This week in Crisis Counsels we are doing a four day series, from Tuesday through Friday, based on these verses in the gospel of Mark:

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.”
Mark 1:35-38

This passage is found in between accounts of Jesus engaged in a whirl of activity. He is healing the sick, preaching God’s message, and traveling from place to place. But in the midst of it all, he withdraws to a “deserted place” to pray. So Jesus gives us a model for how we need a spiritual rhythm in life. We rightfully engage in all sorts of activities; but we need to recognize the importance of taking time for quiet, for contemplation, for prayer. You are taking such a time of spiritual reflection by reading this Crisis Counsels! One of the ways in which members of our church have long done a daily devotion is by using “The Upper Room.” It is a booklet containing short devotionals for each day of the month, written by a broad variety of United Methodists. Each day includes a Scripture, a reflection, a prayer, and a thought for the day. The print booklets, in regular and large print formats, are available in the office entryway of the church (there is a basket there also to contribute a dollar or two toward the cost). Now the Upper Room publisher is making the Upper Room available in pdf format to all subscribing churches. At the end of this week, we will forward the July/August Upper Room, pdf format, to you. This will replace Crisis Counsels for the coming weeks. It even continues on the weekends! If you are interested in past issues of Crisis Counsels, the entire series can be found on our website. Whatever devotional material we use, there is great value in following the example of Jesus – to take time for prayer.

Prayer – Guide us, O Lord, in the midst of all the activity of life, to take time for prayer. Click To Tweet

If you missed Sunday worship, you can join with the recorded service of either the 9:30 or 10:30 worship hours at live.kentmethodist.org

About the Author

Dr. David A. Palmer has been the senior pastor at the United Methodist Church of Kent since 1995. He has a B.A. from Wittenberg University, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. A native of Wooster, Ohio, he has served three other churches in east Ohio before coming to Kent. He and his wife, Mavis, have three children.