I am finding that I tend to be ok with the big challenges of life, but that I often hold onto the small day-to-day challenges – little pains, dealing with the healthcare bureaucracy, being tired, etc. I keep these things to myself and don’t give them to God as I want to. I need to pray about why this is so. I know Matthew 10:28 “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall …
Category: Fear
A friend of mine recently shared that she had made a choice to stop “cursing the crisis”. In her case, the crisis was Covid’s many frustrations. While not diminishing the reality of the pain it has caused, I think she was speaking to her attitude about the crisis. I resonated with her comment as I too had been cursing the crisis. So what do we do? Do I curse the situation and complain, knowing that I have little to no …
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 My daughter and I went to Texas recently to visit my sweet sister who is valiantly and gracefully dealing with cancer. Because her immune system is weak, the doctor suggested she and her husband move to a more secluded place away from the college campus of Baylor. So, they are now living with dear, sweet, loving friends they have known since the mid-1980s. …
Separated…but loved In a still and darkened room Grandma waits in thin draped gown Her family waits across the town Laughing gone, now only frowns Concerns have come so near to roost Fear and angst they do seduce. No way to love or reach outside I only wish that I could hide In her room, there by her side Oh Grandma Jane, a joyful soul Without her here, there is a hole Within my heart I cannot fix I pray …
There’s a lot being written about the CoronaVirus….how to thrive in quarantine, how to do social distancing, what the latest statistics are, what’s shut down, etc. But I want to invite you to go inward and examine your heart and how this new environment has affected your motives and heart. As I reflect, it has certainly forced me to look inward at my heart. First, my heart feels frustrated and a bit out of control. Not so …
A dear friend who I grew up with had a major stroke a few days ago. He's in ICU and recovering slowly. Yet, in the midst of their family's pain, I hear a calm, thankful confidence in their Facebook posts. By what means does this concerned yet rejoicing tone exist? - In our broken world, we all suffer pain and loss....some small, some big. Relationships will be broken, food will be scarce, friends will have strokes, bank …
“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin (a falling away, lapse, slip, false step, trespass, sin) you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”Galatians 6:1-2 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I …
When Jesus says "come and follow me", do we tend to change the subject? …
We seem trained to think of the worst about things at times…. If I don’t get this life insurance, all heck will break loose. If I don’t get this new toothpaste, I’ll get gengivitus. If I doing use high-perfomance gasoline, my gas mileage will suffer! If I don’t drink the new Corona Premier, I’ll never have fun or friends. If I don’t get this new app, I’ll be unproductive. So, we trust (at least in small part) that these things …
Nature sometimes shouts about God. While enjoying this lake at a retreat recently, I noticed something quite simple and wonderful. When the water was calm, the surface nearly perfectly reflected the beauty of the shoreline. If the shoreline represents God, we want to reflect Him, just as this water reflects the trees. When our souls are at peace, filled with His joy, the life of Christ comes through us so clearly. So all of us who have had that …