Jesus often said two words when calling His disciples: “Follow me.” Jesus emphasized that entering into a relationship with Him involved more than belief. It also involved commitment. Jesus said, If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me (Luke 9:23). Upon belief, you and I begin a journey with Jesus that lasts for eternity. He leads; we follow.
Name a famous couple. There are many famous couples from history, legend, literature, or Hollywood: Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, Tarzan and Jane… The list goes on.
We have a large wool rug in our den. Though we now have the rug professionally cleaned, I initially cleaned the rug by following the instructions I was given. I washed it with mild shampoo and let it dry naturally. Most of the time, this worked well. But one time I cleaned the rug and brought it back inside before it was completely dry. Damp wool is not a pleasant odor. I felt like I was living with a herd of wet, smelly sheep!
My sister’s husband is a pilot. Years ago I went flying with him in a small plane. I remember flying over my house thinking how beautiful everything looked. The house sat on a well-manicured lawn, the trees looked perfectly shaped and small bursts of color came from the flowerbeds. It was a beautiful sight from on high. However, the reality was the lawn needed mowing, the trees had several dead limbs, and the flowerbeds were full of weeds. What appeared perfect from a distance was far from perfect up close.
I noticed my Labrador standing perfectly still in a somewhat crouched position, half-in and half-out of the bathroom. Her gaze was fixed upon something. I questioned, “Chloe, what do you see?” She turned toward me, and then turned back, assuming the same position. As I came closer, I noticed her gaze was upon the trash can. Inside was an empty toilet paper roll—the forbidden thing she loves to shred and devour!
This week, we’ve looked at the verses that In-N-Out Burger uses on five pieces of packaging. If you don’t have an In-N-Out Burger in your area, you might be interested to know that these verse references are very discreet – usually at the bottom or underside of the packaging.
Today’s verse makes me want to dance.
This verse appears on the bottom of the fry container at In-N-Out. By the way, you may want to dance just to burn some of the calories if you eat the fries Animal Style (yes, another secret menu item).
Today’s verse comes from In-N-Out’s milkshake cup. My California friends, who introduced me to In-N-Out, love the Neapolitan shake. You won’t see it listed on the menu. It’s considered part of the “secret” menu and made with all three regular shake flavors: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.
Today’s verse comes from In-N-Out Burger’s hamburger wrapper. I think it’s fitting because Rev. 3:20 sounds like Jesus wants to eat with us.
I wish I had known Jonathan. Scripture does not tell us much about this man, but when I think of him, I envy the friendship he shared with David. We know from 1 Samuel 18:1 that Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.
Hopelessness is the deepest darkness. I know. People are dying. People are taking their own lives in despair.
… darkness was over the surface of the deep (Genesis 1:2b),
Let’s zoom in on a snippet of a mutual friend’s experience…
Decades ago, young Ellen’s forehead and gums erupted frequently with large, painful boils. Itchy dandruff patches covered her scalp. Classmates taunted her, adding to her shame.
You’re thinking to yourself as you roll your eyes: not these same old verses again! Wait. Hear me out.
Repetition is good. I’m a slow learner and I’m forgetful. Nagging is annoying, but repetition isn’t nagging. Repetition is effective communication. Brain scientists believe seven repetitions help us remember almost anything. One form or another of the phrase “do not be afraid” in the Bible is repeated 365 times. One encouragement on fear for every day of the year!
“How are you doing in these uncertain times?” I asked this of some of my long-distance relatives by email at the beginning of the worldwide pandemic.
We all tend to experience less peace and have plans thwarted during troubling seasons.
In Texas this week, we have had an unusually long period of snow. We do occasionally get snow but it rarely sticks around more than a day or two. Today is the first day since the snow began falling that the temperature has risen above freezing. Icicles are falling, and the snow is finally melting.
Singer Danny Gokey recorded a song entitled “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again.” This beautiful song gives me encouragement to keep going when I am tired or depressed. https://youtu.be/eUHRDCYnFfg
How had his world collapsed so quickly? Only days before, Jacob had lived a life of security, comfort and ease. Now he was running for his life in an unfamiliar land. Jacob’s brother wanted him dead. Jacob had lied and deceived his father.
I have two houseguests as of last night. They had been surviving without heat and electricity in the freezing temperature. I wanted to cook them a nice, hot breakfast this morning. As it turned out, a bowl of cold cereal would have been preferable. Rubbery eggs and ugly waffles, anyone?
An ambulance arrived at my house. My son, David, had had a seizure and had taken a pretty hard fall. He dislocated his shoulder and gashed his chin. Before loading my son into the ambulance, the paramedics informed us they would be cutting David’s sweatshirt off to care for his shoulder.
