Thoughts

For century after century, the Jewish people awaited the coming of the Messiah. This hope carried them through dark nights of captivity, encouraged them during each Passover remembrance, sustained them through worship in the Temple. Then He came – but not with the fanfare and trappings of royalty. He came as quietly as a breeze […]

Crisp, December air greeted us as we shuffled through the fallen leaves outside the front door. Light was just beginning to peek through the lowering gray clouds, and we walked briskly to overcome the stiffness left over from a night of rest. Morning! An entire cast of characters joined us on our journey down the […]

My mind is feeling quite cluttered. ‘Tis the season’ – right? Bombarded by input from advertisements and impeachment rantings and weather reports and planning emails and angry people and troubled souls and newsletters and great causes and ‘to do’ lists and ‘should have done’ regrets my thoughts ricochet rather than focus, and spin rather than […]

Tonight I am thankful. I am thankful for the absolute silence as I stood under a billion stars at midnight. I am thankful for the crow that I heard cawing in the early morning. I am thankful for the laughter of children as they run and play. I am thankful for windswept skies, cool breezes, […]

Though the stores seem to have catapulted from Halloween to Christmas, God does not appear to be done with autumn just yet. Admittedly, here in the southeast we tend to mix our Christmas reds and greens with leftover fall browns and yellows, because our peak colors just don’t begin or end as early as in […]

When I was a child, fishing was a favorite pastime in my family. We lived near the panhandle coast in Florida, so many memories are anchored in the marshy smells of salt marsh and bay. Not everyone likes to smell a salt marsh. Comprised of decaying plant and animal matter and nourished in the rise […]

There is a lot of talk in our society about building walls and tearing down obstacles and creating barriers. All of those concepts have their place I guess, but today while visiting a classroom I was reminded of our need to build bridges for those who will come after us. The poem below is at […]

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Luke 12:7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Isaiah […]

“Howbeit no man spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.” John 7:13 In 2000 years, little has changed. Substitute ‘crowd’ or ‘family’ or ‘civil suit’ or ‘political correctness’ for the word Jews in the above verse, and we still find ourselves maintaining silence as we worry about the world’s response to the message […]

For years I avoided the task. Well, actually, I would begin on January 1st and then somewhere in Leviticus I would wimp out and skip over to begin in my favorite books of the New Testament again. I justified my actions by thinking, there is no requirement that I read the Bible through. I just […]

I remember September 11, 2001. Like most people, I remember where I was and what I was doing when the news first broke. I remember the shock and the disbelief of those around me. I was working in a middle school, and children were crying. Teachers were crying. Others sat stunned. Televisions across the school […]

When I was a child, mom would send us up to the local grocery to pick up a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread. The store was about two blocks away in city terms, but we didn’t live in the city. When we got to the store, we would pick up the needed […]

I believe in global consciousness. I believe in giving and praying for those in need in our world. God commands it. (Hebrews 13:3) I am saddened by the suffering that I see on the news and in the paper and on the internet, and I care. But sometimes it is overwhelming. I listen, and I […]

Mark 6:31And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. We pride ourselves on being busy people. On accomplishing and making things happen. We can’t stop, because life just wouldn’t go on if we […]

Thanks be to You, Lord Jesus Christ,for all the benefits which You have won for us,for all the pains and insults which you have borne for us.O most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother,may we know You more clearly,love You more dearly,and follow You more nearly,day by day.Amen. Prayer of Praise, Richard of Chichester (1197 – […]

Photo by Donald Tong, Pexels The Prodigal Son is a familiar Bible story, and it is often used as an illustration when someone has wandered into an unhealthy or overtly sinful lifestyle. Sometimes we listen comfortably and think, “Wow, he was really a goner!” But we forget that there were two sons in the parable […]

For those who suffer from bouts of insomnia I offer my sympathies along with this description of a wakeful night. I hope it brings a smile. Awake well before morning my mind races with the to dos and why dids of life, chasing rabbits who birth bunnies before one can be caught, eluding needed sleep […]

Proverbs 3: 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

It would take months or years for me to accomplish a flower garden that compared to the flowers that grow wild and free in Glacier National Park. God’s natural handiwork is evident. Here are just a few pictures. Images © Beth Mims 2019 Today if you are in a valley, remember that Jesus is the […]

The hike seemed doable, even easy. Two miles to the waterfall and two miles back. I walk a lot, so no problem…. We didn’t take into consideration the heat of the day – who knew Canada got that hot – or the intensity of the incline – whoa! So, my husband and I started out, […]