God Cares for Our Hearts

My father loved ducks. We never knew why; he just did. He loved the cut-sew-and-stuff mallard one of us made him for Christmas. He loved the print of a duck painting that hung in his office. We had a duck doorstop. After my dad’s death, my mom gave me the little Read more…

Don’t Have a Merry Christmas!

The gospel according to Hallmark says this is the season for sleigh-ride snuggling, jolly holly-ing, and rockin’ around the Christmas tree, but what if you are alone in a desert where snow is once-in-a-lifetime, can’t remember the last time you felt anything close to jolly, or are fresh out of Read more…

Of Gnats and Ruins

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…

Troubled

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…

American Idol?

Reading in Jeremiah, it can seem like God’s responses to Jerusalem and Judah are harsh and punitive; the truth is that God has faithfully kept all his promises and covenant commitments to them for centuries, lavishing on them gifts and blessings, and His whole-hearted devotion. The response of almost the Read more…