Charlie and Sheila
A light breeze wrapped us in the newness of spring; the warm sun cast leafy kaleidoscopic patterns upon the ground. I was out for an afternoon walk, pushing my twenty-month old daughter Annie in her blue canvas stroller, joined to the play of light and shadows, soaking in a perfect day—until the thought came again to go there. I didn’t want to go there; to spoil the tranquility; to interrupt our walk.
Gleanings — 5 (Prayers)
It is straightforward to talk directly to the Lord from our hearts and simply speak out what comes. But when words elude us, written prayers often get us going, like priming a water pump or pulling out the choke to help a sluggish engine turn. May my conversations with God encourage your own.
Gleanings — 4
The Holy Spirit drew near and used today’s Gleanings on worship to search my heart. May He visit you as well. Worship is elusive. God demands worship;
Gleanings — 3
I’m still gleaning from my old journals —today’s nuggets and crumbs are from 1980 and ’81. I’m still absorbing them—one at a time. On Faith: Jesus believes everything He ever said. Do I believe all I say?
Hot and Cold
Dense clouds have dropped down, hugging the earth with a thick haze. In yesterday’s sunshine, autumn’s tall dry grasses waved above the snow warming the whiteness of winter with hints of tawny gold. Today, all color is muted. The edges of familiar tree-bark-browns fade away; treetops dissolve into fog. It looks as if a paintbrush has […]
Gleanings — 2
Here are a few more gleanings from old journals that continue to challenge me. Some of us say that everything we have is God’s. If so, when a favorite dish breaks, what do we think? “Lord, Your dish broke” or “Oh, no! That’s my favorite dish!” If disasters like floods, fires and tornadoes strike, is it our home that’s destroyed or His?
Gleanings — 1
God encouraged me with entries from my old journals this week. Many thoughts are from sermons I heard in the 1990’s. I copied them and organized them loosely like a string of separate sayings. I don’t know which words are mine and which were borrowed or changed in transcription. Some are like nuggets of gold. […]
Seeking Joy
Recently, my husband fell and broke two bones in his foot. My care taking responsibilities increased and I began to feel tired, overwhelmed and insecure. Discouragement began to gnaw at my heart until I countered it and encouraged myself by reading of a list of antidotes to stress, tension, worry, fear, anger, anxiety and depression. […]
Knowing God through His Word — Part 17
I once heard that humility is the perfume of a rose when it is stepped on. I like that, but I’m no rose. I’ve been known to squeal when stepped on. So, I seek humility. According to the Bible, humility is a vital for Christians. All God’s trusted friends and servants, all who do His exploits, are humble.
A Reflection on Grief
Choosing life requires facing grief and moving through it. It took time and courage to learn to ride into and beyond recurring waves of painful emotion and memory.
Knowing God through His Word — Part 16
The words obey and obedience can trigger balkiness in adults who grew up with threats like “You’d better obey me—or else.” For them, the word obedience smacks of unwilling submission to the demands of a superior power or authority—no matter what.
The Hebrew idea behind obedience has nothing to do with kowtowing . . .
