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"Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8, KJV). God tells us in his word that he does not change. We repeat this and teach this, but as we parse scripture and divide testaments, I think we sometimes forget the reality of this astounding truth. We see the Old Testament God and overlook that he is the one who came to us in the New Testament. We read of Moses meeting God on Mount Sinai without remembering that Jesus stood on the Mount of Transfigu

Pain. Excruciating pain! That is what I felt when the heavy metal door closed on my finger. That finger hurt for weeks. I protected it and nursed it, and it seemed to be healing. I no longer wore a bandage because it did not bleed at the slightest touch. I could go for hours without any thought of the unfortunate incident….unless I happened to bump it. Then immediately, the pain would flare like no healing had occurred. The finger looked better, but it was not well.

On Sunday, we read Matthew 16:24 – “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” On Monday, I watched a movie about settlers heading west who had to leave behind their beloved possessions to make the journey. In it I saw a vivid illustration of hard choices and dying to self as people turned from the life they knew to become pioneers – pilgrims – and move toward a better land. They cried an

There are times in this life when I am dry and thirsty – not for a Coke or water, but for God. I just want to be close to Him. I long for His presence in this world. When I opened my Bible to Psalm 68 this morning, I totally identified with David’s cry: “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is:” (Psalm 68:1, KJV) This land is dry and there is no water in this wor

Our newest hen in the chicken coop looks like she just came out of the dryer and forgot to brush her feathers. Such a fluffy white thing, not fully grown, she fits her name, “Fluffy”, that our granddaughter gave her. Fluffy came to us with a friend, a *keet, with whom she had bonded, but unfortunately the keet died shortly after coming to live with us leaving young Fluffy alone. As the youngest and smallest of the chickens, Fluffy became henpecked. We joke about this amon

Today is the day to remember His sacrifice borne for me, His blood shed for me, His body broken for me. Today is the day to remember His love poured out for me, His hands pierced for me, His head bruised for me. Today is the day to remember and give thanks. “I will declare thy name unto the brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee” (Psalm 22:22, KJV).

“And Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged Him.” [i] because the crowd chose another? because the religious leaders were jealous? because the people were afraid? because no one understood who He was? because His disciples were confused? because Pilate had the authority? No. because I needed healing because I had sinned because I had gone astray because He loved me because of me . He was scourged for me. “ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and ac

During this week of the cross, I think about the people who surrounded Jesus during His last days and last moments. I always spend time reading the chapters in the gospels that describe His last days on this Earth as the Son of Man, and I think about His interactions with these people. As we move toward Resurrection Sunday, the cross is always on my mind. I remember that before He rose, He suffered. Before He ascended to His Father, He was persecuted. Before He celebrated the

We keep a compost pile where we dump our food scraps each day. We mix in leaves from the yard and a little dirt, stir it around periodically, ensure that it stays damp, usually from the rain, and wait for nature to run its course. The result is rich soil that we can use in flower pots and flower beds. Along the way, opossums and raccoons get some nighttime snacks, a few potatoes grow from the scraps, and other interesting things happen. Overall, the compost pile is a great ad

My husband and I went out on the Gulf of Mexico several months ago in search of grouper and red snapper. After snagging more than enough fish for the likes of us, we headed in to dock the boat. As he slowly floated us toward the dock where he would refuel, he instructed me to catch the lines to secure the boat to the dock. I gingerly stepped on the side of the boat and thought, “This is okay. I can do this.” The boat continued to move forward/sideways into the tight spot,

How do you live if you are not afraid of dying? In Hebrews 10:38, the author quotes a line from Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith.” We have heard that verse before, probably quoted many times. We flick it off our tongue from memory, but do we really think about what it means? Beginning in that verse, we see an interesting sequence in the book of Hebrews. First, the statement. Then, in chapter eleven we see example after example of people who lived by faith , not

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14, KJV). When a chapter begins with a death, you get an inkling that you may get additional bad news in that story. The twentieth chapter of Numbers begins with the death of Miriam, Moses’ and Aaron’s sister, and it goes downhill from there. The children of Israel are well into the wilderness of Zin at this point. The

I cannot touch you today or bring you chicken soup or flowers. My eyes don’t see your face. I can’t sit with you, and my hand won’t hold your hand, but my heart remembers. Though separated by fifty miles or a continent we are connected by heart. My soul carried you to our Father. I laid you in His care, for His touch is far stronger than mine. His love covers more than mine. I know He will wrap you in His grace and His best will be. Father, thank You for caring for thos

Dust, destruction, noise, debris all describe the environment that surrounds renovation. Our family should know. My husband is busily renovating a large portion of our daughter’s home. What a mess. But it is a mess working toward something beautiful, something better than before. So, she is willing to wade through the rubble, deal with the dust and the inconvenience, wear ear plugs when the noise is too much, keep the children busy, and generally stay the course while she a

Not long ago, when we were trying to avoid all the gunk going around, we ordered some tonic that was supposed to help build our immune system. It is full of good stuff that supports health and well-being, and even though it didn’t taste the best, we took it each day. I think it helped. I’m sure it didn’t hurt. Some days, I feel like my spiritual system needs some immunity from the rhetoric that is shouted from the media that surrounds me. Some days, I need to fill up on wha

Today is the day that Wrapped in Grace launches. I am pretty overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by God's goodness. Overwhelmed by His grace. Overwhelmed by His faithfulness. Overwhelmed by the fact that He has brought me on this journey. This song that I wrote several years ago has been circling through my head, so I thought it appropriate to share it on this special day. I pray that you are overwhelmed with me by Jesus. Overwhelmed by His majesty, humbled by His grace I stand in awe

My soul is wrapped up in You, Lord.

In the rushing of this world around us, turning every day; running when we should be walking, trying to find our way. Only one road leads to happiness. Only one road leads to peace. We find that road before us when our senseless strivings cease. We must wait on the Lord - resting in His promises, listening to His Word. We must wait on the Lord. He will strengthen our weak hearts. He has promised to do His part, when we wait, wait upon the Lord. We live our lives our lives

O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer, Precious treasure of my longing heart. You are the One who paid my ransom. From Your side I never wish to part. What joy I find within Your presence. What peace You give my troubled mind. Your comfort settles me and keeps me. You are good, and You are so kind. Your judgments, holy, true, and righteous. Your statutes stand complete and sure. Your word endures forever perfect. All You are enlightens, ever pure. I know that You will sav

If ever there was a time that we need Your joy, it is now – as the darkness presses down, and the enemy’s arrows fly. When evil raises its destructive head against Your people, let us remember the joy of the Lord is our strength. We will rejoice in Your mercy and sing of Your grace. We will dance in the power of Your goodness and SHOUT of Your holiness. For You alone are mighty to save. You alone are worthy of being exalted. No enemy can defeat You, and we shall NOT be moved.