JULY 2026 Monthly Ember

JULY 21th, 2026 08:00 PM Indiana (East):

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87410420841

STUDY VERSE

INTENTIONAL READING PRACTICES FOR ONE VERSE
(3–5 core habits)

  1. Slow the verse down
    Read it aloud more than once. Pause between phrases. Let the verse set the pace instead of rushing to understanding.

  2. Attend to the exact words
    Notice every word as intentional, not filler. Pay special attention to verbs, conditions, and contrasts.

  3. Read with submission, not control
    Approach the verse assuming it has the right to correct you.

  4. Pray the verse back to God
    Before analyzing, echo the verse back to God in prayer. This aligns the heart before engaging the mind and keeps the verse from becoming merely informational.

  5. Sit with the verse briefly
    Allow a moment of quiet. Repeat one phrase slowly. Let it settle. Let the Scripture “sink from the mind into the heart.”

Matthew 17:24-27

24 When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”

25 He said, “Yes.”

And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?”

26 Peter said to Him, “From strangers.”

Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a [c]piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

CREATION MARVELING

What story is God telling us through His Creation that relates to this verse?

WILD GOD Monthly Ember Reflection Questions:

Journal your answers to these questions and bring them to the Monthly Ember to share with everyone else!

  1. What does this verse clearly say?
    (Observation)
    State it in your own words without adding interpretation.

  2. What does this verse reveal about God?
    (Character & Authority)
    What does it show about who God is, what He values, or how He works?

  3. What does this verse reveal about people—including me?
    (Human Condition)
    What tendency, weakness, calling, or responsibility is exposed?

  4. What must I believe or change in response to this verse?
    (Decision & Repentance)
    Is there a truth to trust, a lie to reject, or an action to take?

  5. How will I apply this verse to my life today—and who will I share it with?
    (Obedience & Multiplication)
    Name a specific action and a person.