All in God's Word
Lord, I don’t want to die yet. If I must go through cancer, give me joy and strength.
I wrote those words just a few days before a dear friend sent me today’s verse.
She knew I needed joy and peace. I waited for a biopsy — scheduled on my son’s eighteenth birthday. Of course, my mind swirled with fear and what-ifs.
My oldest daughter loves her drama class. She enjoys the spotlight, developing her character, and entertaining the audience. One of the most important lessons she has learned in drama class is to pay careful attention to the vision the director is trying to achieve from the cast. If one fails to pay attention then the whole production could go wrong. In essence, many are affected, cues for lines are missed, timing is all wrong and the mood the director is trying to achieve is blurred. Paying attention is critical to the overall success of the play.
I recently heard a recording purported to be a message from a well-known pastor whom I admired and trusted. As I listened, I noticed that the content did not sound like something the pastor would say, and the voice didn’t sound exactly like the pastor’s. I discovered that the audio was AI (artificial intelligence) generated and posted from a channel other than the pastor’s official channel.
Working my way through my garden the other day, pruning, picking, reveling in the care God took to create such beauty—how blessed we are! How little I know about the growth process, except that it begins with a seed.
Ah, parables! There had been a shift in Jesus’ teaching, an urgency to make the secrets of the kingdom clear. Now that He was on the road to the cross, it was imperative His followers understand these truths and pass them on. Parables would touch their hearts and be remembered when He was gone.
My sister and I recently visited Zion National Park with the intention of hiking the easier trails. (We aren’t quite as agile as we used to be.) As we hiked one trail, we were surprised at its steepness and difficulty. We figured the hardest part of the trail must be at the beginning.
We live in a society today that is full of opinions. People jump at the chance to give advice and affirm choices whether they may be right or wrong.
The impossible had become possible. The Israelites escaped the tyranny of Egypt, crossed the Red Sea on dry land, feasted on manna and quail, were refreshed by water from a rock, and received the Ten Commandments along with instructions on how to live in God’s favor. And all this in thirteen months. They were at the brink of the Promised Land, ready to roll.
Every spring a battle rages between grass and weeds. As a child I watched my dad care for our yard. The grass was still brown and dormant from the winter, but speckled with bright green patches of weeds.
Our dog, Duke, is aging, and with age comes health problems. He recently had surgery to remove a tumor from his eyelid. Afterward, he had to wear “the cone of shame” around his neck to protect his eye.
I do not know about you, but when I finally joined Facebook, I experienced so much heartwarming fun. I heard from people I never dreamed I would touch base with again. Everyone seemed cheerful and glad to connect with each other.
It had been raining and gloomy for days. The girls and I played with every doll, conquered many board games and watched Doc McStuffins episodes too many times. We needed a break!
Remember when your parents said, just do what I say? Did you ever tell yourself, I’ll never say to my kids, because I said so? Did you keep that vow? I said it as well, and I broke that vow as well. I think God says the same thing to us!
It had been one of those weeks where several things in our home were breaking down all at the same time. The dryer quit working, our sink drain was overflowing due to blockage and our garage ceiling was showing signs of a leak in our attic. It was a week of problems and stresses on top of a full schedule.
I sat behind a man whose hat displayed the phrase “dig down deep.” I thought, What would it look like for me to dig down deep into God’s Word?
Proverbs 2 enlightens us on how and where to start digging.
As I came into the room, I noticed my granddaughter sitting at the kitchen table. It was early in the morning, and I knew Elysen was going through her daily routine of getting ready for school. Her breakfast and her open Bible and journal were on the table before her. At age thirteen, reading the Bible and journaling has become her practice and her joy.
Perhaps you’ve sung the song Holy Ground at some point. If so, did you feel like you were on holy ground? Sometimes I feel it more when I’m singing to the Lord, looking at the expansive ocean waters or a mountain range, or spending time with Jesus on my deck.
Have you ever wondered what it was like to only have God’s Word shared orally? No written scripture to study and memorize? What if no one had ever taken God’s words and written them down so that we have a physical Bible?
