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“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…

Wails erupt in my backyard. I feel the neighborhood cringing. I teach swimming lessons each summer. At present, I’m several days into a new session. Learning to swim is stressful. For most kids, swimming sounds fun until… Until it’s not. It’s hard. It’s scary. And it takes work. While some kids truly are fearful, most…

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.” (Joel 2:25a NIV) Locusts. They come from nowhere and devour everything—eating plants and trees, stripping even the bark. What once was green and healthy now lies in ruins. Leafless stubble with no promise of fruit. I’ve often heard others pray for God to restore…

Math: 1+1+1=1 English: perichoresis In honor of all of the high school students taking their SAT’s this summer, here’s a little math and English—Trinity-style. First, math. The Trinity. Three-in-one. One God eternally expressed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 1+1+1=1 God extends His crazy math to us. Marriage: “For this reason a man will leave…

One hallmark of Trinity is the balance of unity and uniqueness. One expressed in Three. So, who’s in charge? Great question. Yes. Yes? Yes. You mean, They take turns? No. They are One. Father, Son, and Spirit agree in purpose. All Members are equal. No One has to be in charge because They agree. Who…

In the Trinity, not only do They work together as a team, They are Their own best cheerleaders. In the Trinity, each Member cheers on the other Two. They honor One Another. They love One Another. They talk each Other up. You’ll find no put-downs here, only positive thoughts. Check it out: “For the Father…

Love lessons. The takeaway from my spring semester class on the doctrine of the Trinity . Does it surprise you? It did me. Love 101 in the guise of ST102OL Trinitarianism. My experience with love in my growing up years wasn’t unloving, but it could hardly be called warm and fuzzy. My parents weren’t big…