PUTTING SHADOWS BEHIND US “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” - Lamentations 3:22-23. The sunrise this morning was spectacular.  Every morning the sun announces the new day.  With a yawn and stretch of brilliant color, it rises from its bed behind our back hill, to begin marching its way across the sky toward evening slumber. This morning, what caught my attention, within the comforting faithfulness of this routine, were the shadows.  The oak trees that stand guard between us and the rising sun were silhouetted against a fiery backdrop of sky.  The outline of every branch and twig were perfectly defined. Trailing out from the trees, like the train of a wedding dress, were elongated shadows that draped down the shoulders of the hill.  The shadows were much larger than the trees.  And while there was a similarity between the shadows and the trees which...

STOP THE MADNESS! Do you have someone in your life whose very presence can make you come unhinged?  For those of us who can’t think of anyone fitting that description, chances are we ARE one! Often these poor souls have no clue how they are received. I have one or two of these in my life, and I hate how this irritation to be with them makes me feel. To be with them, my responses can be short, curt and frankly, not very nice.  After an encounter I always feel like a relational failure. I don’t understand myself.  I want to do one thing, but end up doing precisely the opposite.  I do what I hate (Rom 7:15). I loathe the lack of self control and anger—almost as if a tiny bit of insanity, a fleeting madness, takes over. Recently, I was alternating between complaining about someone and lamenting my behavior to the Lord, and I said to the Lord, “Lord help me!  I don’t know how to do this!  Show me how to feel different about them!” Two words came to...

RECOGNIZING THE SEASONS “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” – Ecclesiastes 3:1 This morning I look out the window and consider the Lord’s handiwork.  I consider the changes that take place as evidence of the current season. Where we live, summertime is adorned with vibrant blooms, while the grass withers and turns brown.  In the winter, the trees are bare and appear dead, but the hills are covered in a rolling carpet of vibrant green.  In every season of life there are things that burst to life while other things fade away. Lately, I have been pondering stories in the Word about life, death and resurrection.  This morning the story about Lazarus comes to mind. “Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days...

PRAYER ENVY “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14. CONFESSION:  I have prayer envy.  Have you ever been around someone whose spontaneous prayers are like the most lovely poetry you have ever read?  I am not one of those silver-tongued people. Once at church we broke off into small groups of five or six, and were taking turns praying for one another’s needs.  One gentleman began praying for my friend, and I was half tempted to open one eye to see if he was reading the prayer out of a book, because his prayer was so beautiful.  I remember thinking at the time that I wished I had a gift to pray eloquently like that. I will be honest. I tend to be nervous praying aloud in front of others.  While prayers may flow from my pen, they stumble like potatoes out of a sa...

ERADICATING CANCER CANCER.  It's a small word. It is only six letters long, but the very mention of the word brings terror to most people.  A small, malicious entity hiding in the recesses of a person's body, that when allowed to grow, can extinguish the life that sustains it. We all know someone who has died of cancer. There is one cancer they don't mention, however:  Bitterness. I know that I probably sound like a broken record, but if we drink the poison of unforgiveness, WE will be the ones who will pay the penalty of its poison.  It slowly penetrates the soul, sucking the very life out of us. Recently, I marked the six year anniversary of the passing of my precious, first husband, Jim, to lung cancer.  He fought a long battle, but the disease had spread and we were never able to stop its devastating course.  Jim didn't have a choice as to whether to get cancer or not.  It chose him. We, however, have a choice as to whether we will drin...

“SHHH...LISTEN!” “Don't talk before you think or make promises to God without thinking them through. God is in heaven, and you are on earth, so don't talk too much. “ – Ecclesiastes 5:2 My daughter, Lauren, could sell sand in the Sahara Desert.  When she was little, my husband and I would tell her that she could be an attorney, because she was so tenacious at arguing her point. She would ask me for something. If my response was, “No,” the next half hour would be spent with her following me around the house, trying to sway me. She thought that somewhere in her endless stream of words, that there would be a magic phrase to change my mind. Matthew 6:7-8 reminds me of this, “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” I seldom changed my mind, because a “No” was usually due to safety, wisdom, or appropriateness.  She...

I’LL LEAVE THE LIGHT ON FOR YOU. LOVE, DAD “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”  – Zephaniah 3:17. Several years ago, a friend’s adult daughter abruptly left her family and friends, cutting ties with everyone she knew. She has always held a tender spot in my heart.  Most of the time I am able to release her to the Lord’s care, but sometimes she weighs on my heart and I have to pray. I search the Internet looking for any clues.  Yesterday was a searching day. There was no judgement in my heart toward her, just a deep longing to see her found and brought home. She would be welcomed “with open arms and hearts.” It is like the Prodigal Son who went his own way and lived a life of unwise choices.  The father allowed the son to go, but always kept a hopeful, watching eye.  He longed for the day he would catch a glimpse of his son re...