The Old Testament Reading for the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist tells of a voice in the wilderness speaking comfort to God’s people.

The Gospel reading for the today accounts Jesus healing a man possessed by a legion of demons.

Imagine having the world at your fingertips. God gave it all to young King Solomon when He gave him a wise and discerning heart. Like the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable, Solomon squandered God’s generous gift in wild living. Here in his Book of Ecclesiastes, he reports on his discoveries about a life of self-indulgence lived apart from God. 

Today, the Church celebrates the Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

This post is an excerpt from my newest Bible study, Shine: Sparkling with God’s Love.

In my life, I’ve struggled with real hope-crushing sadness. Not just the kind of sadness that comes from something hard that’s happened, but the kind that shifts my whole outlook on life.

As we celebrate the Day of Pentecost today, we remember another biblical incident involving language: the tower of Babel, which is discussed in today’s Old Testament Reading. Our devotion comes from LifeLight: Genesis, Part 1—Leaders Guide.

Last week I turned forty with much pomp and circumstance. My family treated me like royalty, sending me off on an adventure with my oldest daughter. My friends made detailed plans for restaurants and meet-ups. There was food and sunshine and praise and laughter involved. I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

Our family is on the road again, transitioning from our time at the seminary to my husband’s call and a life in western New York. Transitions with three small children are messy. There are abnormal bedtimes and meals, toys packed into boxes and onto a truck despite the protests of a four year old, and lots of emotions. The simple reality is that saying good-bye is sad and saying hello can be scary. About a week ago now, after being shipped off to grandma’s house so my husband and I could finish packing, load a truck, and clean our apartment, my daughter said to a family friend whom she hadn’t seen in sometime, “My heart missed you. I’m so lucky I get to love people in lots of spots. Some people only love people in one spot.”

We all have one thing hanging over our lives that has been there far too long. It could be a habit to break, an addiction to conquer, a goal to accomplish, a long-standing project to complete, a relationship to restore or end, or a debt to retire. That one thing keeps showing up and outstaying its welcome. It sits smack dab in the middle of the room like the proverbial pink elephant. Everyone tiptoes around it—never acknowledging or discussing it.

The Book of Ezra is not well known; we tend to just mumble our way over it when we say the books of the Bible (1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther . . .) and maybe never even venture to see what's inside this Old Testament book.