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
The LORD bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26 I never thought about this blessing being for me. The thought of God smiling at 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
In the year since my last post, I have had my other shoulder joint replaced. It was six weeks in an immobilizer, which looks like a cross between a hockey goalie’s gear and a medieval torture device, designed to hold my arm in the appropriate position until my bones grew Read more
Leafing through my journal, I found nothing deep or even noteworthy to write about, but this was never meant to be a showplace for glorious victories, just the exploration of what happens to an everyday Jesus follower…and how she responds. So, here goes… Good morning, Papa, thank you for bringing Read more
Waiting for bugs to die (Yes, a few survived.), waiting for a new bed frame to arrive, waiting to have somewhere to put the things we are keeping, waiting for new routines to kick in… lots of “waiting for-s.” There are so many promises connected with waiting for God. Here 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
She was old, though not as old as she seemed. The years of stress and cigarettes had stripped her of beauty. Macular degeneration had robber her of most of her sight, small strokes were diminishing her ability to remember, and what she did “remember” became suspect, and cancer was already Read more
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! Read more