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“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1, KJV) If you have ever cried out to God about what is going on in your life, in the world, and the struggles you are having, you can identify with David in Psalm 109. He lets out all the stops in his complaints as he lays it out before God. He tells God about the people who have lied about him and hated him, those who have returned evil for good. He talks about the people who have misused the poor

Today, I see eternity in the eyes of a newborn child or the rugged mountains that lift their spires to the translucent heavens. I sense eternity – when I rest beside grand oceans and watch undulating waves roll into infinity, or hold the tiny hand of child, or walk with an aged saint. Eternity doesn’t wait for me – Eternity is now, in the yellow of the first daffodil of spring, Daffodil in the pastel rays of dawn that wake the birds’ song, in the freshness of air that fills

Sometimes God's word provides us with a list of things to bring focus and joy to our day.

As I read in the sixth chapter of Hebrews this morning, I read about hope. Hope is in scarce supply in our world today. Not only is it in scarce supply, but we have trouble accurately defining it. When most people talk about hope, the concept seems elusive and hard to grasp, something that exists beyond them – a “pie in the sky” sort of dream. We “hope” we win the lottery. We “hope” we get to Heaven. The whole idea is vague and, honestly, a little frustrating. The hope th

As I think about the gift of citizenship in these United States of America on this 250th birthday of our great nation, I am in awe of the blessings that have been bestowed upon us by our Heavenly Father. Across this world, even as others curse the policies and politicians, people long for the freedoms we take for granted each day. America still stands as a beacon of liberty, resting on a legacy of sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of brave souls who gave everything for the i

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, KJV). I was only gone for one week. I left happy flowers in clean pots, well-watered and weeded. I came back to blooming flowers in containers filled with weeds. Weeds of every dimension and type. Where did they come from? Flower overrun with weeds I never have to search for weeds. I pull them up, and the next day two more appear. It seem

Living by Faith – a common Christian saying. We hear it often. We say it often – “I’m living by faith.” What do we mean when we say those words? I would venture to say that those words are powerful and difficult. I spent some time in Hebrews, chapter eleven as I thought about living by faith. Hebrews 11:1 reads “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.” In other words, faith is not some wishy-washy feeling. It is substantial. It is

In this world we live in, we are bombarded by darkness. We can easily be caught in the whirlwind of negative thinking. God offers a different perspective. He tells us to think on the good things. In Philippians 4:8, read the instructions Paul gave to the church at Philippi. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever, things are of good report; if

I stepped, I slipped, and I fell flat on my back as I attempted to water the plants in our rock garden. On my way down, I bounced off the side of the house. My biggest worry was my glasses, but they didn’t break. Go figure. Lying there, I could hear the thudding steps of my husband as he came running to my rescue from across the yard. Fortunately, I only suffered a bruised hip and a small knot on my head. Still, I was thankful to have his strong hands to help as I maneuver

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31, KJV). I have heard this verse all my life. In fact, a preacher often came to our church when I was young and sang a song based on this verse. I still remember him patting his foot as he sang, “Teach me, Lord, teach me, Lord, to wait.” He sang well and emphasized the importance of waiting

In my lifetime, I have heard people say a lot of things about God.

hen we are still, quiet, we remember that He IS God, and we are not. That seems like a simple concept, but in reality, in everyday practice, we forget. We worry like we are in charge. We act like we are in charge. We talk like we are in control. But we aren’t.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ changed the course of history and made forgiveness of sin possible.

"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