Thoughts

God seldom wraps His gifts in the manmade fineries of this world. James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Photo – Autumn Gift, Beth Mims

I looked down at my hands today and saw my mom’s hands. The same crooks and wrinkled skin. The same spots gradually appearing. Knuckles growing larger. I’m not terribly sad about this, because her hands were good hands. Her hands were kind. They sewed clothes and carried meals. They volunteered at school and made costumes. […]

A little girl tried to get her mother’s attention to share some information, but mom was busy talking with a friend. Repeatedly, the child tugged on her, but mom’s hand signaled “wait”. Finally, exasperated, the girl placed her hands on her small hips and, just before she stalked away, said, “you is not my prabwem!” […]

So many times in childhood, my mother instructed me to ‘be still’! “Be still and listen.” “Be still and try this on.” “Be still and eat your food.” “Be still – quit squirming.” She usually needed me to be still to allow her to accomplish a task or meet an expectation, but the instruction was […]

God built change into the very DNA of creation. Today, I feel it in the slight cooling of the morning air. I see it in the pastel colors of the sky that brightens a little later each day. I notice the sprinkles of color that dot the trees along my walk, and pumpkins are making […]

At one point I thought the bulb was a dud, and I almost planted another plant in the pot. But I kept watering and watching and fertilizing and tending and waiting. The waiting part was hard. The plant grew so tall that I had to put it in a bigger pot and stake it, and […]

They say – Where is God? God can’t help you. God says – I am your shield and your help in trouble. Proverbs 30:5; Psalm 46:1 They say – Be afraid. Focus on the danger. God says – Blessed are they that put their trust in Me. Psalm 2:12 They say – Invest everything in […]

Sorrow shrouds our hearts. In recent weeks, we have lost friends and co-workers and others we know have lost family to this plague called COVID. Every day seems to bring new suffering….life changing, devastating, carrying us to the precipice of the pit of grief. We struggle to cope and to breathe. We question, we wonder, […]

The dad walked confidently along the rough path, his daughter holding one hand and his small son the other. Rocks littered the roadway and great boulders sometimes blocked their way. Where water seeped from the rocks, the trek became even more treacherous. The boy stumbled and began to cry. Dad held out his hand to […]

In my impossible situations, I must remember that I serve the God of possible. For with God nothing shall be impossible. Luke 1:37 Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: Jeremiah 32:17 Photo – Impossible Beauty, Beth Mims

It is not unusual for old songs to come to mind while I am driving. Songs that helped shape my life and carry me along on the journey of faith. That is what happened this morning when I began humming a tune published around 1972 by Bill and Gloria Gaither. In a time when it […]

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Nothing is lost or without purpose in the life of the believer. God, the Master Redeemer, claims each broken piece – each pain, each sorrow, each success, each failure, […]

When I allow my preferences and personality to filter God’s commands, my preferences become an idol. When I allow my opinion to supersede God’s word, my opinion becomes an idol. When I allow my reputation to keep me from standing for my Lord, my reputation becomes an idol. When I allow the goodwill of friend […]

An osprey lives in our neighborhood. I watch him as he circles overhead and as he soars out over the water. His nest is visible from my front window. This spring he (and his lady) raised a family of young ones. I observed as they practiced their flight and learned their trade from their parents. […]

“Never, in peace or war, commit your virtue or your happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment “as to the Lord.” It is only our daily bread that we are encouraged to ask for. The present is […]

Flags fly from boat masts across the marina in front of me. The brisk breeze maximizes their visibility, and their colors shine against the backdrop of water and sky. Each flag is a banner of identity encapsulating the history of this nation. Thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colonies that existed when America was born. […]

Evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. Tim Owens, Mission City Church, Rutland, VT John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Photo Courtesy of Pexel – 4034012.

If I truly trust the good character of God, my faith in Him will not tremble when things happen that do not make sense to my human perspective. Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with […]

I wish I had the words to describe what I saw this morning. Under an overcast sky at sunrise, I was driving through a long stretch of land still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Michael. Downed trees, piles of logs, and empty fields just beginning to show life again made up the landscape, and […]

“I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.” George Washington Carver