Nehemiah’s job it is to see to it that no one poisons the king through his wine, tasting every goblet that is offered to the sovereign. (This is some high level security clearance, as well as a high risk job, and his boss is not even a Jewish king.) In Read more
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. John 16:13 (ESV) Meditating my way through John’s Read more
I have been sitting in the post-resurrection passages during this time of year known as Eastertide. (Thanks to the folks at Lectio365.) Today we were in John 21:15-19. One of the things that caught my eye was the way John see-saws between the two identities of the fearful, forceful, flaky Read more
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be satisfied. — Matthew 5:6 God uses famine to satisfy His people. We know so little of famine in our country. Droughts that cause crop failure are limited in their effect because our transportation system is so vast Read more
Grief. That word often conjures a picture of a woman in tears over the dead body of a loved one… or the hollow-eyed, soot-stained face of a child bereft and alone in a bombed-out house. God promises to bless with comfort those who mourn. Jesus’ words on the mountain where Read more
When we have an invasion, plague, or onslaught of (unwelcome) critters, it usually doesn’t take long for me to start asking, “Okay, God. What are You after?” (If you’ve been following me for a while, this is not unfamiliar territory. If you haven’t, this is part of following Jesus in Read more
No, I am not dead. I have, however, been buried! Directing the drama portion of our church’s vacation Bible school meant two weeks of 14-hour days, then another week of 10 hour days, followed in less than a week by a long-weekend camping trip with a dozen teens. Whew! Great Read more
So…It’s kind of like crabgrass. It starts out soft and bright green. It feels good on bare feet, the chickens enjoy grazing on it and it is a welcome sight after the brown of winter. And then it happens: Seed stalks begin to grow. Not just upright, they lay down Read more
Sitting in my recently restored quiet space, I saw my little flock of chickens pecking at the greens whose abundant leaves lean against the garden fence. They love the greens, and their beaks don’t reach very far. It’s a reasonable arrangement. A few days ago, however, the fence was left Read more
One very everyday thing is the news. The headlines are alarming. The trends are disheartening. The need for prayer is great, the list long. It can be overwhelming, and anxiety-producing. Jesus says not to fear nor be anxious, but to take heart and never stop praying. Good luck with that…I Read more