I am fairly silent. However, I again listened to a media person shutting down someone they disagreed with. It was not done kindly. So, I wrote the following. My hope is not to point fingers at anyone but to ask if we can allow our differences without making it personal. Living in Greece gave me some lasting impressions. One of them is related to the idea that if a Greek did not vote they could lose their passport. Seemed a…..
I have two inherited outdoor cats. I also have a dog that does not like cats. Why am I telling you this? Because of the third feral cat that showed up on my doorstep. See, this third cat knows that I feed my cats in my front patio area where my dog cannot get to them. He or she learned to finish off the food my cats were not eating. Eventually, this cat started making my cats uncomfortable whenever they ate. You…..
I was having a particularly bad dream bordering on a nightmare. Everyone was pointing their fingers at me and screaming how bad of a person I was. They named off a litany of wrongs I had committed. I do not remember the wrongs they listed. I do remember the utter hopelessness I felt. Then, I gained my voice and screamed, “I am redeemed.” The voices stopped and His peace filled me. I remember waking up still feeling that peace and…..
“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 Recently, as I painted several rooms in my house, including the kitchen cabinets, this verse carried new meaning. I kept comparing the sins I was covering with my paint to my sins that Jesus covers with His blood. What fascinates me is that the scars of the sins are still there, especially with the cabinets. Some are prominent enough…..
It is amazing how pain can create in us a desire to know God more deeply. It can also do the opposite, unfortunately. For me, sorrow recently added depth to my study of the Word of God. I usually tried to answer four questions when studying a Bible passage. They were: What is it teaching about God? What is it teaching about me? What is it teaching about relationships? What do I want to study more deeply? Well, during a…..
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea…” Matthew 2:1 Last night, during a church concert, the instrumentalists performed the song; “What Child Is This.” This song just may be my favorite Christmas season song. I closed my eyes and listened to the beautiful music. As I listened, I saw the baby Jesus in my arms and wondered. I wondered what it would have been like to be his mother. We think of Christ as the man who…..
“as it is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one” (Romans 3:10-12, NASB). These verses begin with “there is none righteous” and end with “there is none who does good.” Sandwiched in between those two statements, we are told that none of us understand, none of…..
“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, NASB). My dog was acting funny one evening. He was actually shaking which worried me. I thought if he is not better tomorrow, we are off to the vet. The next morning, I noticed that he would not go outside. My…..
“If He should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust” (Job 34:14, 15, NASB). Have you ever had a verse take your breath away (every pun intended)? This verse took my breath away when I read it recently. Yes, I understand that God has numbered our days. Yes, I know that God gives us life. However, I never considered that my…..
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:24, NASB). This verse is in a passage of scripture that deals with the devotion of our hearts. Prior to the verse, Jesus is warning against us seeking the wrong treasure. He wants us to seek Heavenly treasure rather than an earthly one, which…..