I loved all the old-time playground equipment. The monkey bars, jungle gym, barrel of fun, log swing, chain swings, horizontal bars, large wooden seesaws, and even the giant stride—which my eyebrow has the scar courtesy of this steel monster. But the one that a lot of my childhood friends loved, yet I had the hardest time with, was the hanging rings. Not being a daredevil by nature, the rings would swing and sometimes you had to let go of the…
This is my beloved, and this is my friend. – Song of Solomon 5:16 To my extraordinary husband: It made me so happy to be married to my best friend – the one I trusted with all my hopes, dreams, and everything in between. I thank God for your love and support – they meant more to me than you will ever know. I loved you and enjoyed sharing life with you – and hope you know just how special…
There are many things that are beyond the scope of our responsibility and authority that we need to leave alone. We need to be true to our calling and only do what He has given us to do. Allow Him to mold us like clay in the hands of a potter to become the unique and precious vessel that He can use to accomplish His purposes. There are times we want to get involved in things where we think we…
Lately, there has been a stumbling around. Not sure-footed, tripping over things, bumping into things that are there but not seen, grasping for something, and completely missing it: car keys, a door handle, a jacket in the closet that took three tries to reach for it and hold on. The world would call this bumbling, a dexterity problem, or even a neurological condition. It is not, but really, what is this? I asked the Lord. It’s a reflection. What is…
In the Spiritual Journey, much time is spent being alone, reflecting on the alone, or feeling alone. In order to accomplish a rebirth, it is essential to be enclosed in a temporary cocoon-like environment. This separation and solitude may occur gradually, or quickly, and causes strong feelings of being isolated, alone, uprooted and often helpless, but is the necessary part of the redemptive and restorative process. The early-twentieth-century Scottish Baptist evangelist and teacher, Oswald Chambers, wrote much about solitude, alone,…
As I walked alone, I went into the quiet that I didn’t know existed. After a brief moment, it was gone. On the next walk, a vision opened and I felt something or someone approaching from behind. I turned and saw a big white horse with a rider approaching. The rider and the horse passed through and exited out the front of me. The warrior held a sword in his right hand, swinging it overhead. He wasn’t big, but there…
Choices. Every moment is a choice, and every choice has an outcome. In every moment there is a choice for what you follow. A choice for the path to take. A choice for how you want to live. A choice of the words you speak, and how to speak them. A choice of what kind of person to be. A choice for freedom or bondage. A choice to follow Jesus, or follow yourself (your emotions, your thoughts, your rights, your…
Who doesn’t like clouds? To gaze into the endless blue and watch the clouds move, change, and drift through the sky. There are many verses in Bible, especially the Old Testament, where God’s presence and almighty power and glory were represented by a cloud. In some stories where the people could not see through the cloud, they had trust God and believe that He was there. At times, clouds are metaphoric for sorrows and sufferings. Oswald Chambers, the early-twentieth-century Scottish…
The purpose of our lives may not be known because it is bigger than us. But it is known by God. He is the Painter of the largest and most beautiful mural, and we are one brush stroke in His Masterpiece. That lone brushstroke does not show what the picture is. The brush stroke that represents the life of the believer is not alone; there are many other brushstrokes orchestrated by God. Each stroke is different in color and texture…
This time of year, there are garage sale signs on every street corner. We are far more diligent about having a garage sale to empty the content of those things that we no longer need, are no longer useful in our lives, we’ve outgrown, or have been replaced with something better in the home of our physical life than we are with the home of our spirit. A thorough house-cleaning occurs as we pay attention to nooks and crannies, opening…