A Thankful Season
Healed by Love and Thankful As the month of November draws to a close, I’m feeling thankful. Of course, our annual Thanksgiving holiday brings us to focus our attention on that. I’m thankful, too, for another year on this earth with a decent life and good health. (I’m not crazy about the new number representing my age, but Happy Birthday to me anyway!) I don’t think I’m more thankful at Thanksgiving than on other days of the year, and I’m thankful for that! God has helped me cultivate an...
Reflections at Christmas
Mary, a not-so-average teenager How would you react in Mary’s shoes? You’re a girl of about 14 told you’re pregnant, even though you’re engaged (and you know you’ve been a good girl.) Mary had been raised all her life with the hope of the Messiah’s arrival. She fully understood the honor she had received by being chosen to bear the Son of God. We might expect her to be fearful, embarrassed, to dread, to shun inconvenience. But her reaction contained none of these. Rather, her song of praise in...
Limping, Strolling, or Running
There are different ways that people come to God. Not just initially, but along the way as they journey through their lives with him. First, there’s the limp. Life has beaten us up. We’re emptied out and bruised all over. Maybe not even sure God has noticed or cares, but we still go, limping toward him. Our journey may be slower because of it, but that’s okay. We get there. And we get a lot of TLC along the way as he meets us in often surprising ways. Or maybe limping demands more effort than...
Hope for Clay Pots
Several years ago, I started learning pottery. I took my first class, which involved ust clay, a couple tools, and my hands. That was called “hand building” for obvious reasons! The next step in my learning was the pottery wheel. I assumed I’d catch on quickly because I’d done well at the first step.
Is Anyone Listening?
There’s this awkward situation. You know the one I mean. We’ve all been there. You go to a restaurant or to a party. Almost everyone knows one another.
You’re the new kid. You introduce yourself and everyone does the same with a vague, generic smile. And that’s often as far as it goes. They then turn to the