Ministries

Chain of Lakes Videos

Select a link below to view recent past videos of worship services. For all past worship services go to https://vimeo.com/chainoflakes/videos Don’t forget to also check out Pastor Paul’s blog

June 29, 2025
“Twisted Scriptures” – Homosexuality is a Sin

June 22, 2025
“Twisted Scriptures” – Women Shouldn’t be Preachers

June 15, 2025
Guest Preacher Rev. Gary Hanson – “Suffering”

June 8, 2025
Pentecost, and “Twisted Scriptures” – Divorce

June 1, 2025
“Twisted Scriptures” – God Won’t Give Me More Than I Can Handle

May 25, 2025
“Twisted Scriptures” – God Helps Those Who Help Themselves

May 18, 2025
Youth Sunday

May 11, 2025
Mother’s Day

May 4, 2025
“Twisted Scriptures” – Everything Happens for a Reason

April 27, 2025
“Twisted Scriptures” – Only Christians Go to Heaven

April 20, 2025
Easter Sunday

Daily Devotions

Comments about the devotion can be emailed to pastor@colpres.org

Daily Devotions July 14 - 19, 2025

Monday, July 14
Psalm 23:1-3
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
This week we are going to look at what the Scriptures say about shepherds; more importantly we’ll examine how the task of a shepherd can teach us about God and our own relationship to God.
The phrase “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want” might be the most well-known phrase in the entire Bible. If you asked someone to complete the sentence, “The Lord is my shepherd, _____” most people could probably do that. Ask someone who is close to you this week if they could fill in that blank.
Thinking of God as a shepherd is a wonderful way to look at God. The writer of this Psalm, most likely David, shared the spiritual tasks of a shepherd.
[The shepherd] leads each of us beside still waters,
Restores our soul,
Leads each of us in the right path.
Thinking of God as a shepherd is a metaphor. We could think of other professions today that would be like the meaning of “The Lord is my Shepherd.”
We might say, “The Lord is a computer programmer who has designed me.”
“The Lord is a teacher who guides me in the right way.”
“The Lord is a social worker, looking to meet the needs that I have.”
What other professions can you think of that would be similar to a shepherd? Please share.

Tuesday, July 15
Genesis 4:1-2
Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.” Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground.
One of the first characters in the Bible, Abel, was identified as someone who took care of sheep. Abel was a shepherd.
In addition to Abel, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and David were identified as shepherds. As we’ll read later this week, Jesus identified himself as a Good Shepherd.
Some women were identified as shepherds. Rachel was described as a person who was keeping sheep. Genesis 29:9 Zipporah, wife of Moses was described, along with her six sisters, as people who were watering their father’s sheep. Exodus 2:16.
Pastors are sometimes identified as shepherds. One of the tasks of a pastor is to develop their “flock.”
Sheep were quite independent. They often ran away from their flock regardless of the danger that the sheep might encounter. A sheep was not going to automatically follow the directions of a shepherd.
Who do you know, male or female, who has the qualities of a shepherd? This person is always willing to help people that they know. The person might be willing to share spiritual insight at an important time.
Please share.

Wednesday, July 16
Ezekiel 34:1-6
The word of the Lord came to me:Mortal, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: To the shepherds—thus says the Lord God: Woe, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat; you clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatted calves, but you do not feed the sheep. You have not strengthened the weak; you have not healed the sick; you have not bound up the injured; you have not brought back the strays; you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with no one to search or seek for them.
God told Ezekiel to prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. These shepherds were not identified because of their work task. These shepherds were spiritual leaders of Israel. They had been feeding themselves and had not been feeding the people. Ezekiel 34:2
Jesus was often critical of the religious leaders of his time. In his criticism Jesus was implying that these leaders had not functioned well as a spiritual shepherd.
As we read on Monday, God is our shepherd. God is always looking after us. God will tend to our needs and help us at significant moments.
Do you think of God as a shepherd? Do you think of your spiritual leaders as shepherds? Please share.

Thursday, July 17
Luke 2:8-20
Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them, and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.
Right after Jesus was born, God chose the shepherds as the first people to receive this message. We’re not told why God chose the shepherds to share this news. After the angel Gabriel told the shepherds that Jesus was going to be born, the shepherds went themselves to Bethlehem to see Jesus.
God didn’t have to choose the shepherds to be the first group of people to whom God shared the news that Jesus was born.
When the shepherds understood what the angel Gabriel was saying, they didn’t sit back and go about their business. They wanted to see for themselves what the angel Gabriel had described.
Often the shepherds in this story are described as lowly. But no where in this story do we read that the shepherds were lowly.
After the shepherds met Jesus they left glorifying and praising God. Luke 2:20. The shepherds were a living example of people who had would follow the directions of God.
What does it mean to you that through an angel God first told the shepherds that Jesus was born? Please share.

Friday, July 18
Luke 15:1-7
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
In this chapter Luke shared three stories of a person going out of the person’s way to help an object or a person who was lost. The chapter begins with a shepherd leaving ninety-nine sheep to find the one sheep who was lost.
The chapter goes on to share the story of a father who went out of his way to welcome his son, who had previously been in shambles.
Jesus also shared a story of a woman who looked all over her house for a lost coin.
When the shepherd found the lost sheep, he didn’t criticize or condemn the sheep who had fallen away from the flock. Instead he wanted to rejoice that the sheep had been found. We can imagine the shepherd having a party with other family members and invited friends celebrating that this sheep had been discovered again.
It is almost startling to read at the end of the story that the ninety-nine sheep who had stayed really didn’t need the shepherd.
The Core Value of Chain of Lakes of “Outward Focus” is based on these stories that Jesus shared in Luke 15. When this value is live out all the people who are in the church will go out of their way to find someone who is not involved in the church. The people on the inside of the congregation will not become upset at all the emphasis on people who were outsiders. When an outsider connects to a congregation, the people will rejoice.
What are your thoughts about this? Please share.

Saturday, July 19
John 10:11-21
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
Again the Jews were divided because of these words. Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?” Others were saying, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Jesus identified himself as the Good Shepherd. In this chapter he described what it meant to him to be the good shepherd.
Jesus had a deep connection to his flock. He was not going to run away from his flock when life became scary. A hired hand would run away because the connection between a hired hand and the sheep was financial. When the hired hand could not make money the hired hand would run away.
But the good shepherd would not run away.
Try praying to God through the good shepherd. Address God as the good shepherd. Notice your own feelings when you describe Jesus as the good shepherd.
What are your thoughts about Jesus being the Good Shepherd? Please share.

Daily Devotions July 7 - July 12, 2025

Monday, July 7
Matthew 25:31-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You who are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.”
This week we will explore the idea of “the common good.” Pursuing and achieving the common good is one way that people can love God and love country together.
Jesus never used the term “common good,” but in his teachings he consistently communicated the common good. In fact the common good is an important vision of Jesus for the world.
This vision is more than one where every person becomes his disciple. His vision is communicated in this story from Matthew where Jesus taught that whatever we do to the least of the community we do it directly to him. The poor are not objects of scorn; instead the poor are the actual representation of Jesus.
HOPE for the Community is one organization in the community who treats the poor and hungry as if they are Jesus. Every Thursday in Blaine they share high quality and nutritious food with hundreds of people.
Have you had an experience of serving at HOPE for the Community? How has that experience been an expression of this story? Or have you had an experience of serving the poor? Please share.

Tuesday, July 8
Micah 6:6-8
“With what shall I come before the Lord
    and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O mortal, what is good,
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
    and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah was an Old Testament prophet who spoke out during the last quarter of the eighth century (BC) when Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings of Israel. The name Micah means “who is like the Lord.”
The book of Micah is not long—only seven chapters. If you have twenty minutes, read the entire book.
In the sixth chapter Micah shares a compelling vision of the common good. He asked the question of whether God would be pleased with a sacrifice of thousands of rams, or ten thousands of rivers or special oil, or even the sacrifice of a child.
These would appear to be special sacrifices.
But no—God did not desire this quantity of sacrifice. Instead God desired that followers “do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God.” The common good happens because people live out this verse.
HOPE 4 Youth is one organization who gives people the opportunity to live out this verse. HOPE 4 Youth is the only organization in the Twin Cities whose sole purpose is to help homeless youth. HOPE 4 Youth is an organization that is contributing to the common good.
Have you had an experience of serving at HOPE 4 Youth? How has your service reflected these verses in Micah? Please share.

Wednesday, July 9
Amos 5:18-24
Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!
    Why do you want the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, not light,
as if someone fled from a lion
    and was met by a bear
or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall
    and was bitten by a snake.
Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light,
    and gloom with no brightness in it?
I hate, I despise your festivals,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them,
and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals
    I will not look upon.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
    I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
But let justice roll down like water
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Like Micah, Amos lived in the eighth century (BC). Amos spoke out during the reigns of two kings, Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel. Not many details are known about the life of Amos. The book of Amos shares that the home of Amos was the village of Tekoa in the Judean hills south of Bethlehem.
These words from Amos are another startling example of how God views the common good.
Amos shared that God was tired of the people’s festivals and worship, and offerings. God did not want to hear the people’s worship. Instead, God wanted justice to roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:24)
Justice and righteousness are important parts of the common good.
One organization who lives out justice and righteousness is Stepping Stone. Stepping Stone runs the only homeless shelter in the suburban Twin Cities. The only one!
Most of the time when a resident leaves Stepping Stone that person goes to stable housing. That is making an impact and contributing to the common good!
Have you had an experience of serving at Stepping Stone? How has your service reflected these verses in Amos? Please share.

Thursday, July 10
Isaiah 61:1-11
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me
    because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
    to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and release to the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
    to comfort all who mourn,
to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
    they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
    the devastations of many generations.
Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks;
    foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines,
but you shall be called priests of the Lord;
    you shall be named ministers of our God;
you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations,
    and in their riches you shall glory.
Because their shame was double
    and dishonor was proclaimed as their lot,
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
    everlasting joy shall be theirs.
For I, the Lord, love justice,
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
    and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their descendants shall be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge
    that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
    my whole being shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its shoots
    and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
    to spring up before all the nations.
This chapter shares a picture of the common good. Read this chapter through more than once. It’s worth spending time thinking deeply about the message of this chapter.
When Jesus began his ministry in a synagogue he read these words from Isaiah. After Jesus read the words, he said that they had been fulfilled. Jesus and the values he represented were the fulfillment of Isaiah 61. (Luke 4:16-21).
Does a phrase in Isaiah 61 especially speak to you? Please share.
One organization who lives out the message of Isaiah 61 is Threshold to New Life, led by Richard Bahr. They help bridge the gaps in the life of low-income people. Their web site is threshold2newlife.org.
They run a soup kitchen at a Salvation Army near Target Field. At that soup kitchen homeless people who actually live outdoors are fed. This soup kitchen is helping the common good become a reality.
Have you an experience of serving at this soup kitchen or perhaps even another soup kitchen? How has the experience been an expression of Isaiah 61? Please share.

Friday, July 11
Deuteronomy 30:11-20
“Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.
“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall certainly perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him, for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
These words were given by Moses to the Israelites shortly before Moses died. Read all ten verses—taken together they share a powerful vision of the common good. They even give practical ways to live out the common good. In verse 20 we read that people can choose life and live out the common good by loving God, obeying God, and holding fast to God.
One organization that lives out the value of life is River Trail Learning Center. It is a full day Special Education Setting Level IV Program for students K-12.
River Trail Learning Center is a partner with Chain of Lakes Church. The congregation helped sponsor a barbeque for their staff this past year. In the past the people of Chain of Lakes have given bags of toiletry items to students at the school.
Did you have an opportunity to share these items with students at River Trail Learning Center? How was your experience of purchasing and sharing these items one of choosing life? Please share.

Saturday, July 12
Jeremiah 22:1-5
Thus says the Lord: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, and say: Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah sitting on the throne of David—you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place. For if you will indeed obey this word, then through the gates of this house shall enter kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses—they, their servants, and their people. But if you will not heed these words, I swear by myself, says the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.
The prophet Jeremiah lived in the late 7^th century and early 6^th century. He spoke out for justice and righteousness. He spoke out in an especially dangerous time in Israel and Judah. Eventually Jeremiah was killed for what he said.
These verses share what is at stake in being successful in living out the common good. God was saying that if the leaders of Judah lived out justice and righteousness the nation of Judah would thrive, but if the nation did not live out justice and righteousness the nation would be destroyed.
Take a moment to ponder that message!
This week we’ve read about five organizations who live out justice and righteousness and who have a partnership with Chain of Lakes church. What is another organization who you have particularly admired who lives out justice and righteousness? Please share the name and a bit about your own connection to the organization.

Daily Devotions June 30 - July 5, 2025

Monday, June 30
Psalm 139
O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
    O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is so high that I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from your spirit?
    Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
    if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
    and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and night wraps itself around me,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is as bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.
For it was you who formed my inward parts;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
    Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
    all the days that were formed for me,
    when none of them as yet existed.
How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
    I come to the end—I am still with you.
O that you would kill the wicked, O God,
    and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me—
those who speak of you maliciously
    and lift themselves up against you for evil!
Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
    And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
I hate them with perfect hatred;
    I count them my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my thoughts.
See if there is any wicked way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.
As we get ready to hear a sermon series called, “My Favorite Scriptures” this week we’ll read devotions on six important chapters in the Old Testament.
Take some extra time to write out the significant chapters in the Old Testament for you. The exercise is worth your time.
This Psalm starts out, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me.” (Psalm 139:1) The writer of the Psalm then went deep into describing how God knew him (most likely the writer was male) and what impact this knowledge made for his life. Make sure you read all twenty-four verses. This is one of the richest chapters in the Bible. Read these verses slowly, attentively, and carefully.
Pastor Paul has shared a story of a seminary professor saying that if a person read this Psalm every day for thirty days that person’s life would change.
When each of us understands that God knows us completely then we will be encouraged to go deeper in our relationship with God. God knows every part of us. And God loves us. We can’t escape or hide from God.
What difference does it make to you that God knows you so completely? Please share.

Tuesday, July 1
Isaiah 6:1-8
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said, “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”
When Isaiah had this encounter with God in the Temple his life was changed. Isaiah received a vision of God. The vision was awesome and touched Isaiah at the core of his being.
Isaiah encountered holiness at the deepest level. In experiencing this holiness, he realized that he did not compare at all to God. He saw his many flaws. “Woe is me!” he said. “for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 40:5)
Even though Isaiah knew he was fallen in comparison to God, Isaiah knew that God accepted him. Not only that, God commissioned or called Isaiah to be God’s representative.
At the end of this story the seraph or angel reached out and touched Isaiah’s lips with a piece of hot coal. The seraph asked the question who would be God’s representative. Isaiah responded immediately. Isaiah would go!
God does not send perfect people to do God’s work. God sends all of us—even those of us who know how deep our faults and problems are.
Have you had a time in your life that you knew you were supposed to do something? Everything about the task seemed so right. The task might not have been easy, but you knew you had to do it. Please share.

Wednesday, July 2
Isaiah 40:1-8
Comfort, O comfort my people,
    says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
    and cry to her
that she has served her term,
    that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
    double for all her sins.
A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
    and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
    and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    and all flesh shall see it together,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
A voice says, “Cry out!”
    And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass;
    their constancy is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers; the flower fades,
    [when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
    surely the people are grass.
The grass withers; the flower fades,]
    but the word of our God will stand forever.
Many believe that this chapter starts a new section of Isaiah. Some have called this section Second Isaiah. This section goes from chapter 40 to 55.
The people of the nation of Judah had been exiled from their home. They were forced to travel to the nation of Babylon where they would be in slavery.
And the words from God through Isaiah to the people were “Comfort, O comfort my people.” (Isaiah 40:1)
God knew what was happening with the people and reached the people at their greatest need. God was willing to comfort the people.
Some people see the writings of the prophets as God comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable. We see this in this chapter.
Have you had an experience of the comfort of God? Please share.

Thursday, July 3
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a boy,’
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
            says the Lord.”
Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me,
“Now I have put my words in your mouth.
See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”
These words are similar to Psalm 139. God told Jeremiah that God formed Jeremiah and knew him. Jeremiah was consecrated a prophet before he was even born. Jeremiah was created to follow the call of God.
Jeremiah was afraid because he was a young boy—probably a teenager. And as a teenager he had difficulty accepting the significant responsibility that God was giving to him.
Of course, this did not deter God. Do not claim your young age as a disqualification, God essentially told Jeremiah. You will go to where I send you.
Just like in the Isaiah story we read on Tuesday, Jeremiah was touched by God. God touched Jeremiah’s mouth. God told Jeremiah that God would give Jeremiah the words that Jeremiah needed to follow this calling.
Take some time to ponder the six verbs in verse ten. They are quite different and even vast. What do you find significant about them? Please share.

Friday, July 4
Micah 6:6-8
“With what shall I come before the Lord
    and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O mortal, what is good,
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
    and to walk humbly with your God?
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)
This verse is worth committing to memory. It is so significant that it’s worth writing down and then carrying the piece of paper in our pocket.
Micah wanted to know what God wanted from him. This is a question that most people eventually ask. “God, what do you want from me?”
Micah proposed offering a gigantic offering to God. A thousand rams, ten thousand rivers of oil.
God was not interested in the quantity of Micah’s offering. God wanted Micah to live out the 8^th verse.
How does this story touch you? Please share.

Saturday, July 5
Amos 5:18-24
Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!
    Why do you want the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, not light,
as if someone fled from a lion
    and was met by a bear
or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall
    and was bitten by a snake.
Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light,
    and gloom with no brightness in it?
I hate, I despise your festivals,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them,
and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals
    I will not look upon.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
    I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
But let justice roll down like water
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:24)
This verse is very similar to the verse we memorized yesterday. And this verse from Amos is worth committing to memory.
God wasn’t interested in the worship or the gatherings or the offerings that the people were sharing with God. What God wanted was a quality of the people’s heart. God wanted the people to do acts of justice and righteousness. This was most important to God.
At the start of these verses God questioned why the people wanted, “the day of the Lord.” “The day of the Lord” was a dark day of judgment—think of it like some conceptions of the second coming.
God didn’t want people to expect “the day of the Lord.” Instead God wanted people to do acts of justice and righteousness.
What do these verses tell you about God? Please share.

Events

Church Calendar

Please note that the Google calendar is not showing up on iPhones, but will show up on Android devices and all desktop computers (including iMac). Your patience is appreciated while we troubleshoot this issue!

Community Gardens

Chain of Lakes Church is excited to offer a Community Garden Ministry next to the new church building at 2650 125th Ave NE, Blaine, MN 55449. It’s just east of Malmborg’s Garden Center on 125th Ave NE in Blaine or .8 miles east of Radisson Rd on 125th Ave NE, Blaine.