Daily Devotional

Now that the school year has begun my daughter and I share a new morning routine. I now take her to school. On our way, we listen to worship music to lift our spirits to get the day going. I try to share encouraging words as she gets ready for another day. Sometimes we laugh, or sing. Sometimes, we sit in silence still trying to wake from a good night sleep. When we arrive at the school, we take our place in the long line of cars. We slowly make our way to front of the line.

Do you remember your first day of school? Maybe you remember that new backpack or special outfit your parents bought you? Were you nervous or excited? Do you remember the sadness of summer vacation ending? Whatever emotions were stirring in you, the first day of school is a special day that opens the door to so many great possibilities.

The Christian faith takes great courage. Much of what we do comes naturally. Yet, Jesus challenges us to move beyond what comes naturally, or what we normally do. Jesus challenged the people he encountered to move beyond what was simple and easy. He invited them to follow Him into a deeper and more challenging faith.

One of my favorite authors is C.S. Lewis. I have loved reading many of C.S. Lewis’s books throughout my life, but my favorite has always been and continues to be The Chronicles of Narnia. These seven books tell the journey of several children who are magically taken to the land of Narnia. In Narnia they experience great adventures and learn the deepest of life’s lessons. I first encountered The Chronicles of Narnia in my 5th grade class. My teacher, Mrs. Applebee would read from these books each day. It seemed like our class went on a journey to Narnia, each day.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands!
    Serve the Lord with gladness!
    Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the Lord is God!
    It is he that made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him, bless his name!

For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures for ever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
   Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
    to my cry for mercy.

If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
    Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
    so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
    for with the Lord is unfailing love
    and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel
    from all their sins.

One of the more interesting characters on Broadway is Tracy Turnblad. Tracy is the main character in the hit Broadway show, Hairspray. She is a high school aged girl in 1962 Baltimore. The show highlights the many differences that exist in the community in which Tracy lives. Like most communities, Baltimore is full of people of different religious beliefs, different skin color, different economic backgrounds, and so much more. In the midst of the tension and struggles between these groups, there is a bright light of hope beaming from young Tracy Turnblad.

Like most high school students, Tracy spends her time and energy thinking about her hobbies and the boy she likes. Her hobby is dance.  The boy she is hyper-focused on is Link Larkin. Link is the coolest boy in town and the feature dancer on the Corny Collins show, a variety show for teens. Tracy’s dream is to dance on T.V. and hopefully dance with Link. Tracy is denied that opportunity to see her dream come true because she too is different. Tracy is a great dancer, but unlike the other girls on the Corny Collins show, Tracy is overweight…

Broadway, or the theater district in NYC, traces its roots back to the mid-18th century when one of the first large theaters opened in lower Manhattan. About that same time, Benjamin Franklin had started experimenting with electricity. Many streets along Broadway started illuminating the pathways with arc lamps—these made light by sparking an electrical current between two electrodes, resulting in a very bright, white light. With the opening of the Olympia Theatre in Longacre Square (later renamed Times Square)—history was made with the installation of the first electric lights at its entrance in 1895. Following Olympia’s lead, other theaters began replacing the smoky, open-flame gaslights with the more modern and bright lights. So, the Great White Way truly described how it looks when you first turned and saw the theater district at night.  The name was coined thanks to Shep Friedman, a columnist for the New York Morning Telegraph, when he wrote a story about the area and used the headline, “Found on the Great White Way.”

When you look back in history, you will see that the people who first helped the church come to life are a diverse people. In fact, two of the strongest leaders of the early church were quite different from one another.

Peter was one of the first people to follow Jesus. He famously laid down his nets to become a “fisher of people.” (Matthew 4:9)  Peter followed Jesus from the shores of the sea of Galilee where he grew up working with his hands, making a living by fishing. Peter went from being a blue-collar worker to leading the church from Jerusalem to Rome.

Paul was from a family that provided him the best of education…

Ariel has always been my absolute favorite Disney Princess. When I was a little girl, I loved swimming in the water, whether it be in a pool or the ocean. I would imagine I was a beautiful mermaid with long flowy hair and lived in the ocean in an amazing coral castle, deep in the ocean amongst my ocean friends.

Ariel is an amazing role model for young girls. She is an independent girl who has a healthy curiosity. Throughout the movie, Ariel is reminded that her father does not like her to go to the shore because she may be seen by the humans. In fact, King Triton forbids her to go to the shore.

Ariel does make some horrible mistakes…