Peace United Church of Christ - Elkader

06/08/2026

Dear God, help me listen with patience, kindness, and humility. Teach me to love others well through my words and attention.

06/08/2026

Mornings with Jesus
Monday, June 8, 2026

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.
—James 1:19 (NIV)

I selected two mother-of-the-groom dresses, one sequined light purple and one satin green. Both worked with the wedding party colors, but both were too long. I took them to a local tailor to see if the hems could be raised. I explained what I needed and asked if the sequined one would be impossible to change. Instead of answering my question, he launched into how much he liked the sequined dress. He thought it was more elegant and loved the pattern. After several times of me asking if he could shorten the length, he finally answered, “Oh yes, no problem.”
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Because he was opinionated about which dress he preferred and wanted to voice his thoughts, he didn’t hear my question. How often do I do that to others? I know I sometimes don’t listen well when I’m eager to express my views. I know I am quick to speak and slow to listen, which is the opposite of Jesus. Jesus had the art of listening perfected. He was in constant communication with God the Father and listened to the needs of those He encountered. He frequently followed up with questions to their requests, another good practice in communication.
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When I left the tailor, I hadn’t decided which dress to wear, but I did decide to work on listening better to others and not giving unasked-for opinions. God gave me two ears and one mouth for a good reason.
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—Jeannie Blackmer

Faith Step:​ Practice listening well to someone today. Like Jesus, follow up with a question or two to show you are listening.

06/07/2026

06/07/2026

Our Daily Bread
Welcome Sunday, June 7, 2026
Remembering Who We Are

Ruth replied, . . . “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”
- Ruth 1:16

A restaurant employee discovered an unconscious man beside a dumpster. He was sunburned, bitten by ants, and showed signs of blunt force trauma. He had no memory of who he was. The man, later self-named “Benjamin Kyle,” lived in limbo for more than a decade. He couldn’t work, collect benefits, or even reclaim his past. His healing began when a community of strangers helped him rediscover his identity through genetic testing and investigation. “I have a history,” he said. “I’m not just some stranger that materialized out of thin air.”

The story of Ruth in the Bible can also be seen as one of rediscovered belonging. After losing her husband and leaving her homeland, she chose to bind herself to her mother-in-law Naomi and her people. She said, “Where you go I will go . . . . Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). Ruth connected her identity and destiny to that of Naomi and her people in life and in death. She was “determined to go with her” (v. 18)—prioritizing community over clarity, belonging over certainty. In doing so, she stepped into God’s redemptive story and is remembered forever as part of the lineage of Christ (4:18-22; Matthew 1:3-5).

When we as believers in Jesus forget who we are—or when life’s pain leaves us disoriented—God often uses community to reconnect us with our most authentic identity. In Him we’re beloved, chosen, and known.

By Marvin Williams

REFLECT & PRAY
Who is God using to help you remember who you are in Him? What does it mean to be known by Him?

Dear God, please help me remember who I am in You.

06/06/2026

Do you see what I see in the clouds?

06/06/2026

'Cloudy' humor.

06/06/2026

'Cloudy' Saturday, June 6, 2026

The Cloud
Phiwa Langeni

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely. - Hebrews 12:1a (NRSVUE)



Cloud computing, a.k.a. the cloud, remotely stores data for individual computers, phones, tablets, and other devices to access or share as needed.



The cloud acts as a supercomputer that hangs onto all the stuff we need and has it ready whenever we want to access it. Beyond the convenience of accessing files from just about anywhere, the cloud enables individual devices to direct their resources toward more important and relevant tasks.



My tech-inclined brain makes me quite fond of the idea of dead loved ones joining an ever-growing cloud of witnesses. Though we can’t call or text, hug or kiss, fight or snub loved ones who’ve died, like a computing cloud we can remotely access them in new ways beyond our individual physicality. Before their death, we had to negotiate methods of connecting, often creatively over distance or between schedules.



Now, our loved ones are anywhere we are and at any time we need them. Not that they’re hovering over us in some spiritual internet. Instead, the collective cloud of witnesses acts as a sort of supercomputer that holds onto our shared memories, love, grief, and losses. In so doing, we’re empowered to redirect our energies into the important and relevant work of living into our fullest selves.



Prayer

Remind us that death never has the final word. Renew our access to the cloud of those who’ve gone before us. Reboot our passion to participate in living out your desire for a whole and healthy creation. Amen.

06/04/2026

6.4.26 The next time you’re reluctant to commit to something, reflect on all that Jesus has committed to do for you and say yes!

06/04/2026

First Congregational Church is participating in the City-Wide Garage Sale this weekend. See something you can't be without?

06/03/2026

My prayers, Father God, flow from what I am not. I think Your answers make me what I am.