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
One of today’s scripture passages reads: “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere.” —2 Corinthians 1:14. My first response was to ask wistfully if I smell enough like Jesus for this Read more
We finally got around to watching “Amazing Grace” this week. It was an utterly satisfying film. It depicts some of the life of William Wilberforce, who was the primary force behind banning the slave trade in the whole British Empire in 1833. After 66 years of pushing, pulling, and risking Read more
God is in the middle of granting one of the desires of my heart, I am in the middle of a recovering from a shoulder replacement…a surgically induced five-weeks-in-a-sling sabbatical. One of the things that usually happens on a sabbatical is that normal income-producing work is suspended. I don’t have Read more
I have chickens. Hens, but no roosters. That means that they lay eggs that will never hatch into chicks. It got me thinking about fruitfulness. . . I wonder if they produce those beautiful, extra large, brown speckled eggs expecting them to hatch. I wonder if they are disappointed when Read more
The bugs are dead. My shelves are empty. Many things are washed, dried and put away. A small pickup load has been taken to a local charity. The process of letting go of things I don’t need, want, or love is going to be a long one. Most of my Read more
The battle I reported in last week’s post still rages. (Not that I really expected it to be over…) The good news includes: I am remembering to set boundaries around my house morning and evening, to armor up when I sit down to the Word each morning. (Maybe I should 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
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
God designed and planted the first garden to meet the needs and satisfy the desires of His image-bearers. In it was every tree that was beautiful and fruitful. The gardener in me sighs longingly at this phrase. To grow artichokes for the beauty of them does not deny me a Read more