Daily Devotions and Podcasts
Prayer: Lord, help me to see You in every part of my day, even in the places I least expect. Open my eyes to Your presence in the ordinary and the extraordinary moments of life. Amen.
The Cathedral of Hope Devotion Ministry began as an answer to Progressive Christians who wanted to start their days with a little insight, observation, or wisdom about the Christian faith from their own point of view. Conservative internet devotions were abundant, but there was not much out there for liberal thinkers. The need was clear.
Being a large church, we had a generous amount of writing talent available and also a large number of congregants with theological training who were not on the pulpit. In the early days of the ministry, most of the writing was done by the clergy, but gradually the majority of the writers emerged from those lay volunteers.
That dynamic is still in place as new authors are always joining in to keep the ideas fresh. It’s a fitting structure for any center of progressive thought. This particular Body of Christ has many voices and each one has a unique and important story to tell.
SCRIPTURE ļ»æ John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” WORDS OF HOPE Free from what? I think about this often and though Jesus was speaking to Jews who had never known captivity in their lifetimes, so what freedom was he talking about? Well, for me finding truth had always been a quest. I guess it was instilled in by my father who was a research scientist. The very foundation of research is empirical truth but guided in many cases by inferences and intuition. He taught me that black and white choices were rare occurrences in science, much as they are in life. He taught me that truth, especially philosophical truth, is something that can be found in many ways, and each of us is seeking that truth that is relevant to our lives. He instilled in me a curiosity that has followed me all my life, from my study of philosophy in college to my self-guided study of spiritual truths. So how can discovering a truth set me free? Well, one of the “truths” I have discovered is that my relationship with the Divine is important in my life. Though trying to find empirical proof of that is a fruitless pursuit, my intuition and the inferences I get lead me to believe that there is something greater than myself influencing my life. I believe that is the truth Jesus speaks of. Knowing that sets me free to experience life without too many irrational fears. PRAYER May we all find a truth that can set us free. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Hardy Haberman
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Words of Hope Podcast
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SCRIPTURE ļ»æ John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” WORDS OF HOPE Free from what? I think about this often and though Jesus was speaking to Jews who had never known captivity in their lifetimes, so what freedom was he talking about? Well, for me finding truth had always been a quest. I guess it was instilled in by my father who was a research scientist. The very foundation of research is empirical truth but guided in many cases by inferences and intuition. He taught me that black and white choices were rare occurrences in science, much as they are in life. He taught me that truth, especially philosophical truth, is something that can be found in many ways, and each of us is seeking that truth that is relevant to our lives. He instilled in me a curiosity that has followed me all my life, from my study of philosophy in college to my self-guided study of spiritual truths. So how can discovering a truth set me free? Well, one of the “truths” I have discovered is that my relationship with the Divine is important in my life. Though trying to find empirical proof of that is a fruitless pursuit, my intuition and the inferences I get lead me to believe that there is something greater than myself influencing my life. I believe that is the truth Jesus speaks of. Knowing that sets me free to experience life without too many irrational fears. PRAYER May we all find a truth that can set us free. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Hardy Haberman
SCRIPTURE John 10.27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. WORDS OF HOPE I heard a comedian recently describe a relationship in the simplest, most basic terms: “A relationship is two people deciding what to eat until one of them dies.” I chuckled—but there’s a strange truth in it. Aren’t relationships, whether with people or with God, exactly what we make of them? What you give is usually what you get, in just about everything. Take artists, for example—painters in particular. Some are minimalists: less is more. Others add and refine, layering detail right up to the edge, knowing they must stop before the work becomes overworked. Both approaches can succeed, but only when the artist understands where that line is. That seems to be the key in so many areas of life: knowing when less is more, and when too much begins to take away from the whole. There’s a kind of balance point—a place of optimization—that shows up whether you’re painting a canvas or even doing your taxes. Preparation matters. Thinking things through matters. And somewhere in that process, you begin to recognize when enough is enough. Chuck Jones once described the dynamic between the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote as a kind of insanity cycle—essentially redoubling effort for the same or even lesser result. That idea sticks. It’s a reminder that effort alone isn’t the answer; thoughtful direction matters just as much. And yet, we’re surrounded by people—ourselves included—who sometimes just need a little grace, or a gentle nudge in a different direction. Whether they take it or not is another story. Maybe that’s part of what a relationship with God looks like: learning to recognize the right moment to act, to pause, or to adjust course entirely. So, what’s the balance? Mind your own business? Live and let live? There’s wisdom there—but I think I’ll keep listening for that quiet, steady God-voice. More often than not, it has a way of guiding relationships—of every kind—back to where they need to be. PRAYER May I always take the time to be open to your guidance, to listen for your voice, and to adjust course according to your perfect will. DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie C. Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
SCRIPTURE Matthew 25.35-40 ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” WORDS OF HOPE World Give Day 2026 is on Monday, May 4, 2026, aimed at fostering global kindness through acts of giving and volunteering. Volunteering and giving are amazing acts of service for Cathedral of Hope. We don't need a day like today to call us to serve our community! Every day our church family is actively serving those in need. Our members are giving out blessing bags to strangers in need on the corner, helping cook meals to serve to those in the community who are home insecure, going to our community partners to rescue food and share it with other agencies and with food insecure neighbors, buying our monthly groceries for Pac the Pantry or planning for boxes of food for our local school for spring break or the baskets for 500 families at Thanksgiving. Why do we do that? Because we are blessed by God and cannot help but serve others because of our gratitude to God for all we have received in finding CoH as our home and family! These times we live in currently are difficult. Gas and food and everything are more expensive. BUT we are still blessed and realize these stresses are even more difficult for those who are home insecure in our city whose circumstances are far worse than ours. To whom much is given, much is expected. Not just on Give Day, but continually. God calls us to be faithful in helping others! If you are not bringing groceries on the last Sunday of the month for Pac the Pantry, or coming in on various Saturdays to help make blessing bags, or volunteering on Monday for iCare, or Tuesday to cook or help plate food for Taste of Hope, or Saturday mornings to help with BACH (Breakfast at Cathedral of Hope), PLEASE figure what you can do to help those in need. Even if your help is a smile and an encouraging word to those in need. Making them feel seen is a very important gift to them. PRAYER God who cares for us all. Help us remember to be giving to those in need always so all feel valued and loved. DEVOTION AUTHOR Jan Nunn Cathedral of Hope Volunteer
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