Suffering. No one wants it. In fact, we work hard to prevent suffering from finding its way into our lives. No matter how you slice it, life is full of challenges and times when the shadow of suffering lingers. Death, job loss and financial stress, difficult relationships, unmet expectations, chronic pain, or living through a natural disaster can all bring great suffering into people’s lives. Each hardship represents loss which is why these experiences can be so painful.
When I sin, for some reason, I ask for forgiveness over and over. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I have a hard time living in the forgiveness that Jesus offers.
Sometimes we find ourselves in the midst of trials of our own making. Because we are imperfect and human, we mess up. We sin, and sometimes experience the natural consequences that come with the choices we make.
Chains. What comes to mind when you read that word? I think heavy, binding, prisoner, captive, sin. Sin has the potential to hold us prisoner, deeper and stronger than we ever thought possible. Is there any hope of being free from the bondage of sin?
The young man sitting across the table confided, “When I was twenty-five, I thought I knew everything and was bullet proof. Nothing could hurt me, and no one could teach me anything. In the past few years I’ve discovered neither of those was true.”
I have always loved the word, “Sanctuary”. It takes me back to the church of my childhood where I sang about Jesus even before I knew Him as my Savior. The building that was the sanctuary was old with red carpet and pew cushions and arched windows with fake stained glass. The wood was honey-golden and the pulpit was smooth from use. I was baptized there above the choir loft, and I learned so much about God in my years there.
My husband and I were diligently seeking God’s direction in our business. After thirty-five years, we were weary and behind the technological times. We sensed that closing our business was ahead of us, but the timing was questionable. One day, this verse shouted to us: Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. He is with you…Do not be afraid or discouraged (I Chronicles 20:17).
Are you familiar with Ezekiel’s experience with the dry bones? The Lord showed Ezekiel a valley full of a ‘great many’ dry bones and told him to prophesy to them: “I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 37:5-6). And that is just what God did!
We don’t use the word watchman much in present-day-terms, nor do we really appreciate the concept of someone whose entire job is to look out, ahead, in front of….to just observe. In reality, a watchman’s role is broader than this simple definition. There is purpose in the watching.
I have older teenagers at my house, so the laundry is never done! They take things off and put things on multiple times a day for any event or change of emotion. They take the school clothes off and replace them with hanging-around-the-house clothes until friends drop by…and this necessitates yet another change. And of course, when they take something off, it must be dirty! All these changes and choices are very intentional.
Apostle Peter wrote letters to the early Christian disciples in the Northern part of Asia Minor around 64 AD. His intention was to encourage them to continue their work to establish the first churches even while they were suffering trials. He assured them they were the chosen ones.
Peter, the disciple who denied Christ three times, after His crucifixion later wrote rich authoritative instructions. His example and call to leadership greatly contributed to the establishment of the early Church. These words were written predominantly to Jewish disciples scattered throughout Roman territory during the first century after Jesus Christ’s resurrection and ascension into Heaven.
The contemporary language of young Christ Followers perks up my ears when they advocate Christians should live “on mission.”
The delivery process can be tricky in the world of art gallery installations. Because of limited financial resources, sometimes the artist is also the transporter and the installer.
Origami, the art of folding, dates back some thousand years to an ancient Oriental process of folding a two-dimensional piece of paper creating a three-dimensional sculpture. Oftentimes, the sculptures are representational of nature or objects—birds, flowers, or shapes.
Open your Bible to the middle and there you find the hymnbook of God—those inspired songs full of praises and prayers. God inspired the psalms for many reasons, but one important reason is to enhance the worship of His people. A whole book of the Bible was given by God to teach us to praise Him!
A friend and her four-year-old daughter passed by a cemetery where a grave had been freshly dug with a mound of dirt to the side. The daughter said, “Oh look, Mom, someone got out!” At first I laughed, but later I realized the spiritual truth of this story. The obedience of Jesus Christ “got us out.”
When I turned eighty, my younger friends were concerned that this would bother me. On the contrary, I wear the term octogenarian with honor.
A white blessing greets me each time I come into my garden home. Bella is an answer to prayer. Here is her story.
I have learned more about prayer in the last ten years than all of my former years combined. I did teach my fourth grade Sunday school class the different aspects of a prayer. I pray for these prayer parts in the following order, but God will be glad to hear from you in any form.
