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Let Your Heart Speak
As I sit at beside my mom my heart is in pieces. It is difficult to watch her slowly deteriorate. Her earthly shell is wearing out and her mouth is barely able to produce any audible words. Still, I carry on a “conversation” with her like I used to – telling her about her grandkids and so on. Mom does her usual mumbles. Somewhere deep inside of her she is responding to what I have to say. I notice a significant change in her when I started reading her Scripture. These particular words seemed to reach into the depth of her spirit and create a reaction: “Do not let your…
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You Lead, I’ll Follow
A woman loses her husband and grieves. She is unemployed and times are hard in her location. What is she to do? Her immediate family is not really able to offer her any assistance. It is a time of difficult choices when she is emotionally distraught. She has two possible directions. One would be to stay where she is and hope that somehow, she can make her way. It is her hometown – surely there is someone who would take her in and help her find some kind of livelihood. Even without immediate family there – it is what she knows and where she was raised. But she doesn’t take…
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God Sees Us
Commotion abounds as the area around the temple begins to fill up with worshippers. People from all walks of life are here. It is a busy, active place. Jesus sits watching the people come and go. He comments on those with obvious wealth, making their grand, substantial donations to the temple treasury with great flourish. They love being noticed. They feel important by giving in large amounts. Yet Jesus notices someone even more significant. She’s a widow of meager means. She also approaches the place to deposit her offering. Two small mites are all that she gives. Jesus makes a point of talking to his disciples and us about what…
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Being a Person of Influence
Mess here. Work to do there. Correspondence to deal with. Meals to prepare. People that need care. The list goes on and on… Juggling all we need to do in life is usually lots for our brains. Sometimes it is hard to think about being a Christian influence in the midst of it all. How does God want us to live our day to day lives with eternal purpose in mind? When we wonder what direction our Christian life should take, it is good to look at Biblical examples. As we observe the lives of the early Christians, we have many ideas for caring for our own spiritual well-being and…
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What Am I Doing Here?
During my long morning commute, I have lots of time to think and ponder. Sometimes that is a good thing as I process what is going on in my life or use it as prayer time. Other times I find it to be quite frustrating as I try to make sense of what God is doing in my life. At times I wonder why God has placed me in this particular school at this particular time. When I drive through bad weather, I often ask the Lord, “Why are You making me do this? There are schools closer to home. Why do You need me here? Why must I travel…
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A Woman of Merit
She is called the Wise Woman of Abel-Beth-Maacah. This unnamed woman lived in Israel at the time of King David. Her home was the historic city of Abel-Beth-Maacah. She goes without a name in Scripture but she proves herself to be a great person of merit. At this point in history, a man called Sheba was leading a rebellion against King David. When he fled from David, Sheba ended up in the city of Abel-Beth-Maacah. The commander of David’s army, Joab, came to the city in search of Sheba. Joab was ready to lead a full out attack on the city just to capture Sheba. The wise woman shows great…
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Looking Up, Looking Forward
As my family comes out on the other side of some strenuous months it is nice to finally feel like I can breathe. With the many things that have happened I have been in a space that I haven’t been in for a very long time. I realize that I have been seeing myself as a person in trauma. While that was true, it is not now. Yet I find myself slipping into that thinking more than I would like. Sometimes it takes an outsider to give us perspective. I went for a haircut a few days ago and my hairdresser takes a real interest in me and in my…
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Absolutely Delighted
With major stresses in recent weeks, the word “delight” is not one I would use to describe my feelings or actions. It has been quite easy to dwell inwardly – focused on all that is going wrong. It is a trap that our adversary uses to bring us down and get us to lose hope. The word delight brings about pictures such as pleasure, happiness, and joy. When we delight in something or someone we should be in our happy place. At certain times in our lives, however, delight does not come easy. When the bills mount up or a marriage falls apart, when a loved one receives a bad…
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Prayer is a Powerful Tool
Throughout the Biblical narrative we see many examples of God using people from all kinds of places and backgrounds to fulfill His purposes. One such person is Eliezer of Damascus. He was a servant in Abraham’s household. Abraham trusted this faithful steward a great deal. In fact, he valued him to such an extent that he sent Eliezer to Nahor, entrusting him to find Isaac a suitable wife amongst the family’s relatives. This was an involved and challenging task for Eliezer. Yet, as a faithful and obedient servant, he knew he must find a way to carry out Abraham’s wishes. The choice he made would have a significant impact on…
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Her Heart Lives On
At this time, I am dealing with my mother’s increasing dementia. We are no longer able to have back and forth conversations. She rarely speaks anymore. As I process all that goes with her illness, I am drawn back into thinking about my mother that was and what she has meant to me. One particular area that strikes me is my mother believing that she really didn’t have much impact in this world. She led a quiet life – focused on her children and grandchildren mostly. She cared for others in her quiet way. My mother raised us with the knowledge of Jesus’ saving grace. Mom made many sacrifices so…
