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

March 9, 2025
“Meet Your Bible” – The first five books – the Torah

March 2, 2025
“Everyday Life” – Doubt

February 23, 2025
“Everyday Life” – Anger

February 16, 2025
“Everyday Life” – Grief

February 9, 2025
“Everyday Life” – Anxiety

February 2, 2025
“The Tough Ones” – Who decided what books to include in the Bible?

January 26, 2025
“The Tough Ones” – Why is The Book of Revelation in the Bible?

January 19, 2025
“The Tough Ones” – Are the Old Testament Stories Literal?

January 12, 2025
“The Tough Ones” – Why is God different in the Old Testament compared to the New Testament?

January 5, 2025
“Communion”

December 29, 2024
“The Christmas Story Chapter 1 and Chapter 2” – Guest preacher Heidi Vardeman

Christmas Eve, 2024

Daily Devotions

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

Daily Devotions March 17 - 22, 2025

Monday, March 17
Genesis 1:1-5
When God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
This past Sunday, people at Chain of Lakes had the opportunity to focus on Camp. One powerful part of Camp is being in nature. What a treat it is when we have an experience of God in nature. All of us most likely have had times when we had an experience of the divine when we were in nature.
The Bible talks often about the relationship of God in nature. The story of Genesis 1 reveals how God works in nature. At the start of the story nothing existed. The writer of the story shared that the earth was a formless void. That is another way of saying that nothing existed.
But God brought something out of nothing. God created light. And we know that the light was shining in the darkness. Thinking about light is a way to think about how God brings something out of nothing.
When we find God in nature we often find God when we see this creation coming out of chaos. A sense of order and permanence develops.
We might have moments when we had a sense of order being created out of chaos. Have you had an experience like this? Please share.

Tuesday, March 18
Genesis 1:20-21, 24-25
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind and the cattle of every kind and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
God’s relationship to the earth extends far beyond a relationship to humans. God has a relationship with the animals and other living creatures on the earth.
It’s powerful that God blessed the living creatures in verse 22. God’s blessings extends far beyond a blessing of humans. God blesses animals too.
We can find God in our own relationship to animals. Some of us might have had a pet when we were young that taught us lessons about God; some of us might have an animal right now that is precious to us—as precious as any family member.
Have you had an experience where you found God through a relationship with an animal? Please share.

Wednesday, March 19
Genesis 9:8-10, 14-16
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.
When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
Yesterday we read about God’s blessing of animals. Today we read about God’s covenant with the animals. When God made a promise never to destroy the earth through a flood, God made that covenant with more than just humans—God made it with animals.
Many have had the experience of seeing a loon fly off a lake and a story of hearing the call of a loon. These experiences of seeing a loon in nature is majestic and even transcendent. They are certainly memorable. These experiences are spiritual experiences. They connect us to something that is far beyond ourselves.
God enjoys when we have these spiritual experiences in nature. We aren’t worshiping creation, but we are learning about God from what we observe in creation.
Can you remember a spiritual time or experience that you had in nature? Please share.

Thursday, March 20
Matthew 6:26-30
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
Many people have shared that one way to reduce our anxiety is to spend time in nature. One recent study showed that spending as few as ten minutes a day in nature can reduce our physical and mental stress.
Jesus illustrated in this story how being in nature can reduce our own anxiety. He encouraged people to look at the lilies. Most of us can envision the lily and the beauty of a lily. A field of lilies is especially beautiful.
Lilies grow naturally—Jesus shared that they “neither toil or spin.” (Matthew 6:28)
The point that Jesus was sharing was that if a lily can illustrate such beauty without toil or spin, then we can let go of our own anxieties. We don’t have to let go of our “stuff.” If a lily can be so beautiful, then we can be beautiful just by being ourselves. We don’t have to work at it. We can just be!
We learn these spiritual lessons by being in nature.
Have you had a spiritual lesson recently that you learned in nature? Please share.

Friday, March 21
Psalm 8
O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
    to silence the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are humans that you are mindful of them,
    mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them a little lower than God
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under their feet,
all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
This is a powerful Psalm that is even worth memorizing. It displays the vastness of the universe.
Think about the vastness of the universe. We live in the Milky Way galaxy. The length of the Milky Way galaxy is 100,000 light years. That is a distance that is hard for us to comprehend.
This is what the Psalmist was describing. When he looked at the universe he realized how small he was in comparison to the universe. But despite his diminutive statue in the universe, God still loved him. God wanted him to nurture or have dominion over the universe.
Do you have a story of having this sense of awe while you were in nature? Perhaps it was seeing the night sky, or the color of the sunset, or an animal that did something extraordinary.
If you’ve had an experience like this, please share.

Saturday, March 22
Psalm 77:12-20
I will meditate on all your work
    and muse on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is so great as our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
    you have displayed your might among the peoples.
With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
    the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    the very deep trembled.
The clouds poured out water;
    the skies thundered;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lit up the world;
  the earth trembled and shook. Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the mighty waters,
    yet your footprints were unseen.
You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
These verses describe how the Psalmist had experienced God through nature.
In verse 12 the Psalmist talked about meditating on all your work. This is another way to say that the Psalmist was meditating on the workings of God in nature.
We can learn so much about God when we meditate and observe how God works in nature. God does not only have a relationship with humans; God wants to have a relationship with the earth and the animals of the earth.
One spiritual ritual of being in nature is a prayer walk. A prayer walk is when we intentionally engage God in a walk. The walk could be a slow, rhythmic walking of the same stride where we talk to God. Or it could be a regular walk where we focus quite a lot on God.
Have you had a time when you’ve gone on a prayer walk? Or have you had an experience of God that came through nature? Please share.

Daily Devotions March 10 - 15, 2025

Monday, March 10
Genesis 1:1
When God began to create the heavens and the earth,
This week we’re going to look at six significant passages in the Torah or the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. Torah means teaching or instruction. We are instructed about the faith in the first five Books of the Bible.
The Bible starts out with the statement, “In the beginning God.” The NRSV puts the word “when” after the word, “beginning.” But no matter, we read right away that the Bible is a story about God.
It might seem obvious that the Bible is a story about God; however, acknowledging this truth goes a long way towards establishing our own view of God. Where else would we learn about God? We can learn about God from our own experiences, we can learn about God from church tradition, we can learn about God from other people’s experiences. But the primary place we learn about God is the Bible.
What if we thought of the Bible as a storybook about God. What if we changed the name from “Bible” to “God’s stories.” Would this change our understanding of the Bible? Would this change our understanding of God?
Ideally when someone mentions the Bible, the first thought that comes into our mind is the Bible is a storybook about God.
Is this the way you think of the Bible? Is this the way you grew up with the Bible? Please share.
Tuesday, March 11
Genesis 12:1-3
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
We’ve read these verses quite often in the “Expressions of Faith” devotion as this chapter really begins a new storyline in the Old Testament. God calls Abram to go to a faraway land to establish a new nation (his name was changed in Genesis 17:5 to Abraham)
Part of the drama of the story that follows is whether Abram will have a son. His wife, Sarah, was not able to have children. Along with Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel were not able to have children.
The story then becomes “will a son be born?” Without a son, the lineage of the Israelites would be stopped.
In looking back we know what happened. These three women were able to have children. But in real time this was not known.
A lot was at stake in whether these women would become pregnant and bear a son.
What moments in your own life made a significant determination on the direction of your own life. A lot felt at stake in the decisions you were going to make. Please share.
Wednesday, March 12
Exodus 2:1-10
Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.
The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,” she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
Exodus 14:26-31
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.
Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
Today we read two passages about Moses. Both are very significant for the direction of the storyline in the Bible.
The first story was about the birth of Moses. At the time he was born, Pharoah was killing all the Israelite boys. The mother of Moses hid him in the bullrushes alongside the Nile River. Moses turned out to be one of the two greatest people in the Old Testament. (David was the other). But at the beginning of his story his life was dependent on Pharaoh’s daughter. How ironic.
In the second reading God opened up the Red Sea so the Israelites could go through. And then the waters fell upon Pharaoh and his armies. The people were delivered from Pharaoh!
This story informed the religious life of all of the people who came after Moses and Aaron.
What do these two stories mean to you? Please share.
Thursday, March 13
Exodus 20:1-17
Then God spoke all these words,
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.
“You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
“You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
“Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.
“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
“You shall not murder.
“You shall not commit adultery.
“You shall not steal.
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female slave, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
We know of these verses, of course, as the Ten Commandments. These words gave a moral structure for the Israelites as they were in the wilderness. They also give each of us a moral structure for our own lives.
These Commandments are meant to be eternal. When God gave them to Moses, the intention was they would last forever.
The first four Commandments are about our relationship to God; the last six Commandments are about our relationship to each other.
Did you have to memorize the 10 Commandments when you were growing up? How well do you believe the 10 Commandments inform your view of faith today?
Please share.

Friday, March 14
Numbers 20:1-13
The Israelites, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there.
Now there was no water for the congregation, so they gathered together against Moses and against Aaron. The people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had died when our kindred died before the Lord! Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to bring us to this wretched place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” Then Moses and Aaron went away from the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting; they fell on their faces, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and your brother Aaron, and command the rock before their eyes to yield its water. Thus you shall bring water out of the rock for them; thus you shall provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.”
So Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he had commanded him. Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels; shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff; water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me, to show my holiness before the eyes of the Israelites, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” These are the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and through which he showed himself to be holy.
This story might not be as well known as some other stories in the Torah. The story had profound consequences for the Israelites and for Moses, Aaron and Miriam.
The basic story is people complained to God because they had no water. This doesn’t seem to be an out-of-line complaint. None of us could live long without water.
The story illustrated the lack of trust that the Israelites had in God. Instead of trusting that God would work out the situation, the people complained.
Moses, Aaron, and Miriam were punished for their actions in this story. Aaron and Miriam were not allowed to go into the Promised Land. And as we will read tomorrow, Moses was not allowed to leave the Promised Land either.
Why do you think that God punished Moses, Aaron, and Miriam in this way? Please share.

Saturday, March 15
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. The Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired, and his vigor had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him, and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
This chapter is the last one in the Torah. The people are poised to end their sojourn in the wilderness and enter into the Promised Land.
But because of his disobedience at Meribah, Moses was not allowed to go with the people into the Promised Land.
God did allow Moses to see the Promised Land.
The last three verses describe the importance of Moses. Never had there been a person like Moses. He was allowed to speak to and know God face to face. He and David were the most important people in the Old Testament.
If you answered this question, how would it go? Moses means the following to me ____________ Please share

Daily Devotions March 3 - 8, 2025

Monday, March 3
Mark 9:14-24
The Healing of a Boy with a Spirit
When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them and some scribes arguing with them. When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him.He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak,and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid, and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” He answered them, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.”And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, help us! Have compassion on us!”Jesus said to him, “If you are able! All things can be done for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
“I believe, help my unbelief!”
This phrase by the father in the story illustrates the connection between faith and unbelief or doubt. And as Pastor Paul shared in his sermon on Sunday doubt can be directed at more than just belief or lack of belief in God. We can doubt God’s power or love. We can doubt the church or our local congregation.
We can understand the doubt of the father in the story. He had been through so much. He had seen his son exhibit behaviors that were dangerous to himself and to the people around him. Most likely the father and his wife did everything they could to help their son find health and healing. But nothing had worked.
And now the man was expressing exasperation. “I believe, help my unbelief.”
Jesus was very accepting of the father. He healed the son of the spirit that had been inside of him. He didn’t criticize the father for his unbelief. Instead he acted in a way that would diminish his unbelief or doubt in the future.
Have you had a moment in your own life where you could have shouted out, “I believe, help my unbelief!” Please share.
Tuesday, March 4
1 Kings 19:4-18
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.”Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. He ate and drank and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.” He got up and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.At that place he came to a cave and spent the night there.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
Elijah Meets God at Horeb
He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”Then the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram.Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel, and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill, and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
Like the father in the story, we read yesterday, Elijah had experienced many problems. And he was frustrated. Despite all that Elijah had done King Ahab and Queen Jezebel were still threats to Eijah. Elijah had not been able to convince the two not to threaten Elijah.
So Elijah was ready to give up. His doubts were overwhelming!
He wanted to die and fell asleep under a broom tree thinking that he might die.
But God would not let Elijah stay in his deep sense of sorrow and remorse. God sent an angel to help Elijah. The angel told Elijah to get up and eat. And that food was able to sustain Elijah for forty days.
God was willing to help Elijah despite the doubts of Elijah. God is willing to do the same for all people who find themselves in a deep place of doubt.
Have you had a time in your life where your doubts were so high that you were willing to give up on your faith? Please share.

Wednesday, March 5
Luke 1:26-34
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
We might think that the great people of faith didn’t have doubts. But this story illustrates otherwise.
Most likely we’re very familiar with the story. The angel Gabriel went to Mary and told her that she was going to have a baby, that the Holy Spirit would basically impregnate her, and that the son to be born would be the Messiah.

Her question for Gabriel is most likely one that we would have asked. “How can this be???”
Mary had doubt about a message of God.
Certainly we can understand what led to Mary’s doubts. At that point in history no person in the history of the world had ever delivered a baby as a virgin.
Mary’s doubts were understandable. And Gabriel understood Mary’s doubts. Gabriel never punished Mary for voicing her confusion and doubt.
And ultimately this is how God responds to our doubts. God listens carefully to our doubts; and God does not judge or punish us for our doubts.
What does Mary’s question of “How can this be” be a source of comfort to you? Please share.

Thursday, March 6
Psalm 13
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
To the leader. A Psalm of David.
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me.
The writer of the Psalm was at the end of his rope. And the difficulty of his situation prompted him to complain to God.
“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?”

The writer of this Psalm didn’t stop believing in God. But he did question God about the power and the care that God was sharing. The writer wanted to know how long God was going to let the current situation happen.

This writer of the Psalm had significant doubts.

Read the Psalm carefully and see if you can resonate with some of the words. Are the experiences that the writer of the Psalm shared similar to experiences that you have had? Have you ever shared the words at the start of the Psalm or something similar to God in your prayers?

Please share.

Friday, March 7
Jonah 4:1-5
Jonah’s Anger
But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning, for I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from punishment. And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.
Throughout the four chapters of the book of Jonah, Jonah shared his displeasure with God.
At the start of the book God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh. Not only did Jonah refuse to do what God asked, Jonah went the opposite direction.
At the end of the story after God had displayed significant comfort to Jonah, Jonah was still upset. He had doubts.
It’s interesting to see why Jonah was so upset with God. He shared this in the last part of Jonah 4:2
“I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing.” Jonah 4:2b
Jonah doubted God because of God’s goodness and sense of doing what is right. Jonah didn’t want God to extend this goodness and sense of what is right to the people of Nineveh.
What are your thoughts about this story? Please share.

Saturday, March 8
John 20:24-29
Jesus and Thomas
But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
Thomas, one of the 12 Apostles, bears the moniker of doubting. Thomas wanted to know with certainty that Jesus was alive. “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” John 20:25b
Thomas needed to see evidence before he would stop believing or doubting that Jesus was alive.
His doubts are not surprising. Many of us might have a hard time wondering how a dead man became alive.
Have you ever had a time in your life where you have uttered words that are similar to the words that Thomas uttered in this story? 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.