Stillspeaking Daily Devotional

05/29/2026

Kenneth L. Samuel writes for the : "I totally understand the push to live in the moment. To totally show up in real time is always needful. But we’ve all been consumed by moments of anger, regret, sorrow and anguish. And sometimes these moments last for weeks, months, even years."

Read the full devo @

Life is more than the accumulation of our good and bad moments. Life is also the hope that defies current desperation. Life is also the love that is still greater than our present animosities.

05/28/2026

A reminder from Kaji Douša: "We see a moment. God sees the whole terrain." Read this Daily Devotional at https://www.ucc.org/daily-devotional/flock-stock-and-two-stolen-idols/

05/27/2026

Today's by Jennifer Brownell encourages you not to forget: "You are practically almost an angel. You just need to be reminded, sometimes by your own sweet, small voice. And then, holding hands, you are ready to head back out into the world."

Read her reflection at:

We need to be reminded, sometimes by our own sweet small voice, that we are brave. And then, holding hands, we are ready to head back out into the world.

05/26/2026

Hannah Sachs writes honestly for the Daiy Devotional: "I used to experience God's nearness everywhere. Then one day, the signal cut out." [Image of person wearing a winter coat, sitting on a log by a body of water]

05/26/2026

Today's comes from Mary Luti: "Put my head on your knees and let me sleep, Holy One. My neighbor's, too. Better to snooze in mercy than judge and be judged." Link to devo in comments.

05/26/2026

Great is [God], and greatly to be praised. [God’s] greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. - Psalm 145:3-4 (NRSV)

I was looking forward to teaching the day’s lesson in my Intro to Religious Studies course at Mercy College in Toledo, Ohio. Early in the semester, I had become aware that my nursing and pharmacy students, though inquisitive and thoughtful, were skeptical about anything without scientific proof. On this day, the lesson explored awe: what it is, what it teaches, and how it is a core aspect of spirituality and life as a human being.

I began by asking if anyone could define the word “awe.” Silence. Not discouraged, I asked them when the last time they had experienced something they might call “awe.” Again, silence.

So I told them about the evening before. I was driving home from school on Highway 75, which is lined by corn fields. The sun was setting at such an angle that it appeared to have set all the tassels on top of the stalks on fire. The fields looked as if they were aflame in glory. It took my breath away. I had to pull over. All I could do was express gratitude to the One who had granted me this vision.

A young woman called out from the back row in an exasperated voice: “Doctor Kate, it was just corn!”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It confirmed for me that book learning wasn’t all we needed to do that semester. Developing a reverent awe for creation is the most reasonable thing we can do to heal our planet and bless one another.

When was the last time you experienced awe in your body, mind, and soul? What did it teach you?

Tell someone about it. Share it, so that this essential spiritual practice of awe is cultivated for generations to come.

Prayer
God of creation, give us the eyes to see the glory of just corn in a cornfield, and the heart to embrace the mystery of all creation. Amen.

~ Kate Winters, semi-retired UCC pastor and educator
from UCC Stillspeaking Daily Devotional

photo: Max Kuzma

05/21/2026

Today in the , new contributor Sam Houser writes, "[The Spirit] flows through the rituals that have sustained us, and beyond them. Through the places we expect to meet God and the places we were told God would not be." Link in comments!

05/20/2026

Quinn G. Caldwell writes, "God [declared] that language was made for humans, not humans for language. ... And the babble was a wonder and a glory."

Check out today's at https://www.ucc.org/daily-devotional/babel/

05/19/2026

Today's comes from Ken Samuel: Lord, when we allow our differences to divide us, please continue to remind us that you've still got the whole wide world in your hand. Amen.

05/18/2026

: When has a desire for perfection or a fear of judgment limited your willingness to try something new? When has a desire for perfection or a fear of judgment limited your faith?