I woke this morning with unanticipated pain. In a fallen world like ours, pain is to be expected: It came with the first act of disobedience. It is a gift: It warns us that something is amiss. It is an opportunity: It invites us to explore our hearts. My first Read more
The reduced number of social interactions lately has provided me with some extra time to spend sprucing up the yard and garden, unearthing some buried paving stones along with Bermuda grass stems and rhizomes. This has netted some interesting bird-watching opportunities. From the window over the desk in our “library,” Read more
We have been blessed with a house on a good-sized lot, and since the first year we lived here, I have had a vegetable garden and some fruit-bearing plants. Fruitful? Indeed! Beautiful? Hmmm…maybe not so much. For a while. I have been asking God to give me what I needed Read more
Apart from our standing with God through Jesus Christ, our future is always uncertain. These days that’s a little more apparent than usual. The financial world, governments, corporations, neighborhoods are all shaking in the face of an adversary too tiny to be seen with even a powerful microscope! Fear has Read more
I love Psalm 107. It’s just so…comforting, I guess. It starts with the command to express thanks to God for His enduring faithfulness. What comes next are four scenarios of people in trouble: –trouble because of what God is doing to bring them out of exile, –trouble because their rebellion Read more
This day has been a pain in the back. Literally. I have been sitting with a sock of heated beans against my lower back all morning. I don’t know what I did to it; I just know it hurts to bend, reach, stretch and, worst of all, walk! Actually, there Read more
By this we know love, that He laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. –I John 3:16 It was a bright, chilly morning near the base of Cat Peaks in Usery Park. Fifteen or so of us had made our Read more
The winter holiday season officially begins this week! (or so says Wikipedia). For our family, it has mostly been about food. Traditions run several generations deep, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t branching out as our family gets connected to other families. This year the menu will include chicken and Read more
“…Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.” — Daniel 2:47 These words spoken by Nebuchadnezzar to Daniel after the revelation of the king’s disturbing dream and its meaning are Read more
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be yours as well. -Matthew 6:33 When someone asks me what I do, I don’t know how to answer. It depends on the week, on the day, on the time of day… I tried to get Read more