Blog

Bang! The gun sounds. Runners burst from the blocks, and the race is on. All begin on equal footing, but soon the field spreads. Some surge ahead; others fall behind. Competitors battle for every inch, but, really, only one thing matters. The finish. A strong start or a bravely-fought middle mean nothing if you don’t…

Running water. What a blessing! I turn on the faucet, and out it comes. Sometimes the water is hot. Sometimes it’s cold. But the water is consistently clean and available. I think Jesus was like that. Consistent and available. When people drew near, He gave clean, clear water. Sometimes a hot rebuke. Sometimes a refreshingly…

God’s golden boomerang. It zips and zings through Scripture. Sometimes I catch it and toss it back. Other times, it catches me, and I learn the hard way—again. The boomerang? It’s God’s principle of perfect justice. We see it in the Golden Rule, in reaping and sowing, and in God’s rewards and discipline. “Do not…

“You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not…

“So he said to me, ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.’” Zechariah 4:6 (NIV) Put the novel down. Let me suggest the book of the prophet Zechariah for your summer reading. The latest video has nothing on Zech’s…

Ever feel like hashing things out with God? Today’s political and cultural climate sends me to my knees, so I was looking forward to my class on Old Testament Prophets. They have much to say to 21st century America. One prophet stands out to me. His book is a favorite. Habakkuk. Small book. One of…

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Psalm 53:1 NIV) We know better. Before there were synagogues or churches, there was worship. Personal worship. Altar building. (Genesis 12:8 Abraham) Memorials. (Genesis 28:18 Jacob) Sacrifices. (Genesis 8:20 Noah) Somewhere the concept was lost because the only worship I was taught was corporate. Choirs.…

“Wounds from a friend can be trusted.” Proverbs 27:6 (NIV) Wounds and friendship. They don’t appear to go together. Friends comfort when someone else hurts us. Friends encourage. Build up. But wound? Hurts from a friend cut deeply. We don’t expect pain to come from a friend. We feel betrayed. Let down. Anything but friendly.…

All the kids were home this weekend. That gets harder to pull off as the nest empties. Russell and I stood in the kitchen and watched our four, plus one daughter-in-law and one daughter-in-law-to-be. Laughter filled the house. It made my heart glad to know my kids and their relationships are healthy and strong. Surely…