Really—Fear? Who in the world would choose “fear” as their word for the year? But that is the word that dawned on me as my girlfriends and I began a journey through Kathy Howard’s Before His Throne* Bible study in January.
Prayers like Incense
Flower children, hippies, and the unmistakable aroma of incense filled the streets and shops along “The Drag,” the street beside the university where I studied during the early 70’s.
No More Tears
Tears possess a language of their own. They express joy, fear, sadness, pain, anger, tenderness, and various shades of other emotions. Sometimes they communicate even more effectively than words.
The Trees God Plants
Our award-winning Short Leaf Pine tree recently died. It ranked fourth in size in the great state of Texas. The trunk measured thirteen feet in circumference. I often wondered why it lived so long and grew so big. Who planted it? Was it the product of a seed carried by the wind? Did a squirrel shredding a pine cone release the seed that began its life?
Rest for My Soul
The freedom to take breaks whenever I choose ranks as a treasured retirement perk. Strategically placed rocking chairs testify to that priority.
Asking for Wisdom
Downsizing required leasing rental units for what I expected might be several weeks. However, weeks turned to months, and months turned to a year. At the end of that year, I gasped in disbelief when checking one of the units. Mold, dust, and spider webs covered the furniture that roaches now called home.
Seat at the Table
Why do our furniture purchases occur when we’re on vacation?
My husband had a valid point. It did seem we’d done our share of hauling tables in our SUV. Our current kitchen table had caught our eye while on our first Christmas vacation. We loaded it in the back of our car, drove for two days, and waited for my parents to bring the chairs a few months later.
The Midnight Wake
Have you ever woken up during the stillness of the night for no reason?
Maybe God wants to have a late night worship session with you?
So That . . .
Have you ever felt deserted, betrayed, forgotten? Twice in this short book, Paul spoke of being abandoned. In 2 Timothy 1:15, he said, everyone deserted me. In 2 Timothy 4:16, he wrote, no one came to my support.
What I Learned from Dry Eyes
For the past two fall seasons, I’ve experienced severely dry eyes. Raw, irritated and red. Most of the time I just want to close them.
Again? Really?
Red, round, juicy home-grown tomatoes are my obsession every summer! They are far superior to their tasteless counterparts that are picked green and ripened by gassing, occupying the shelves in most grocery stores.
The Resurrection and Life
However, death is not the end of Jesus’ story. If not for the resurrection of Jesus, our faith would be in vain. Paul stated this best, “…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17).
The King on the Cross
Through the centuries, many have rejected Jesus as King, but He is and always will be King.
The Holy Servant
The night of Jesus’ betrayal had arrived. The moments with His disciples before His crucifixion were limited. Therefore, Jesus was purposeful in His actions.
The Privileged Betrayer
What was worship to one was waste to another. He, the disciples’ treasurer, was focused on money, not Jesus. Was Mary’s extravagant worship the final act that turned Judas from Jesus?
At the Savior’s Feet
She listened to Jesus’ words, believed them, and embraced them. It was Mary who later acted in belief of Jesus’ words that He would be killed in Jerusalem and raised to life.
Salty
Gossip and slander are often associated with high school girls—jealousy, insecurity, boys. Girls who gossip are mean. However, as we grow into women, we refine our vernacular so that when we speak to friends, it’s tempting to justify our idle talk.
Fuzzy Fruit
It’s the first morning in quite some time you’re not rushing out the door, finally getting to make your favorite smoothie with the fresh berries you bought at the grocery store the other day. Things have been so hectic lately— it was just the other day, right?
Fun
Has a single word ever convicted you? Maybe it was your “Word of the Year?” Predominantly, my annual words have been topics or scripture-based commands by which the Holy Spirit convicted me. Recently, I was humbled when the Lord convicted me of “wait” and “together” not just one, but two years in a row
Belay On
Gazing through my stunted window, it registered that this is what trials of my life may look like from God’s perspective.