Simeon’s Song of Thanksgiving
Simeon took him in his arms and praised God (Luke 2:28). I don’t know why. For me, this is the season of tears. From Thanksgiving until the New Year, I cry easily. Over little things. A song on the radio. Seeing a poverty-stricken person. A commercial…
For Shalom
Perhaps her name was Salome; after all, the Samaritan Woman certainly had a name. I wonder about her. Did she wake up that morning aware that her life would be forever changed by a man she’d never met? Or like many mornings, I wonder if…
Not Silent
(Bill and I recently saw the movie GOSNELL — The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer. I wrote the following on May 13, 2013, when he was found guilty. I continue to desire to never stay silent when my voice can make a difference.) “I…
“Bless the Lord, O my soul!”
I needed to hear these words this morning. “Bless the Lord, O my soul! … You who laid the foundation of the earth, so that it should not be moved forever, You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters stood above…
He Has Redeemed My Soul
“When, oh when, do lies begin? Even then? Yes, even then. The enemy, he seeks to steal. Our redeeming Lord bends low to heal.” “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say this……
His Beautiful Bride — An Allegory of The Church
“This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the Church.” (Eph. 5:32 — ESV) The Bride stood before the mirror. Seeing her brokenness in the reflection brought back a flood of memories — the events that took her right…
Lesson Learned from a Restive Retriever
“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” (Ps. 16:6 — NIV) Unlike our Pyrenees prisoner, whose restlessness landed him behind extra strands of barbed wire on our neighbors’ farm, our restive Retriever puppy faces restrictions for…
A Lesson Learned from a Pyrenees Prisoner
“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight…” (Jeremiah 15:16 — ESV) Our Great Pyrenees has traded open pastureland for a confined space measured in yards rather than acres. We drive by where Finley is now a prisoner,…
A Mess of Berries and Bunchems
Allie loves the movie Tangled, but this word took on whole new meaning recently. While at Bible study, the children gathered. Some played with Legos and blocks, while Allie decided upon deceivingly cute Bunchems — colorful little doodads that, bunched together, create all sorts of…
Taste and See!
Taste and see that the LORD is good (Psalm 34:8a — NIV). The other day I witnessed something peculiar, yet profoundly analogous to a particular struggle of mine. As I sat on my porch swing reading, I heard the familiar sound of a hummingbird. Looking…