On a calm day as I sailed across the Sea of Galilee on a boat tour in Israel, I could not help but think of this story…
Listen and Live Freely
Recently on a trip from the country into the city, I drove by a dense forest. It looked beautiful from a distance. But as I looked closely, I could see most of the trees were covered in thick vines that had climbed to the tree-tops, blocking the light from reaching them. This was not a healthy forest.
Ordinary to Extraordinary
I have always been amazed at the transformation of the caterpillar to the beautiful butterfly!
One minute, it is crawling as a plain worm… to later fluttering in the air as a colorful butterfly. The same little creature has two very distinctly different bodies that do very different things.
Come and Listen
I admit, when I was young, I had a rebellious side within me, and I knew it.
There were two sides within me that fought each other.
The good side knew the right things God wanted me to do, and the rebellious side knew too, but ignored God.
Seek Heaven
When I was young, I thought the Colorado mountains were so beautiful that as a child I asked my mom, “Are we in heaven?”
What if… we really could just drive into heaven?
What if… it could be that easy to get there?
Whose Am I?
Fast forward to the last week of Jesus’ life. There was always a hustle and bustle to Passover week. But this year the Teacher had drawn crowds when He made His triumphal entry into the city on Sunday. On one hand the people were hanging on His words. On the other the religious leaders were trying to entrap Him to ultimately have Him arrested and crucified as an enemy of Rome.
Magnum Opus
“Magnum opus”, meaning masterpiece or great work (Merriam Webster), is not a term that comes to my mind frequently. But when Erica Wiggenhorn called the transfiguration of Jesus a “magnum opus” moment in her study of Luke (Unexlainable Jesus, p.108) it caught my eye.
Interludes
In the big picture it seems to me we are in the greatest interlude of all, from Eden to Eternity. God’s intent was not that we’d so quickly be tossed out of paradise to spend our days in disarray. But we chose to sin, so we are in limbo as have been God’s people from Adam down through Abraham to Moses to Daniel till Jesus. Ah, but this one will end in the perfect peace of eternity future.
Mat-Carrying, Roof-Raising Friends
It didn’t take long for Jesus’ ministry to take off following His forty days of temptation in the desert (4:1-13). Luke is peppered with brief snapshots of Him teaching, healing, connecting with the people: the news about (Jesus) spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of all their sicknesses (5:15).
Finding Words for Sorrow
When I leave, my dog, Coco, copes with her sadness by hiding her head under a blanket. I sometimes wish that a blanket over my head had the same power to resolve my distress.
Jesus, the Finisher of My Race
A question challenged me to pause and reflect, “How would Jesus live my life if it was His life?" I realized that how I answer depends on how I envision Jesus.
I’ll be Praying!
I realized that a different three-word phrase has begun to dominate my own speech, “I’ll be praying!” As a result, I’ve begun to consider options for thoughtfully and authentically responding to prayer requests that arrive through technology.
Wonderful Things!
My university library holds a special place in my memory. I often sought refuge there from dorm life for studying. One day, however, instead of studying, a question about the Holy Spirit distracted me.
Melancholy Moments
When clearing the leaves and limbs that litter my yard, I often uncover Garden spiders. They quickly scurry to new hiding places when exposed to the light. One day as they ran for cover, I realized other things can also hide, things like losses.
Trouble
Alone in my car, driving to the emergency room, I screamed at God: This is too much!! I meant it with every fiber of my being. Even now, eight years later, I feel the hurt and panic of those moments.
Without Finding Fault
“Mama, would you help me with this problem?”
What Did You Expect?
When my son was around two, he thought he saw his daddy from behind. He started running toward the man, and when he rounded the corner, I saw a horrified look on my son’s face.
Love Story
Genesis 24:67 is one of the first times in scripture we read about love between a man and a woman. As Christians, we know from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians—written about 2,000 years later—husbands and wives are to care for one another and love sacrificially (Ephesians 5:21-33). It is beautiful that we can see such an early example of a godly wife in Rebekah.
Snowflakes
Each snowflake that falls from the sky is a tiny, intricate marvel —no two exactly alike in their crystalline patterns. In the same way, God has created each of us as unique individuals, imparted with our own special combination of spiritual gifts.