Sam Powers

Marching in the Tulsa Pride Parade Here I'm handing out water in last year's parade For a variety of reasons, Tulsa hosts their Pride Parade in October rather than June.  Of c...

Tulsa #Pride Parade is Saturday. My Clobbered Bible study interpreting passages often used to sideline our #LGBTQIA+ siblings is linked in the blog:

YouTube video by Urban Overlap Three Young River Otters with Mother Going over a Bridge

Here's the next installment of the mother #otter and her three youngsters:

YouTube video by Urban Overlap Three Young River Otters with Mother near Tahlequah, Oklahoma

I recorded this footage earlier this summer. Cute baby #otter barking at his siblings and mom!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOcH...

An American Denomination As we celebrate Independence Day in our country once more, it is interesting that the beginnings of our Methodist roots in America coincide ...

Today, The #UMC is a worldwide denomination, but we started near the same time as the birth of the United States. Blessings to both as we celebrate Independence Day!

precedinggrace.blogspot.com/2025/07/an-a...

Daily Devotion for Easter Sunday 2025 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Forty-two It is fitting to finish this study on Job on Easter as we see that resurrection comes in today's con...

Happy #Easter! And thanks for all those who journeyed with me during #Lent this year through the Book of Job. This material hasn't been as accessible as other books, and I may choose a gospel for next year's study. Blessings!

#umc

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 40 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Forty, verse fifteen through Chapter Forty-one This reading is a bit longer, but I thought the verses concerni...

In today's reading from Job, how does Behemoth and Leviathan represent empire then and now? Just one more devotion to go as we wrap up Job tomorrow. Here's the #dailydevotion for #Lent on this #HolySaturday.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 39 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Forty, verses one through fourteen As we see the humbling of Job, we may find that Job represents humankind in...

On this #GoodFriday, we recognize that we often put ourselves in God's place. Here's today's #dailydevotion as we move toward the end of #Lent:

#umc

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 38 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter, Thirty-nine God continues to extol the variety of the created order.  We are reminded in Psalm 24:1 that "The...

How do we see God in the created order? Today's #dailydevotion for #Lent:

#umc

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 37 Today's reading: Job, Chapter Thirty-eight Well, God does finally show up again in Job - and for the first time in the prose section. God co...

God responds to Job. Here's today's #dailydevotion for #Lent:
#umc

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 36 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Thirty-seven Elihu continues to "teach" Job about the nature of God.  We move into the natural world as the ha...

How do we experience God in the created order? Today's #dailydevotion for #Lent:

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 35 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Thirty-six Elihu definitely ascribes to the sovereignty of God or the idea that God is totally in charge of al...

Some days I cherish anger a little too readily! But other days I clear the bar. Here's today's #dailydevotion for #Lent on this #HolyMonday:

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 34 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter 35 Elihu moves into a philosophical question that has to do with our motivations for being good and following ...

What is your motivation for doing good? Today's #dailydevotion for #Lent:

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 33 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Thirty-four Elihu continues in his defense of God.  He claims that Job is accusing God of being unjust.  Job d...

Self-assurance is a good asset, but can it ever lead to conflict? Today's #dailydevotion for #Lent:

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 31 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Thirty-two We have the first appearance of Elihu who is younger than Job and his three friends.  It may be imp...

Impertinence doesn't heal. Today's #dailydevotion for #Lent:

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 30 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Thirty-one Job is going to make sure that we know just how innocent he is by listing all of the various violat...

How are you doing on the 10? Here's today's #dailydevotion for #Lent:

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 29 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Thirty "Be careful how you treat people on the way up, because you may meet them on the way down." This anonym...

Mother Teresa offered dignity to the highest leaders as well as to people characterized as the least of these in society. Here's today's #dailydevotion for #Lent from this #umc pastor:

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 28 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Twenty-nine One of the universal traits of the human condition is nostalgia for the good ol' days. This is esp...

Sometimes a sense of entitlement may keep us from seeing reality as others do. Here's today's #dailydevotion for #Lent

#umc

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 26 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter 27 “Explore thyself. Herein are demanded the eye and the nerve.” ~ Walden by Henry David Thoreau Job continue...

Ever feel stubborn? Here's today's #dailydevotion for #Lent from this #UMC pastor:

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 25 Today's Reading: Job, Chapters Twenty-five and Twenty-six Since these chapters are short, we are combining to help us finish the book within...

Is giving the benefit of the doubt a spiritual discipline? Here's today's #dailydevotion for #Lent from this #umc pastor:

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 24 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Twenty-four In this passage, we see a more general complaint by Job of the prosperity of the wicked.  This is ...

Here's today's #dailydevotion for #Lent. It seems that even the most hard-working and righteous among us still need grace. #umc

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 23 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Twenty-three As we see Job having a conversation with his friends, he is really having a conversation with oth...

In today's #dailydevotion for #Lent, Job explores the absence of God:
#umc

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 22 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Twenty-two Eliphaz speaks about Job’s great wickedness.  This isn’t anything new from the perspective of the o...

How do we grow spiritually during difficulty? Here's today's #dailydevotion for #Lent:

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 21 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Twenty-one Job is refuting the dominant belief of his day that God smites the wicked in the here and now throu...

I can hear Tim Blake Nelson's voice in my head saying, "Not the livestock!" Here's today's #dailydevotion for #Lent:

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 19 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Nineteen What is the nature of piling on? In American Football, piling on is a 15-yard penalty when the offens...

Sometimes we pile on with the intent of "helping". Here's today's #dailydevotion for #Lent:

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 18 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Eighteen Bildad's discourse lays out the community thinking along the lines of those who obey the law and thos...

Sometimes we are disobedient in spite of clear instructions! Here's today's #dailydevotion for #Lent:

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 17 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Seventeen There comes a time when we experience depression when we may give up.  One might say that Job is vac...

Sometimes you feel spit upon! Here's today's #dailydevotion for #Lent:

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 16 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Sixteen Job is in a difficult place.  He feels that no one is on his side. His friends have been no comfort an...

Here's today's #dailydevotion for #Lent. What does it mean to stand alone against the tide?

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 10 Today Reading: Job, Chapter Ten Here Job is complaining about God’s seemingly negative attention toward him.  He seems to vacillate between ...

Here's today's #dailydevotion for #Lent. We're already 1/4 of the way through the season!

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 9 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Nine Job begins to recount the mighty attributes of God that places God far beyond mere mortals. Interestingly...

Today's #dailydevotion for #Lent. Sometimes life seems stacked for others.

Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 8 Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Eight It’s time for Job’s second helper Bildad to take a swing and see if he can talk some sense into his desp...

How do we remain faithful when circumstances aren't going our way? Today's #DailyDevotion for #Lent: