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About Disciplines

The Upper Room Disciplines provides an opportunity to look more deeply at scripture by offering a week of devotions by a single author on a particular theme.

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Latest Disciplines Devotions

Jesus: Present in His Absence - May 16, 2021

May 16, 2021

We are commissioned to be Jesus’ witnesses to the ends of the earth. That’s a tall order! Are we each to bring the gospel to far-off lands? More likely we are...

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Jesus: Present in His Absence - May 15, 2021

May 15, 2021

Since the sixteenth century, many scholars have called John 17:1-26 “the high priestly prayer.” Jesus prays to the Father for his disciples. The pathos in his plea is comforting as Jesus...

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Jesus: Present in His Absence - May 14, 2021

May 14, 2021

Jesus’ hosts in Emmaus realized their hearts had burned within them as they listened to Jesus open the scriptures to them. And Jesus opens the minds of his followers to understand...

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Jesus: Present in His Absence - May 13, 2021

May 13, 2021

Jesus speaks with authority. His followers fumble as they try to grasp his meaning. In that way, we are like Jesus’ first followers. Do our priorities indicate our ignorance? Jesus’ mission,...

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Jesus: Present in His Absence - May 12, 2021

May 12, 2021

We live in a time when it is often difficult to know what to believe. We all know people who have had a hard time accepting human testimony. An eighty-year-old woman...

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Jesus: Present in His Absence - May 11, 2021

May 11, 2021

Our reading describes the strength and fruitfulness of those whose “delight is in the law of the Lord.” I think of a group who visited my church in 2019 to share...

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Jesus: Present in His Absence - May 10, 2021

May 10, 2021

Our local multi-racial, interfaith, anti-poverty group trudged along trying to get the work done. Some of our task forces functioned well, but for months our board meetings were unproductive. Our chairperson...

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To the Ends of the Earth - May 9, 2021

May 9, 2021

Today’s text teaches us that as followers of Jesus, we are overcomers. This is pretty amazing since in this world there is so much difficulty to overcome. We face daily a...

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To the Ends of the Earth - May 8, 2021

May 8, 2021

In my younger years, I viewed the commands of God as burdensome. I thought of God’s law as an exhaustive list of spiritual “dos” and “don’ts,” of “shall nots” and “should...

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To the Ends of the Earth - May 7, 2021

May 7, 2021

In today’s Bible passage, we read Jesus’ words to his disciples: “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (NIV). These words provide us an important lesson with deep spiritual...

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