Gaining a heart of wisdom
The story came tumbling out from the heart of a friend at a church picnic. Eyes welling with tears, she shared her story of waiting in the road for her prodigal to return--and she was still waiting. The journey had been long and painful, and she knew well the ache of worry over addiction, the… Continue reading Persevering in Extravagant Love for Your Prodigal
Jeremiah floats the question, and I almost miss the impact. Coming as it does in the midst of a firestorm of holy fury against the false prophets who are Jeremiah’s contemporaries, the question sounds rhetorical: “’Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in… Continue reading Sunday Scripture ~ Jeremiah 23:24
When Jesus set the parameters for a blessed life, they must have landed with surprise on the ears of his hillside congregation. The Beatitudes are even more counter-cultural today, for the 21st-century church conveys blessings of a different sort: Blessed are those who keep up appearances; Blessed are you when you look good and say… Continue reading Blessed Are Those Who Are Nice
Strong promises come with strong verbs, and Psalm 32:8 delivers both: I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." When I need wisdom, I want to know that my Counselor knows what he's talking about. When I'm looking for advice,… Continue reading Sunday Scripture ~ Psalm 32:8
His drawing of a strawberry was lopsided, the printing was primitive, but the proud smile on my little guy’s face was as genuine as the ring of strawberry jam that circled his mouth. He had made the jam and then had labored over the personalized labels that made each jar an announcement of his creative… Continue reading Becoming Fluent in the Language of Labeling
Tired metaphor though it be, the transformation from chubby caterpillar to seemingly inanimate chrysalis, and then to elegant and dainty flying monarch is new again to me in this late summer season of 2019, because it is new to my tiny grandchildren. “Leafy” had no idea that the milkweed he munched in a retired goldfish… Continue reading Sunday Scripture ~ 1 Corinthians 5:17
My favorite way to do life involves a schedule. Always a planner, I map out the days in advance and often find myself studying my calendar as if I might be tested on it at some point. Oddly, the pop quiz usually comes in the form of a delay or some unforeseen curve that cancels… Continue reading How to Train Your Thinking When Life Throws You a Curve
God will not hold you accountable for what you do not know. This is good news. It is true of the unreached people groups from Operation World, and it is true of you and me in our earlier, perhaps untaught, and perhaps more reckless, less scripturally grounded years. Everyone to whom much was given much will… Continue reading Sunday Scripture ~ Luke 12:48
With a steaming cup of tea in my favorite mug and an open Bible, I turned to a fresh page in my journal and prepared to take advantage of an empty and quiet house. Funny how stillness without is no guarantee of stillness within. A dozen tasks on my to-do list suddenly began competing for… Continue reading Stillness on the Way to Peace with God
I've raised a couple of trumpet players and the one currently in residence is often inspired to practice at about the same time that I am inspired to go to bed. That's fine with me, because I value the musical endeavors of my kids whenever they happen, but as the sound waves bounce off all… Continue reading Sunday Scripture ~ Matthew 6:1
Living Our Days 