah! We gathered with family and friends, feasted, had Easter egg hunts, took photos and celebrated Jesus’ resurrection. W will continue to rejoice and celebrate, however now it’s time to obey are call to Go!
The level of our faith and declaration that “Jesus is Lord” is not measured by how high we can jump and shout “Hallelujah!” in a sanctuary on Easter Sundays, but how low we we are willing to stoop to embrace those that are hurting and do not know Christ in our neighborhoods in the year between the mountain tops of Easter Sundays. Our rejoicing in the personal knowledge and the collective knowledge of our churches on Easter that that Jesus died for our sins, rose again, freed us and gave us eternal life has absolutely no impact on our communities unless we go and share that knowledge with them. The light of the risen Christ that burns now in each of us as light-bearers has no impact on the darkness in the world if we simply gather with other light-bearers, we need to run into the darkness with our light.
So yes daily we will continue to “Rejoice” together, high-five each other and declare “He is Risen!!” However, after we high five lets “Go” out into our communities and embrace our neighbors and co-workers and share with them why we are rejoicing, that He is risen, who the “He” is, and what that Good News means to them, in Jesus’ name!
My family, I pray you will be filled today with the joy of Jesus’ resurrection and then be sent out today rejoicing to go share this Good News with others. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends! (He Has! Now Go bless others!)
Please share your reflections and prayers on my blog in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You!Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I wake up this morning still celebrating Resurrection Sunday of Holy Week! The season in the church calendar of Lent his over and we are now in the season of Eastertide. During these days of the remembrance and celebration of Easter, let my joy encourage me to come closer to You with excitement and expectancy to hear what You'll say and see what You'll do in my life through the power of Your resurrection. -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God.
"Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know you seek Jesus who crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said! Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that His is risen from the dead! ..." (Matthew 28:1-7)
God's not dead. He is alive!
Death and the devil didn't win. Hell couldn't hold You down. The grave couldn't keep You hidden away. The stone couldn't seal You up. You overcame it all in the victory of the cross and the power of the resurrection!
And because You overcame, we can overcome. Because You had victory, we can have victory. Because hope and faith won the day by the power of God in You, hope and faith by the same power of God in us will win the day for us! Because You live and are Holy, even after Holy Week all our days are Holy because your live in us!
"If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8:11).
Father, You sent Your Spirit to raise Jesus from the dead. And You send that same Spirit in that same power to raise us from the dead every day-- to give is the victory of life over death, of hope over despair, of faith over fear. By the power of Your grace at work in us, at work in our world, hope and faith will win the day! You are our Hope. You are our Faith. You are our Answer and only Hope for all we face, as we put all our faith in You alone.
For death is swallowed up in victory! ... Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Corinthians 15:54)
We're not overcomers unless we've overcome something. We don't have a testimony unless we've been tested. We can't be more than conquerors unless we've had something to conquer. And the empty tomb is the eternal witness of the power of God to empower us to overcome whatever we're going through in our world today and in our world to come!
"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love" (Romans 5:3-5).
Let the same Power that raised Jesus from the dead stir up the hearts of God's people around the world to release Your power of hope and faith to overcome as never before! Let everything we're going through develop endurance and character and hope in us that can be held down or sealed off or shut up. Let Your resurrection life and power arise in us to shine in our world as we remember and celebrate what You have done!
As we remember the victory of the cross and the empty tomb, let us receive and embrace Your promise and power of faith and hope: "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit!" (Romans 15:13) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, as we begin a new week after Easter may you be filled afresh with hope and faith in the One who overcome the grave and the devil so that we can overcome all that we face in the resurrection power of the risen Christ, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share you reflections on this passage and your Easter experiences in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach
Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
“The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.” (Matthew 27:62-66)
Today is Holy Saturday, the day Christ was absent from us in the tomb and the whole world waited in hope and expectation and wondered what would happen next.
What will happen next for you?
We have spent 40 days of Lent together, 47 days including the Sundays, We spent this time reflecting, repenting, discerning our walk with Christ, praying, fasting, giving up things, taking on things, reading Lent devotions, “Fixing our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2) preparing ourselves for Easter to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and joining in His resurrection. We deepened our understanding that “We are not our own and that we were bought at a price and that we are therefore to glorify God with our bodies.” (1 Cor 6:19-20)
So why did you do all of it?
What is the unto?
How have you been changed through it?
If an Easter miracle could happen in your life tomorrow what have you prayerfully asked God for and what would it be?
My family, Easter Sunday Christ wiped your slate clean and gave you a “clean black board”go write the next chapter of your life . I pray you will take time today, to ponder, What will happen next in you obedient following Jesus? Where, what and how you sense He is calling you to rise with Him tomorrow, and walk out your front door as He walked out of the grave, and join our resurrected savior in redeeming the world? In Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends.
Discerning God’s calling and direction to follow him in obedience can be a challenge at times. If you need someone to help you pray about it, simply listen to you as you talk it out loud, or confirm your decision, reach out to me and I will listen and pray with you. Or you may know someone who you trust to pray, listen and talk with you: a pastor, church member, friend, co-worker, family member. I want to encourage you to reach out to them. You will be so glad you did, and Jesus will be as well.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You!
Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy..
Good morning, Lord Jesus. On this Good Friday, we remember our Good Shepherd, when You laid down Your life for Your sheep. ...
"Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull).... And they crucified him.... When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' which means, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'... Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed His last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing Him, saw that in this way He breathed His last, he said, 'Truly this man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:22-39)
Jesus, We truly have no idea of the suffering You endured for each one of us. For as much as we can take at a time, we begin to imagine the physical suffering and the emotional suffering you endured as You hung naked and rejected by the nails driven into Your hands and feet, gasping for breath and dripping with blood from Your shredded skin and nerves. But we can't even begin to comprehend the spiritual suffering You endured as the One who knew no sin became sin on our behalf, when You willingly took upon Yourself all the sins of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In that moment, bearing the full weight of our sins, the full weight of my sins, You were separated from the holiness of God, so that we would never have to be separated from the holiness of God.. In unimaginable anguish of spirit, You cried out to the Father in the most heart-wrenching cry of all eternity, as the Lamb of God took away the sins of the world by taking them on to Yourself in the passion of the cross, determined before the foundation of the world and prophesied long before the coming of that day (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53).
Carrying our sins, You descended into hell on our behalf to break the power of hell over our lives (Acts 2:31; 1 Peter 3:18-22 and 4:6). But hell couldn't hold You because Satan had nothing in You and no power over You (John 14:30). "Through death, (You defeated) the one who has the power of death, that is, Satan himself, and freed those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death" (Hebrews 2:14).
What an incomprehensible price You paid for each one of us. We may never fully comprehend for all eternity the depth of Your suffering for our sins so that we could dwell forever in the depths of Your love in the intimate presence of our holy God. But on this holy day, we stand amazed at the foot of the cross and in the Presence of God. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, a family born out of the blood of the cross., I pray you take time on the journey to the joy of celebrating the resurrection of Christ to think on the suffering of Jesus and be filled with knowledge of the truth of how much God loves you and suffered for you to always be with you. Offer to Christ the idols, attitudes, behaviors and things you need to die from and place them on His cross, In Jesus name. Please pray the same for me. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.
IF you are in the Madison/Huntsville area, and your church does not have Holy Week service of Good Friday, or you would like to experience something different, here is info on our Good Friday Stations of the Cross service we hold outdoors at Indian Creek Greenway. We use a contemporary, interactive version of the Stations of The Cross. ALL our welcomed! For questions or more information please email me at garyl@onedirection.community. Or post it in comments box below.
Friday, April 3rd, 6:00pm-7:30pm, Good Friday Service: This service remembers God’s loving and redeeming the world through the passion and the saving works of the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Gathering will be held outdoors at Indian Creek Greenway located in Creekwood Park off Slaughter Road in Madison just north of the Farrow Rd / Slaughter Rd intersection. 392 Harvest Wood Ct.Huntsville, AL 35806. We will be outside and walking wear comfortable shoes and dress appropriately for the weather that evening.
Please share you reflections on Good Friday throughout your day in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach
Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Us Help Them
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I journey with You this Holy Week when we remember Your journey to the cross, help me listen and see all You're showing me, as I take up my cross and follow You.
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, 'Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord'" (Matthew 23:37-39).
Jesus, when You came into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey in deep humility, the crowds waived their palm branches and declared You were the Messiah, the Son of David, coming as King, declaring "Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!" (v. 21:6-10). But You already knew in your heart that in a short week's time, those same crowds who are now welcoming and loving you would soon be despising you and crying out for Your crucifixion on a cross, rejecting Your words and rejecting You as their Messiah (v. 27:20-23). And You knew in Your heart Jerusalem would be destroyed, as a city divided in her heart and denying her Savior (v. 24:1-2).
Yet, even so, You would continue to love her and seek to gather her together again in hope, fulfilling the ancient prophecies of the restoration of Israel and the salvation of Jerusalem at the end of the age (Zechariah 12:1-11). And on that day that will seem like all the nations of the earth are about to finally destroy Jerusalem and all she represents, the crowds of Jerusalem will look up to heaven, to the return of her Messiah, "the One whom they have pierced," in mourning and repentance to declare, "Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord" (Zechariah 12:10).
We are no better than the crowds who cried out for Your crucifixion because it was our sins as well as theirs that nailed You to the cross, You continue to cry out for us every day/ And because of Your sacrifice of love, "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13).
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for never giving up on us, for never giving up on me! You are the blessed One who comes in the name of the Lord (Psalm 118:26). You are the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world. Despite the sins of our souls and the unfaithfulness of our hearts, You never give up on us. Your steadfast love never comes to an end (Lamentations 3:22).
So let me be part of that crowd, from every generation, saved by Your grace, from the cross to the second coming of Christ, who cries out to You, "Blessed in the One who comes in the name of the Lord." In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray as we draw deep into Holy Weeki with.Maunday Thursday tomorrow, you cry out in your heart to Jesus, "Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord." May you hear and see all the Lord desires to show you on this Holy Week journey to the cross. In Jesus’s name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
Holy Week Service
IF you are in the Madison/Huntsville area, and your church does not have Holy Week service of Good Friday, here is info on our Good Friday Stations of the Cross service we hold outdoors at Indian Creek Greenway. We use a contemporary, interactive version of the Stations of The Cross. ALL our welcomed! For questions or more information please email me at garyl@onedirection.community. Or post it in comments box below.Holy Week Services
Friday, April 3rd, 6:00pm-7:30pm, Good Friday Service: This service remembers God’s loving and redeeming the world through the passion and the saving works of the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Gathering will be held outdoors at Indian Creek Greenway located in Creekwood Park off Slaughter Road in Madison just north of the Farrow Rd / Slaughter Rd intersection. 392 Harvest Wood Ct.Huntsville, AL 35806. We will be outside and walking wear comfortable shoes and dress appropriately for the weather that evening.
SUNDAY, April 5th : EASTER SUNDAY GATHERING AND POT LUCK LUNCH: 11:00am. Easter Sunday is the greatest day of Christianity when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ!! Our Easter Gathering, weather permitting, will take place in the Liederbach’s back yard. We will start our service at 11:00am. Following the service, we will share together a pot-lock lunch to toast and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus! Start thinking what amazing dish you will bring and share!
ATTENTION: Theere is a high forcast for rain Easter Sunday.. If weather is bad, we will hold our Easter Gathering in the Cathedral Circle. Community Center located at 1310 Cathedral Circle, Madison, Al 35758
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit and make me more like You today.
"While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it He broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.' Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks He gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out fro many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom' " (Matthew 26:26-29).
As we prepare to celebrate the Hebrew feast of Passover, You are our Passover Lamb. You are "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" by the pouring out of Your precious blood upon the cross (John 1:29). You are the fulfillment of the prophetic act of the first Passover, when death passed over the Hebrew people who took the blood of the unblemished lamb and anointed the doorways of their home, just as You call us to anoint the doorways of our hearts with Your blood (Exodus 12:1-28).
The first Passover and every Festival of Passover, celebrated in remembrance of the provision of God, is a foreshadow of things to come, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:16). So as I remember the Passover, I'm remembering the last Passover, the Last Supper, You celebrated with Your disciples during that Holy Week on the night You were betrayed and gave up Yourself for us.
Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your gift of Your Body and Your Blood, given and poured out for me. In You, death passes over me and the fullness of life forevermore floods my soul. "Those who believe in Me, even though they die, yet will they live" (John 11:25). Thank You for Your sacrifice of love that takes away the sins of the world, and even more personally, Your sacrifice of love that takes away my sins. Today I remember You and behold the Passover Lamb of God. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you may behold the Passover Lamb of God and all the fullness of life God the Father has provided for you through God the Son. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.communityFacebook: One Direction Community-ODC
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning my family,
Yesterday was Palm Sunday and we began the time called Holy Week in the church. It is my favorite week in the year. We remember the last week of Christ’s life before his resurrection. It contains so many powerful events, examples, and expressions of God’s love for us as demonstrated in the life of Christ. It starts tomorrow with Palm Sunday and Jesus’s entrance into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Jesus’s cleansing of the temple. The institution of the first Lord’s Supper. Jesus washing the disciples feet. Jesus’s final teaching to his disciples in the upper room. The betrayal by Judas. Jesus prayer and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. His trials before the Sanhedrin, Pilot and Herod. Jesus’ scourging, and crucifixion, and finally, resurrection.
I know I am preaching to myself with all I have to do with getting ready for all the upcoming events this week, but I want to encourage you to try to make this week different. Try to slow down. Read through a passion narrative in one of the four Gospels each day. Commit yourself to Fast and pray as often as you can this week. Try to “Fast” as much as you can from social media, TV, video games and other Apps and spend that time in prayer. Serve and do acts of mercy at The House Of The Harvest, Manna house, Downtown Rescue Mission, or other outreaches into your community. This is a reason why ODC holds and I invite you to participate in our Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services before Easter Sunday to help reinforce this week is different and set aside extra time for something we need to do more of, time in collective prayer together. I know many of you do not attend ODC, so please attend your churches or another in your communities Holy Week observation gatherings.
Pray over One Direction Community, (and your church and their vision) that we can press forward with our vision of Loving God, Loving Neighbors, and Making disciples through our House Churches. Share your testimony and the Gospel at least once a day with others. Prayer walk more this week seeking new people of peace to invite into existing, and start up new house churches. Invite people to our (your) Holy Week gatherings. If for some reason you are still not in a Band Group, (an accountability group) make it a priority to start one this week. Pray we can more deeply develop a heartbeat for those who are not yet here, rather than those who are here. That is why God sent His Son, that all may be saved by his suffering and resurrection of grace.
My family, I pray today you will intentionally commit to refocusing your heart, your free time, and dates on your calendar for next week and remove distractions and include Holy Week gatherings, times of service and sharing the Gospel, and time in Word and prayer. In Jesus’ name. PLEASE pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
I love you all,
Gary Liederbach
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please begin 2018 by a commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Through Your Body and Your Blood, make me one with You, one with Your Body of Christ, and one in ministry to all the world until I feast with You at Your heavenly banquet in final victory.
"Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.... Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off His outer robe, and tied a towel around Himself. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around Him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, 'Lord, are You going to wash my feet?' Jesus answered, 'You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.' Peter said to Him, 'You will never wash my feet.' Jesus answered, 'Unless I wash you, you have no share with Me.' Simon Peter said to Him, 'Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!' Jesus said to him, 'One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.' For He knew who was to betray Him; for this reason He said, 'Not all of you are clean' " (John 13:1-11).
Lord Jesus, though You are One with Father and One with the Holy Spirit, You set aside the glory of Heaven to humble Yourself in the likeness of human flesh and blood. And before You humbled Yourself to be betrayed and rejected and crucified by the human flesh and blood You created, You humbled Yourself to wash the dirty, smelly, unclean feet of Your disciples. No wonder Peter could hardly bear the thought of his Messiah, the Son of God, down on His knees washing his feet.
Lord Jesus, help me grasp the humility of Your nature. Though You are the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the exact image and very Word of God, with all power and authority in Your hands, You would humble Yourself with Your holy hands to wash the dirty feet of human flesh.
Your disciples couldn't fully understand what we still have trouble fully understanding as Your disciples today that You are our example in every way. Just as You laid down Your life for Your friends as an example of Your love, we are to lay down our lives in sacrificial love for one another. Just as You washed their feet as an example of Your humility, we "ought to wash one another's feet" (v. 14). "Servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If (we) know these things, (we) are blessed if (we) do them" (v. 16).
Lord, help me learn and embrace Your example. You are my "Teacher and Lord" (v. 13). Help me learn to follow in Your steps as Your disciple. Though You've made me clean though Your sacrifice on the cross, you created my hands to get dirty, as I continue Your ministry of humility and love. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you will be filled with the humility and love of Jesus today, as you follow Him as your example. I pray that you will intentionally set aside a time this weekend to get your “hands dirty” in ministry through real contact in the real lives of people around you. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and questions in the comment box below.
Help Us Help Them!
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758. You can mail your donation to One Direction Community P.O. Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758
Thank You!
Discipleship Training.
One of my passions is helping churches or small groups understand and embrace their call to be disciples of Jesus in their community. I offer and lead discipleship trainings in person and on-line. If you are interested I would love to talk to you bout it. Email me at garyl@onedirection.community.
Would you like to receive my morning devotion blog?
Email your name and email address to garyl@onedirection.community and I will add you to my ODC Daily Message distribution list to receive an email of these reflection every weekday morning.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Father, Son and Spirit, as I begin to move and breath at the start of a new week, create in me a clean heart…
“And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” (Luke 22:14-15)
Jesus, at the beginning of the Lord's Supper says to those around him, "And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." v.15. Jesus in complete love earnestly desired to be with and pour into the lives of those around him. And he earnestly desires to be with you. A good question for each of us to honestly discern this Lent is, "What do I earnestly desire?" “What is it that you earnestly desire in life?” The answer to that question is incredibly important because what you desire will control the one thing that controls everything else in your life; your heart.
What is Lent? At Jesus' baptism the sky was violently torn open, the Spirit of God descended like a dove and landed on Jesus, and a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, My Beloved, with whom I am pleased." Afterward, as told in Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus was sent, literally driven into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. There he fasted and prayed for 40 days. During his time there he pressed deep into the Holy Spirit so when he was tempted by Satan, he had the power, found clarity and strength to resist temptation. After his 40 days of prayer, he was ready to begin his ministry and announce for people to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Lent is a 40 day period before we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus when we set aside 40 days to more intentionally focus on prayer, repentance, pressing into the Holy Spirit, and discerning clarity of our lives and ministries. Maybe you needed some time with God to sort through the major changes happening in your life. Maybe you need to set time away from family, friends and your familiar routine in order to see God more clearly. Perhaps you want some intentional time with God to search for direction and answers of your calling. Like Jesus, we need to take some serious time to pray and listen for God.
The Spirit moves me to spend time meditating and reflection more on Lent and our need to set aside time to fast, pray, repent, and spend time in the Word.
My family, I pray this morning you will set aside a block of time and be bold enough to ask the Holy Spirit to help you honestly reflect on the questions, What are the things I am desiring now that are controlling my heart? “What do you Jesus earnestly desire in me?” In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You today.
“Then Jesus went out and made his way, as he customarily did, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him…He went away from them about a stoneʼs throw, knelt down, and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will but yours be done.” (Luke 22:39-40)
In humility of heart, I want to willingly choose to be desperately dependent upon You alone. Set me free from my selfishness and self-centeredness, from my insistence upon my independence apart from Your wisdom and authority in my life. Forgive me for my pride that says I'll do it my way, instead of Your way and demands my will instead of trusting Your will. Give a heart that honestly says, "not my will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42).
You are the God who "leads the humble in what is right and teaches the humble (Your) way" (Psalm 25:9). You are the God who "adorns the humble with victory" (Psalm 149:4). And it's to the humble You grant Your favor and Your blessings (Proverbs 3:34). And Your Word says, "God resists the proud, but give grace to the humble.... Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James 4:6-10).
God, I admit I need a more humble heart. In you Holy Spirit, help me have the courage to boldly entrust my heart into Your hands and commit my will to Your will today as I begin my week, and every day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you may you experience the blessings and favor of God, and seek his will to be done in you life. I pray you humble your heart in His sight and allow Him to lift you up and lead your life, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Give A Gift!
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Fill my cup this morning Father.
“The people also stood there watching, but the rulers ridiculed him, saying, “He saved others. Let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, his chosen one!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!” (Luke 23:35-37)
Jesus, the irony in the statement “Let him save himself” is that salvation did come, but later, not while on the cross. It was not by the avoidance or removal of suffering that God’s would show His love, but through suffering that God’s plan of salvation and love would be manifested.
Jesus, remind me of my call to suffer for your kingdom and out of love for my neighbors. Your Word says, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29) It is ok for me to ask for the suffering to be removed, Jesus you did in the garden. However, it is not ok for me to use whether the suffering has been removed or not as a measure of God’s love for me. Just like Jesus, sometimes my salvation and sanctification does not come by the avoidance or removal of suffering, but through the suffering.
If I surround myself with everyone who agrees with me and likes me, my character and formation as a person will not grow. If I am never tested by something that tries to knock me off my feet, how will I learn to stand firm? I would rather be sent to an elaborate buffet and feast, and I like to pray that way. However, it is in the gym that I am strengthened, so help me to pray that way. As difficult as it is in my will, and despite how “tough I may talk the talk,” help me “walk the walk” and to rejoice in my suffering.
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:2-5)
My family, I pray you embrace the fact that if we have a savior who God demonstrated His love through His suffering, that He will demonstrate His love through you in the same way. I pray as counter to your flesh as it sounds, you will embrace that it is sometimes through suffering, not the removal of suffering, that your walk with Christ will lead you. In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Give A Gift
I could use you’re the gift of your financial support for my family and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, 102 Champions Green Drive, Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
COLOSSIANS 3:1–3 since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of god. set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in god.
As we seek to surrender and build our lives as an altar to God this Lent, we need to create mental space and set our minds on Christ. We can have the most beautiful chapels for worship and our homes can have the most serene devotional space, but if we our “not right in our heads”, if our minds are not set, we can be like the Israelites wandering in the desert. In our passage, Paul wrote to the Colossians to encourage them. They were distracted by noise of the world, and he told them to set their hearts and their minds on things above. The definition of the word set in the original language gives us a little more insight. To set means to direct one’s mind or to seek. In other words, this is not a passive activity.
Setting our minds on the things above can be easier said than done. As we seek to move deeper into Christ during this Lenten season, we may need to make two changes: reset and replace. First, let’s reset. Creating mental space might mean physically moving to a space that is more conducive for your mind to focus. Jesus would often leave the crowds and the activity of the town to pray alone. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). He had to reset by physically leaving a place to mentally create space.
Second, let’s replace. Creating mental space might mean replacing what is normal in our routine for a different activity. We may need to replace something that is trivial with something that is meaningful. Replace something that is draining with something that is filling. What is taking up your mental space today? The world is not lacking for things that can distract us and drain us, but we have a choice to reset and replace so that our time can be offered to the Lord.
What is the noise in your life that distracts you? How does the physical space you create help provide time for mental space? A re there any changes you can make in your life today that give more time for God?
My family, I pray the voice of Jesus may be the only clear voice in your heads today. I pray you choose to set your mind on the good news of Christ so you can set your heart and mind on Jesus the Christ, in Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections on change with us in the comments box below.
Resolve to Help in 206
I want to ask you to resolve this year in partnering with my wife, myself, and One Direction Community by supporting our ministries! We begin a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this. If you click on the link below you can easily set up a weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly auto donations in the amount you desire. . We would be so grateful for your help. You can also give a one-time donation on the same link. Thank you!
CLICK HERE TO GIVE
You can mail your donation to One Direction Community P.O. Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758
Discipleship Training.
One of my passions is helping churches or small groups understand and embrace their call to be disciples of Jesus in their community. I offer and lead discipleship trainings in person and on-line. If you are interested I would love to talk to you bout it. Email me at garyl@onedirection.community.
Would you like to receive my morning devotion blog?
Email your name and email address to garyl@onedirection.community and I will add you to my ODC Daily Message distribution list to receive an email of these reflection every weekday morning.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in Your steps.
"(Jesus) called the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, 'If any want to become My followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.' And He said to them, 'Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power'" (Mark 8:34-9:1).
You called Your first disciples to "take up their cross" even before You took up Yours. And now that You've taken up Yours, You call every disciple who chooses to follow You to do the same.
We are in the season of Lent which is a season of reflecting on your saving works on the cross. It is a season to discern how we need to re-orientate our lives as cr0ss-bearers for You, so we can re-connect with You and Your resurrection. Lord Jesus, give me the courage to take up my cross and follow You. Give me the grace to willingly, obediently, and joyfully choose to lose my life for Your sake and for the sake of Your gospel. May I do my part in my generation to see Your kingdom come with power -- here in my heart and here in my world -- today and every day until You come again in the glory of the Father with the holy angels.
Let these words be true of me as they were of Your disciple Paul: "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is not longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:19-20). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family I pray you will find great joy and fulfillment in your journey with Jesus by taking up your cross, losing your life for His sake, and following Him into all He has for in your life. May you carry the glory of His name in your heart into your world, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
I could use your financial support reaching with the gospel those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, here with me now and in every moment of my day.
"For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard" (Isaiah 52:12).
You're the God who goes before me. You're the God who comes behind me. You're the God who's always with me, even within me--never leaving me, never forsaking me, but forever seeing me, knowing me, and understanding me, even with all my quirks and needs, even with all my sins and failures. You're the God who created me and loves me and has plans for me that will come to pass, all in Your way and all in Your time. You are God and You are good and You are a good God to me.
So I don't have to worry about what lies ahead, and I don't have to worry about what's left behind. You've already been there, just like You'll always be there. My part is to simply trust in You and embrace Your mercy and love for me. As I do, there's joy in the journey and anticipation in the adventure; there's peace in every step and there's hope in every challenge. You've already gone before me and You remind me every day it's a good place You've prepared and set before me (John 14:1-3).
Im honor of St. Patrick’s Day here is f one of my favorite, ancient prayers, St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer. The term breastplate refers to a piece of armor that covers the heart worn in battle. I also reflect on how you can only wear one suit of armor. In order to put on God’s armor, we must first remove our personal armors of pride, jealousy, self-reliance, self- competency, materialism, and others things we attach to us and clothe ourselves and rely on when we face challenges. In order to put on the breastplate from God, we must first by faith surrender ourselves to God, stand before Him naked, and allow Him to equip us with his armor.
Though recent scholars lean towards the author of this prayer being an anonymous source, I still call it by its traditional name.
My family, I pray today you read this prayer out loud over yourself, your family. and your domain. I pray you surrender your life to God and claim the fullness of this prayer over any challenges and situations that are facing you and claim the breastplate in any battles you face, in Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends.
Sant Patrick’s Breastplate Prayer
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.
I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.
I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.
I arise today, through
The strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.
I arise today, through
God's strength to pilot me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.
I summon today
All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and merciless power
that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul;
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.
Please share your thoughts and experiences on fasting in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website: https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You!
CLICK HERE TO GIVE
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I speak out Your name and listen for the leading of Your Holy Spirit, here in the embrace of my heavenly Father. ...
As I woke this morning, I thought of the cross. I thought of Your suffering and sacrifice, Your mercy and love. I thought of Your holy humiliation that our human minds can't begin to comprehend as You cried out from the cross, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46). And then these words came to my heart: "Astonished Silence."
Your Spirit brought to mind the silence of heaven when You opened the seventh seal in the Apostle John's Revelation.
“When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake" (Revelation 8:1-5)”.
It was the same on the day of Your death at the cross: "Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed His last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split" (Matthew 27:50-51).
Every prophecy is ultimately fulfilled in You, as are "all the Scriptures" of the Word of God (Luke 24:27). You are the very Word of God, the Word made flesh (John 1:14). And this morning, I see a parallel in this prophecy of Revelation and a partial fulfillment--one in the eternal realm of heaven with the Lamb of God who stands at the throne and one in the historical realm of earth with the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And in my heart I hear, "Astonished Silence."
In the midst of the earthquakes and darkness on that holy day of Your sacrifice and death at the cross, and in the midst of the ultimate judgments that must come upon the earth and upon those who would reject Your mercy and love, I sense the "astonished silence" of heaven. With all of heaven, I'm astonished that God would die for me, astonished that the fury of hell and the mercy of heaven could meet on the cross all at once, It is both cruel and beautiful, at a moment in time on this earth but forever timeless in the eternity of heaven. And I am astonished that all will not humble their hearts to receive all You've done for us at such a cost. With the silence of heaven, I am astonished at Your sacrifice of love and I have no words to express. ...
As I ponder these thoughts in my heart this morning, I can hardly speak at all. I simply say, Thank You, Lord Jesus….. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family,I pray you experience the mercy and love of the One who sacrificed so much for you at the cross--at once, both cruel and beautiful, yet necessary for the salvation of your soul and mine, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
I want to encourage you to join me by also sharing with us your thoughts, comments, reflections, and prayers you received from today’s reading in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/Toney UMC
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
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Thank You!
Good morning, Lord Jesus. I worship You and welcome You, here in my heart and every moment of my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
"When it was evening, He took His place with the twelve; and while they were eating, He said, 'Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me.' And they became greatly distressed and began to say to Him one after another, 'Sure not I, Lord?' He answered, 'The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.' Judas, who betrayed Him, said, 'Surely not I, Rabbi?' He replied, 'You have said so'" (Matthew 26:20-25).
Sometimes I wonder what happened to Judas. Did he get too close to the money? (John 6:29) With his hand in Your bowl, did he become presumptuous of his access to Your greatness or begin to take his invitation to Your intimacy and his acceptance of Your grace for granted? Did being one of the “Big Twelve” give him the big head? Or did the seeds of sin and self-seeking sown into his fallen soul finally grow to full harvest in his heart of betrayal? In any event, somehow Satan himself entered his soul to consume his thoughts and influence his choices (Luke 22:3).
You know every choice we will ever make, seeing the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end (Isaiah 46:10). You know every heart and every motive of every choice (Acts 1:24; Jeremiah 17:10). Yet, the choices are ours in the freedom of will that a true relationship of love requires (Joshua 14:15; Deuteronomy 30:14-15; John 7:17).
And what if Judas had made better choices with all that was entrusted to him? Surely Your Word was true of him as It is with us all: "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope" (Jeremiah 29:11). "As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live" (Ezekiel 33:11).
Judas was not born a traitor, but he "became a traitor" (Luke 6:16). And by the time it was time for Judas to choose blessing or curse, life or death, "the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray (You)" (John 13:2). In the end, "Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place" (Acts 1:25).
But what if instead of becoming "the one destined to be lost," Judas would have humbled himself in repentance and faith, seeking Your healing and freedom of all that would hold him back of being a faithful follower instead of a condemned traitor (John 17:12)? His confession and repentance came too late when finally acknowledged, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood!" (Matthew 27:3) What if he could have become a son of God instead of the "son of perdition" (John 17:12)? What if he was to spill out his heart to lead others to Christ instead of spilling out his guts after hanging himself on a tree (Matthew 27:5; Acts 1:18)? What if even the Book of Jude could have been the Book of Judas, sharing words of encouragement and exhortation from a life that was changed and surrendered to God to fulfill a destiny to honor Christ (Jude 1)?
You are "longsuffering” toward us (all), not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). So before I judge Judas for the speck in his eye, give me a humble and teachable heart to see the log in my own eye (Matthew 7:5). Let me "judge not," so that by the measure I judge I will not also be judged and that very thing come up me (Matthew 7:1). Let me never take my grace for granted or presume upon my place of intimacy with You. Convict me of my sins and keep me sensitive in my heart to the leading of Your Spirit, so that it's never too late to choose well and live well in the destiny You desire for me (Ephesians 1:11). By the power of Your grace, may I grow to be much more like Jesus than Judas (Romans 8:29). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray you you will honestly and openly confess, repent, and be restored of any sin that is festering inside you. I pray you will seek God’s grace and forgiveness and then seek to grow in the grace of God to become more like Jesus every day, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers to this blog in the comment box below.
Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower
One Direction Community/
Email: garyl@onedirection.community
Website:https://www.onedirection.community
Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC
I could use your financial support as I seek to relationally reach with the Gospel those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.
Thank You!
