New year. New day. New choices. New opportunities. I am finishing up a study of 1 John. How appropriate this verse comes today! It isn’t the first time reading it. I am hoping it won’t be the last either. One year, a hard one, has passed. It has ended. Times were dark in my heart and mind. Do you know what I mean? Did you have some of those hard patches too? But this truth sweeps in to remind me of the Light. That the Light is already shining. And it is true. Because of Him it is in me.…
Twinkle in her eye with the excitement of pure innocence founded in the unknown experience yet ahead. Body strong but frail but capable of what she didn’t know she could handle. With fortitude of will she takes each step with unsure courage to tackle whatever comes next. With only a slight curve of her lips, because there is also pain, she expresses her joy even in the angst. Lessons of life can’t compare to what others tell you. You just have to live it yourself. Meeting each new experience with alert intention but the flexibility of determination. Because sometimes unexpected…
How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? Hebrews 10:29 (NAS) You may think this a strange verse to consider in the midst of Christmas season. For so long, I looked at this verse as a standard to which I could not achieve. My imperfect self could not possibly deserve that which was poured out and split open in a perfect covenant. But to not accept it?…
Consumed with noises swirling around, it is hard to listen. Twists and turns spin thoughts into a cocoon too tight to move. Struggling to squeeze through just a sliver of space to open air. Seeking silent air. Perhaps, whispered air laced with a voice of peace. Grace filled air. Mercies fresh with no tightly woven web. Liberty to stretch and shake loose from the prison of endless voices that have no meaning, no value. Remembering the freedom of that space. Breathing room. Inhale. Exhale. Torso expands and fills. Filling deep. Feeling deep. Then release. Slow release. Release the noise. Repeat.…
He leads me beside still water The edge of the pond had no movement. The center is motionless. No stirring of the waters. Stillness. Calm. Quiet. Trees and sky reflecting in unison. Water bearing image from above. Sheep wander by still water seeing the reflection of their image. Made in His image. Water reflecting His image. An earthly reflection in still water seen dimly giving hope of the eternal image of God.
Rain hitting the tin roof of the porch sang for a little while after I woke up. Washing everything clean. Little did I know at the time, it was washing the morning sky in preparation for the sun to peek over the horizon. In the dark, all I heard was the rhythm on the tin. Fast-forward two hours. I turned left and was met by unexpected rays hitting trees. Reminding of the upcoming fall foliage that is always highly anticipated. The sun had not made it up high enough yet to illuminate the ground below. Twinkling wet leaves were radiated.…
I never get tired of telling of that day after two college finals. That boy had already made his mark. His mama carrying him through college classes with professors looking too concerned that a birth might happen in their classroom. She was something of a novelty. But so was he. I had a hair appointment that day. Plans to get ready for that last few days of being a household of three. Plans to ready myself for the next four weeks of Christmas break between college terms with a new baby. Plans to finish Christmas shopping for that precocious four-year…
Flipping pages of a good book goes undetected. An automatic response to bring the next desired scene is not something we consider a nuisance. It is a movement made with little to no conscious effort due to the benefit it brings. Just a natural response to a desired outcome. The story line may weave in and out of your emotions bringing highs and lows. Gripping tales that sit waiting for you to pick up and devour. Adventures to travel in the recesses of your mind. Heart-pounding rides of terror, heart-ache, excitement, conviction. Words that inspire and ignite the senses or…
Is there anything that you desire so much that you just can’t stop thinking about it? Your brain becomes fixated on that thing to the point you think of nothing else. When you attempt to focus on a task you become distracted and your mind takes you back to that one thing that is in the immediateness of your being! It can be anything. A cupcake. A car. A new job. A house. A person. A cupcake. Oh, I already said that. You get the point. It. Just. Has. To. Be. NOW! I read a book many years ago that…
In January, I started The Bible Recap. Follow the link to learn more. One reading brings me to 1 Kings 7 and 2 Chronicles 4. Details of the house of Solomon are descriptive enough to make one know the elaborate structure it was. Fine workmanship with precision created a work of art. Careful consideration was given to designing and building the house. There is a corresponding podcast that goes along with The Bible Recap. Again, links provided here. Tara-Leigh Cobble shares insight for the daily readings. She and her team provide additional resources within the notes of each podcast. Notes…