FACE THE FEAR & LIVE “And he also that had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering where thou didst not scatter; and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth.” – Matthew‬ ‭25:24-25 ASV‬‬. Last weekend my husband and I went for a brief ride down Highway 1, along the coast. The view—at least the parts of it that I could see—was breathtaking. I will confess, my inability to appreciate the view of the spectacular scenery didn’t come as a result of an obstructing fog bank, traffic or even dirty windows. I missed the view, because I was afraid. I have both a fear of heights and deep water.  The narrow road, sharp turns and sheer cliffs without guardrails, all became a bit too much.  I had a death grip on the door handle and my right foot stomped on my imaginary brake so many times, that had there been grapes on the floorboard, we would have wine today. While ou...

FROM THE TIP OF THE NEEDLE “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.” – Proverbs 3:3. I grew up a child of the 60’s and 70’s. The style of the day was “flip” hairdos, Beatle cuts, Nehru jackets, go-go boots and copious amounts of hairspray and polyester. I remember sitting in my bedroom and listening to music on my record player.  I would pick up the arm and set it down lightly into the groove on the record to hear the sounds of the Beatles, the Beach Boys or the Supremes. Our hearts are like a vinyl disc. Both good and bad happen in life. The impression of life-altering, emotion-soaked events tend to leave the deepest grooves in our hearts.  Each time a similar event takes place, the needle, goes back down into the groove, playing the same message. The trouble is that not everything recorded on our hearts is beneficial or even true.  Damaging, life-altering messages can be embosse...

HOME IMPROVEMENT “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." – Mark 2:17. I love a good home renovation show.  A master carpenter goes into a home that is in disrepair, and then transforms an eyesore into an inviting oasis.  Somehow through the dry rot, peeling paint and tight spaces, the carpenter can see beyond the clutter and decay to envision something of remarkable value and beauty. I love those programs, because they feel so hopeful.  I need hope, because much like these neglected homes, I, too, am a mess.   How about you?   Romans 3:23 brings a comforting and equalizing truth.  We are not alone, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We all have made messes, if not disasters, of our lives. The Father is not waiting for us to clean ourselves up before coming before Him.  Jesus didn’t come for th...

FLOWERS, POTENTIAL & THE CRUSHING WEIGHT OF “OUGHT” “The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.” – Song of Solomon 2:12. The Lord provides rain to fill the flowers of the field, sun to grow them and wind to strengthen them.  They bloom and turn their faces toward heaven.  Those beautiful blooms are content being what God created them to be. A chef’s knife can be used to scrape a barbecue grill, open mail and trim a hedge. While an expensive piece of cutlery may have the potential to serve those purposes, I think we can agree that it is neither the best tool for the job, nor the best use of the knife.  Using a knife in ways it isn’t intended to be used will dull the blade—a sad condition for a tool designed to be sharp. Like a knife, if we chase after all of the areas where we exhibit potential, we may not ever accomplish what God has for us, because we are spread too thin and become du...

THE EARLY BIRD & THE MOLEHILL OF THREE CENTS “I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” – Isaiah 41:13 When my husband got up this morning at 4:00 am, I flipped on the TV to check the news. Up came an ominous black screen with white writing, cheerfully explaining that if I wanted to watch TV I could simply pay my cable bill. Long story short, our cable bill is on autopay.  Each month the bill is being paid on time, for the entire amount, minus three cents. This morning I just wanted to cry. I know it is ridiculous to want to cry over a three cents credit card charge, but it isn’t the amount.  It’s the hassle, frustration and monthly reassurances that the issue has been fixed, to only to be disappointed when it happens again. It wasn’t just the cable bill this morning.  It is a million tiny things—the compounded weight of a multitude of molehills that joined to feel like a mountain. Do you eve...

 FRANKENSTEIN FAITH “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” - 2 Timothy 4:3-4 This verse strikes me this morning and I wonder what I might be believing that isn’t truth.  I wonder which pieces of fact and fantasy I have pieced together to fashion a monster of my own design that I worship, instead of the One true God. Many years ago, I was chatting with a friend and I mentioned a quote that I attributed to the “Good Book,” only to be informed that I was quoting Aristotle, not the Bible.  It was embarrassing, but also a faithful wound of a friend (Pro 27:6). It set me on a more diligent course of truly knowing the Word instead of falling into a cultural norm of believing myths. The more I dig into the Word, the more I can see that there are phrases that we attribute t...

MY PRAYER FOR YOU WHILE YOU SLEEP Lord, I lift my friend as they sleep.    As the clock ticks from night to morning, prepare their hearts and minds to choose to not drag the negative refuse of the past into this new day.   Help them to clean out their heart closets (Pro 28:13). We know that holding on to bitterness and hurt causes us to drag around the weight of things that no longer serve a beneficial purpose in our lives. They only hold us back, cause anxiety and stumbling blocks.    And with time, our entire house takes on the decaying smell of what should have been discarded long ago.   Strengthen them to fight the temptation to rifle through the bags of resentment and grief, reexamining the contents, but instead to take out the trash, and there drop the exhausting weight of unforgiveness, fear and failure at the curb.    (Mark 11:25) As they release it, wash them clean from all iniquity (Ps 51:2) and cleanse away th...

A FEW CHOICE WORDS “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” – Colossians 4:6 No, I don’t hear audible voices, but the Lord does, on occasion, speak to me in my dreams.  Apparently, it’s the only time I stop talking long enough for Him to get in a word edgewise. This morning, He plunked a simple thought in my mind about “choice words.” “Choice words” is often a euphemism for swearing or verbally chastising a person. In actuality, the term just means, “a few carefully chosen words.” I feel God gave me an assignment to include in every conversation, a few choice words.  Here are a few examples of types of choice words to slip into conversation. BE KIND The vast majority of people you will encounter in your day are going through something difficult that You known nothing about. Spread on a little kindness to sweeten their day.  You can’t help to get some smeared in yourself at the same time....

MEMORIES OF A BELOVED SPECK “God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing... The foundations of heaven tremble;” – Job 26:7. As a teenager, I remember driving with friends out into the country to view the starry night that was unaffected by city lights.  Lying on the hood of the car and looking up at the great expanse, it hit me how tiny I was compared to the enormity of the universe. It was mind boggling.  To realize my relative insignificance, fragility and powerlessness was humbling, and more than a little bit frightening. We can’t sustain than level of awe forever. Eventually the stark terror of the big picture is replaced by the comfort of our tiny microcosm, here on the tip of the relative toothpick where we live. Have you ever had an experience like that—a brief revelatory moment of awe and wonder? Nothing is impossible for our unfathomable God. So often we casually offer our prayers before the Lord.  We become so acc...

WHAT’S ON THE HOOK THAT CATCHES YOU? “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” – Romans 7:15 We all become ensnared by temptation from time to time.  Whether it is something small and seemingly insignificant or something huge and life changing, each misstep takes us farther away from what we truly want in the long term. That little cookie on the counter may seem insignificant, but it truly isn’t if we fight a battle of addiction to sugar.  One sip of wine seems insignificant, until that first swallow that wakes a sleeping giant within, for those who struggle with alcohol.  As we reach for the temptation, our hand becomes trapped in the enemy’s snare. It is sin that cause the internal battle and makes the disconnect between what we believe and know we should do, and what we end up doing.  The battl...

NOTE TO SELF:  ZIP YOUR LIP “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” –  James 1:19 Watching the news can be so distressing.  Apart from the rare human interest story, the average broadcast is riddled with bickering, fighting and cruelty.  All of this negativity isn’t good for us. I have a history of a traumatic brain injury that decreases my tolerance for anger, conflict and gossip.  It is not unusual for me to walk out of the room when others are arguing or gossiping. My acquired sensitivity causes me to feel physically sick, anxious and more uncomfortable than most people when exposed to these things. I consider it a gift to feel that discomfort. The alarm in my body alerts me to environments that are toxic for my soul. When we regularly feed ourselves negative, hateful and selfish thoughts and images, it can’t help, but change us.  And like grapes in a wine...