Conversations with high school classmates, fifty years later, covered the myriad of changes we had each experienced. Laughter at long-ago antics peppered the conversation mixed with the sobering realities of what we had all endured.
All in Provision
Ever Get The Blahs?
Normally optimistic, returning home, I fell into the blahs. I couldn’t even really put my finger on why I was blah. I bet you’ve had those seasons, perhaps during winter and longing for spring as I was!
Hurry Up Spring!
Stresses in life remind me of those long, gray winter days. I long for fruit that comes in the warm months, but I must wait to enjoy the harvest.
Minding our Tenses Well: Day 1
Where I live, it is an almost season. The days are almost summery, the flowers in the garden are almost blooming, it is almost time for neighborly visits on the porch and almost time to take a walk without grabbing a jacket on the way out.
Do You Need a Safety Pin?
As I opened my car door to leave for church one Sunday, I noticed a safety pin on the garage floor. Wondering how it ended up there, I picked it up and stuck it in my change purse.
God as my Protector
My son-in-law built a charming playhouse for his girls. But to my surprise, he recently converted that same little house into a chicken coop! I now believe the chickens’ shenanigans have provided more entertainment than the girls’ playhouse adventures.
Satisfaction, I Like It
On a recent trip to a car wash I tried to tip the young man who washed the baked-on bugs off of people’s vehicles before they passed through the wash. His response totally caught me by surprise.
“No mam! This is my job! It’s what I do!” He made this statement with a huge smile on his face and in all sincerity. I totally believed him.
When Less Is More
Too many men: God, what are you thinking? The enemy are 135,000 strong (Judges 8:10) and Israel has a mere 32,000 (7:3). You want all who are afraid to turn back? And guess what—22,000 did just that. Oh Lord!
When God Sends an Angel
Ladies, the rebuke of the unnamed “prophet” (Judges 6:8-10) sets the stage. The people cry out; God reminds them of the reason for the oppression, before coming to the rescue—perhaps a little like making sure my children understood why they were being punished before showing them mercy.
One Foot in the Promised Land
The book of Judges has been a hot topic in Bible study this year. Why Judges? Some of the stories are downright gruesome. Take Jael in Deborah’s time—the woman who tent-pegged Sisera while he slept (Judges 4:21). And there’s always Samson and Delilah (Judges 13-16); everybody knows those names. Well ladies, it sure seems the lessons in God’s history book are applicable today. Focus in with me on the key verse of Judges: People did whatever they felt like doing (Judges 17:6; 21:25, MSG). Hmm!
How Service Paid Off
Olga felt weary.
Anyone would in her situation — especially six months into a pandemic. She desperately needed a job, but all her leads seemed to go nowhere. Then, her mom died. She couldn’t even go back to her home country for the funeral.