THE BLESSING IN OUR WOUNDS “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Philippians‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬ At first glance, the thought that there is a blessing in our wounds sounds absurd. No one in their right mind knowingly asks for an insult or wound, let alone a disease or life-altering loss. However, as I was preparing my heart for Thanksgiving, I was suddenly confronted with memories of emotional and physical wounds—betrayals, insults, abandonments, embarrassments, injuries, pain and loss from my past. Before I could shift my thought to the positive, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “Give thanks FOR everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Ephesians 5:20 (emphasis mine) He instantly revealed a hidden truth.  When I have resisted bitterness and sought Him in a hard or p...

WONDERFULLY PECULIAR PEOPLE “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.” – ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭14:2‬ ‭KJV‬ Until recently, the word, “peculiar,“ had never been an adjective that I would have considered positive.  However, on one particular morning, while glancing in the mirror, my attention was suddenly drawn to my thick ankles, wrinkles and grey hair. And before I knew it, I was compiling a list of my quirks, flaws and disabilities in my head. Remembering my past capabilities that had been taken away, made me feel old and useless. Seeing my brokenness en masse, carried a sharp sting. It was then that this verse came to mind, because, as one chosen by God, I am deemed peculiar, too. I didn’t like the thought that God was describing me with an adjective that to me meant “strange or odd.” The Lord, in His kindness, led me to scriptures in which the people ...

JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9 A few days ago I had a rough morning.  I had had back-to-back stressful days, poor sleep and pressure.  I had an appointment in town, and I got stuck behind a truck hauling large farm equipment for multiple miles. By the time I got to my appointment, I was anxious, only to find that my appointment had been cancelled.  Frustrated and tired, I sat in the parking lot and cried. We might not all find ourselves blubbering in a parking lot, but we all have days that are stressful, sad or frustrating.  We all experience grief, fear, failure and disappointment.  Even Jesus, in His perfection, was not immune to emotion. “Jesus wept.” – John 11:35 Jesus was the son of God, but He was also human.  He still felt heartache, disappointment, stress and sadness, yet all ...

BENEATH THE CANDY COATING “...put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” – Ephesians 4:22-24 Bad habits are my daily nemesis.  I start off each day with determination, to only be met a few hours or days later with feelings of regret or disappointment. If you are anything like me, we struggle and strain and vow to do better, only to succeed for a time and then revert to our old ways. “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” – Zephaniah 4:6 We can’t conquer these habits and temptations by ourselves.  We have tried might and power.  We need God’s Spirit to breathe life and fire back into our purpose and sanity back into our minds. Father, we confess that we fight our flesh, but still succumb to temptation and the comfor...

A CONSOLATION OF PEACE “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” - I Corinthians 15:58.  Sometimes we work diligently, but see no evidence that our efforts are making any difference.  With time, we become discouraged and are tempted to throw in the towel.   There are times in life that can feel like an endless treadmill.  We take step after step in the direction we believe we are to go, but the scenery never changes and we begin to question if we are even going the right way.  Is this you?  Let’s bring it before the Father. Lord, thank You that Your eye is upon us every second of every day.  You know where we are.  In Your mercy, redirect us if we are off course.  But if we are on course, we ask for a reassuring sign—light on the horizon and a scent on the breeze that hints of fragrant spiritual fruit ahead.  ...

WAITING FOR RUBE GOLDBERG “Wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” - Acts 1:4b-5 Do you know what a Rube Goldberg machine is?  It’s a contraption designed to perform a very simple task in an indirect way, using multiple seemingly-unrelated steps that cause a domino effect. In high school Physics we each created one for the science fair.  It was always an honor to be offered the opportunity to initiate the first step in a project and watch the process play out. What would normally take two seconds done in a direct manner, might take 15 or 20 seconds to accomplish using a Rube Goldberg machine, but the process can be fascinating to watch. The enjoyment comes in the process of the wait. Are you patient in waiting? Impatience can even slither into our relationship with God.  When He speaks to us about His plan for our lives, initially w...

THE BURNING COALS PROJECT “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” – Matthew‬ ‭5:44‬ ‭NIV‬‬ It was the hardest year of my life. It was in 2013 that my husband, Jim, succumbed to cancer. I would love to tell you that after my husband died that countless people rallied around me, as a new widow, to help me in such a brutally hard time, but they didn’t.  Apart from my parents and a couple of close friends I was on my own to navigate the choppy waters of grief. I had always imagined widows being treated kindly, but instead, I was judged for not grieving correctly, told that I was taking too long to grieve and even falsely accused of things, that, while utterly ridiculous, were still painful and insulting. It’s been six years, and even though I am very happily remarried, I still have emotional wounds that bleed on occasion from that season in my life. Recently, I found out that one of my greatest offenders is going through similar grief and...

THE SHAKING “At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken —that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.” Hebrews 12:26-27 NIV On October 17, 1989 at 5:04 pm, the Loma Prieta earthquake shook California.  At the end of the 15-second shaking, the 7.2 magnitude earthquake left me rattled—literally. Our home was 75 miles north of the epicenter.  In one moment I was standing on what felt like a solid foundation. The next second, I watched the floor ripple like a large wave—similar to when you pull up a bedsheet and then quickly pull it down, and there is a wave produced that travels down the fabric. In the ensuing days, the most disturbing revelation wasn’t the collapsed Cypress Structure, but that the ground I had relied upon to be solid, wasn’t. Earthquakes happen in our lives, too.  Jobs are...

A TASTE OF HOPE “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” – Psalm 34:8 Who doesn’t love a complimentary, savory canapé before the meal at a fine restaurant, or a bountiful tray of tasty, beautiful appetizers at a party?  They serve as delicious invitations to dinner guests, whetting the appetite and stirring up anticipation for the main course to follow. More than once I have asked a party hostess for recipes at the end of the night.  Once I taste something wonderful, I want to repeat the experience and share it with others. As the Body of Christ, we are sent into the world to similarly whet appetites. Merely spending time in His presence, our lives take on the fragrance of Christ, and when we live in obedience, that lovely fragrance grows.  It is the aroma of hope and salvation that draws the hungry and homeless to come home and be filled. “Imitate God, since you are the children he loves. Live in love as Christ also l...

ANGER IN THE SIDE VIEW MIRROR “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” – Hebrews‬ ‭12:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Today, in the parking lot at the grocery store, I was waiting for a parking spot to open up.  The woman in the parking space I was waiting for, shifted into reverse and started to edge back.  I honked and started waving my arms like a wild woman.  She angrily looked at me through her side view mirror with a look that said, “What’s YOUR problem, lady?” No doubt I had panic on my face as I shook my head, mouthed “No!” and frantically waved my hands.  There was ample room between our two cars for her to back up, so she stopped her car and opened the door preparing to come and confront this lunatic who was honking and waving. Just then, an elderly woman, who had been walking behind her car, stepped out of her blind spot.  Suddenly the woman...

THE METICULOUS JAILER “He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake.” – Psalm 23:3b I am so grateful for my GPS!  There have been several times in my life when I relied upon a map or written directions to take me to my destination, only to get lost.  Too many rights or lefts, and I ended up in some sketchy neighborhood, scared half to death to ask for directions. The tendency for many of us is to stick with what we know—a familiar neighborhood and streets where we have walked countless times before.  There is comfort in the familiar.  The downside is that without change, we don’t get to experience anything new.  We miss out on life and settle for smallness. This morning I am so grateful that in this passage it says that He “guides” us.  A traveling companion brings great comfort to me when I travel to new places.  A trusted companion replaces my anxiety with excitement. When it says, “He guides me,” it means He doesn’t merely give...

WISHING ON DANDELIONS “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13 Change is on the horizon for all of us.  Some changes are eagerly awaited, while the mere thought of others fills us with dread. If you are anything like me, we scurry around in anxiety, trying to make sure we have all of our ducks in a row.  On the surface it may appear that we are behaving wisely and responsibly to prepare. However, it is underlying anxiety and fear that bubble up that often drive our diligence. We tend to put faith in the security of our job or 401K, our spouse, education or political party. We put our faith in ourselves and our capabilities. The trouble with putting our faith in people and things, is they are imperfect and fallible.  They change and falter.  We lose our job, the stock market crashes or illness knocks on our door.  And when they do, we panic. We...

UNSHAKEABLE HOPE “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” - Psalms ‭139:23  ‬ ‭Change is coming.  Can you sense it?  Over a thousand times in scriptures we read the words, “it came to pass.” ‬ ‭As the times we are in are heating up, our eyes search for HOPE and comfort.  We look longingly over our shoulder at the “Good Old Days”—simpler times, old relationships and habits—people and things that, in the past, brought momentary relief.  But, more often than not, we find that the fleeting well of comfort found there has since dried up. ‬ ‭We have not been abandoned to fend for ourselves, however. God, Himself, will be our refuge!‬ “I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.” – Psalm 1161-2 ‭When everything else is shaking, we have been given a glorious hope.  When we put our trust in Him, He is immovable,...

THE POWER WITHIN YOU “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up...” – Ephesians 4:11-12 STRANGE CONFESSION: My subconscious mind thinks I store words in my finger. I should explain.  I spend hours every day writing devotions and creating memes for my posts. Since I primarily use my phone or iPad to do so, it is my right index finger that taps out my messages.  Generally I don’t think about it, but when I highlight and click “copy,” something bizarre happens in my mind that causes me to think that what has been copied is somehow retained in my finger until I touch the screen again and hit “paste.” While my frontal lobe knows that the power resides in the technology that is designed to respond to touch, some confused, self-inflated part of my psyche believes that my finger has the power to transmit, capture and release wor...

FIRST LOVE & PINK LAUNDRY “You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.” – Revelation‬ ‭2:3-4‬ ‭NIV I love God.  I bet you do, too.  I also love my husband, my family, my dog and country. In English we have so many words to express the nuances of so many things, but the varied meanings of “love” all get lumped into a single word. I wonder if in our over-simplification of the term, that perhaps we may have unwisely cheapened the value of some while we foolishly elevated the value of others. As throwing a new, red sock into a laundry load of whites leaves the red sock faded and the whites with a pinkish hue, maybe our “love” of so many things has left our bright red love for God faded, as it’s depth of color becomes averaged among the load. As first love’s passion for God fades, more is leached out of our lives in the process.  Our hope, pea...