Who’s My Neighbor? (Finale)
And a woman named Martha welcomed [Jesus] into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened … (Luke 10:38b-39–ESV). Pondering the protagonist from Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan might cause one to take pause, ask–…
Who’s My Neighbor? (Part 3)
“What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8–ESV)? I didn’t know Barbara Searight well. Didn’t really know her husband Richard at all. Sad to say–after all, they’re our neighbors….
Who’s My Neighbor? (Part 2)
… [Wanting] to justify himself … [Expert] asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29–NIV). Our next door neighbor is moving. Anyone want to be our neighbor? Come and check it out. I sure hope someone we like moves in! You can fix your…
Who’s My Neighbor? (Part 1)
[The expert of the law] answered: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you…
Thank You for Making Him Real!
[God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men … (Ecclesiastes 3:11a–NIV). Born in Minnesota on August 26, 1921, Doris Koskela Heikkinen was a lover of people. She was a lover of people, however, because she was first…
Bloom Where You’re Planted!
(This post has been modified slightly, having first been published in our local newspaper, The Mountaineer, on August 12, 2020.) As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and…
An Open Apology to ‘Karen’
But now, this is what the LORD says–He who created you … He who formed you … : ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine’ (Isaiah 43:1–NIV). Confession: The name Karen hasn’t been a favorite. That’s not to…
The Little Boy and the Kaleidoscope
“… We can be sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good” (Romans 8:28–The Message). The little Boy held the wooden object in his hand, clutching it tightly. “What is it?” he asked his Momma, eyes wide…
Love Spread Thick–A Recipe for Healing Hate
Hatred stirs up dissension, but LOVE covers over all wrongs (Proverbs 10:12–NIV). Basil (Ocimum basilicum)–HATE (From The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffebaugh). ******* Taking spoon, we spread the basil-based pesto thick on crackers and bread, taste the slightly bitter flavor and … Mmm–savor! Fresh cut from…
For Our “Doctor” Daddies
***Although this was written twenty years ago to honor my dad’s retirement from thirty years of work as a general surgeon in Miami County, Ohio, it applies not only to him but also to my dear husband who is also a compassionate physician and wonderful…