Taking Flight: 60 Daily Devos

By The Upper Room

Perfect for Chrysalis Butterflies who want to keep the excitement of the weekend alive.

These 60 undated devotions are written by young people who have been through Chrysalis. They will help Butterflies stay in touch with Christ, other Christians, and their God-given calling. The devotions explore the themes of the 15 talks from the Chrysalis weekend.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Upper Room Books
• Release date: Jan 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9780835811507

The Upper Room

The Upper Room® is a global ministry dedicated to supporting the spiritual life of Christians seeking to know and experience God more fully. From its beginnings in 1935 as a daily devotional guide, The Upper Room has grown to include publications, programs, prayer support, and other resources to help believers of all ages and denominations move to a deeper level of faith and service.

Book preview

Introduction

As the Father has sent me, so I send you.—John 20:21

Now that you have completed the 72-hour experience of your Chrysalis weekend, it is time for you to move into your Next Steps. As you continue to practice what you learned—growing closer to Christ by reading scripture, learning about other Christians’ journey, and spending time in prayer—this booklet can support you. You will read about other butterflies who, like you, are trying to remain faithful to God every day of their life.

Christ is counting on you! Have an enjoyable flight.

—Rev. Víctor Pérez Silvestry

International Spiritual Director

The Walk to Emmaus and Chrysalis

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit,

fill the hearts of your faithful

and kindle in us the fire of your love.

Send forth your Spirit, and we shall be created.

And you shall renew the face of the earth.

O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit

did instruct the hearts of the faithful,

grant that by the same Holy Spirit

we may be truly wise

and ever enjoy your consolations.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Theme: Ideals

Take a Stand

Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong.

—1 Corinthians 16:13

Every English class began with a writing prompt. Some were whimsical questions; others were serious. Our favorite prompts were the ones that required us to articulate our beliefs about everyday issues.

After we wrote, we had an opportunity to read our responses. Presenting our work was easy when everyone agreed. Standing alone, apart from the crowd, with a contradictory view was much harder. That was when the debates started. Sometimes I disagreed with the entire class and had to back up my views against 100-percent opposition. Yet trying to change people’s opinions was worth the effort. I learned to speak up for what I believed and to express my views in ways that got people to listen. These skills are important for Christians to develop. We have a responsibility to let our voices be heard, even if we are only one voice in the crowd.

Catherine Gillette

Reflect: I have a Chrysalis cross that I wear every day. When other students tease me, I tell them where I got the cross and what I believe. Many of them have never been to church and would consider that a waste of a Sunday morning. I pray that one day they will discover who Jesus is. The more I stand up for God, the more God blesses my life, showing me in a million ways that I’m on the right path. When have you taken a stand for God?—Kevin Olchewsky

Theme: Ideals

Outsider

Read 1 Kings 18:17-39.

Bridget and I were best friends all through middle school; but when we got to high school and joined the cheerleading squad, things got weird. We started hanging out with the older cheerleaders, who taught us the varsity cheers but also invited us to parties. At our first party, neither Bridget nor I knew what to expect; but the moment we arrived, I knew I wanted to go home.

Bridget had other ideas. Wanting to be accepted by the older kids, she started acting like them—drinking, smoking, flirting with the senior guys. It was hard to be a wallflower while Bridget got all the attention, but I knew that who I was in Christ was far more important than what the popular kids thought of me.

Bridget did become popular. When I was around her, I felt like an outsider; and by our senior year, we rarely saw each other. Even though I lost a friend, I know