So, there was this guy… Jesus noticed him… a man with one hand that didn’t work right…so much so that it had shriveled up and was useless. In a time and culture where almost everyone’s work was manual, to have only one functioning hand was a big loss. There were Read more…
It’s been a challenging couple of months, and irritability has become a noticeable trait in me, enough that my easy-going husband pointed it out. He probed a bit about what might need to be done to deal with it, not so much looking to fix the symptoms, but seeking what Read more…
My blood pressure was through the roof! And then I was in tears. (It is so hard to cry wearing a mask in a doctor’s office with people who are accustomed to giving compassionate medical care, but seem a little at a loss to deal with tears-out-of-nowhere!) The PA thought Read more…
He was troubled in His spirit… –John 13:21 He was on the precipice of events that would change the world forever. God had put all things under His control. From this point on He was the Sovereign-in-Charge. He would run the show, but He would also experience the most excruciating Read more…
This morning did not begin well. I had gone to sleep last night nursing an emotional wound, not seeking healing or comfort for it, just deciding to hold on to it. I went so far as to plan how I would coldly respond if my offender approached me in a Read more…
Word choice is an important aspect of speaking and writing. If I say, “walk,” it might make any number of pictures in your mind. But, what happens when I use a word like “stroll” or “stride?” How about “amble” or “strut?” “Pace” or “march?” All have the idea of covering Read more…
Is it hard to say, “I love you” to the One who loves you most? For me, it is. I felt prompted recently to take up a more disciplined approach to prayer, primarily for the sake of the many I have in my heart to care for. Discipline requires structure. Read more…
Know that the LORD, he is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. — Psalms 100:3 Read more…
(Longer-than-normal post warning) A week ago I was in the mountains outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico at a Student Life camp with hundreds of teens and their adult leaders. The topography required over 11,000 steps per day with an average of 8 floors of climbing at 7000′. Two weeks Read more…
It has been pretty tough around here trying to walk in the footsteps of Jesus when the everyday stuff of life includes: — Physical challenges: Near 100° temperatures at the time when trees need the hard ground around them tilled up so they can receive precious, fruit-producing nutrients; minor surgeries Read more…