Over the Edge
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:6-7 Soon, I will watch the swallows nest in the barn, hatching naked in cups of twig and […]
What Has a Strong Hold on You?
How do you define “stronghold”? I used to think strongholds were just negative. Because most strongholds tear down and destroy. There’s only one Stronghold who laid down His life for us so we can have True Life now and forever. Jesus is the One-and-Only we can turn to, run to, cling to who will surely […]
Family Vacation Fiasco [How We Survive and Grow through the Breakdowns and Meltdowns of Transitions and Transmissions]
When January rolls in, we start reminiscing about family traditions, one being our annual ski trip “up nort” as the Uppers (people living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) like to pronounce their homeland. Every January for I don’t know how many years, we’ve been stuffing our car like those Johnsonville brats we Cheeseheads […]
Sacrificial Love and Letting Yourself Be Held By the Very Able Hand of God
Anne asked me. Said she needed me to come. Her past few phone messages in my voicemail sounded different—not quite desperate but certainly bold in expressing her request. “I need to see you.” Five strong words. Does a new diagnosis of Alzheimer’s do this to a person? When you’re 69? Do you suddenly wonder how […]
When You Need Lasting Peace and Solid Hope
Which one should I choose? Back and forth I went on Sunday night, wondering. Who would get my vote? Who would win? Who would lose? I was kind of beside myself with the choice set before me. I could choose only one! So, I chose to watch the debate instead of the Packers. Nearly […]
What To Do When You Feel Like A Freak
Our pastor’s kid hauled these freaks from the back garden and plopped them on the front porch. I thought they looked bad in the patch. Seeing them all together, all their deformities and discolorations on side-by-side display, kind of shocked me, honestly. How in the world did this happen? This is not what I […]
If You Need Some Love To Set You Free
I hired a prisoner yesterday. Well, actually, a former prisoner. Just out of the slammer. Spent two years behind bars and that wasn’t his first stint—in prison, that is. $150 to his name. Rent due September 1. No job yet but he’s hunting hard. Anyone want to hire a prisoner set free? Yeah, he’s made […]
True Independence
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17 Today is Independence Day, 2016. For starters, I reread the Declaration of Independence (click to read) and familiarized myself with the reasons we separated ourself from England in 1776. One word . . . […]
When The Sky Is Dark and the Rain Comes and You Wonder If You’ll Ever See the Sun Again
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Luke 4:18-19 The thunder rolled. And […]
At the End of My Rope and What Came Next
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 I have a love/hate relationship with spiritual growth. Actually, I prefer to do things I love. I prefer to […]
What are We Waiting For?
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 A continuation from Monday’s post . . . Back to Benghazi, which is just a reflection of reality, now . . . Hate spreading hate. Violence spreading violence. I’m not trying to […]
Why?
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 Why? What’s the answer? I wonder. Consider the whole story of life, starting with a snippet . . . Watched a movie last night about the tragedy in Benghazi, four […]