Good God and Good Gifts

Good God and Good Gifts

God is so, so good, and God is so, so good to me. Sometimes I forget that. Forget to live in the reality of that. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been keeping a daily list of blessings for the past few years. This year, for some reason, I’ve really been...
Obedience

Obedience

I said, “Let me walk in the fields.” He said, “No, walk in the town.” I said, “There are no flowers there.” He said, “No flowers, but a crown.” I said, “But the skies are black; There is nothing but noise and din.” And He wept as He sent me back; “There is more,” He...
Jesus and Feelings

Jesus and Feelings

Jesus didn’t numb Himself. Lemme back up. Last week, I opened my Sunday school book and began to read the lesson about Christ’s death. The second verse went like this: They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he...
Spring Is Coming

Spring Is Coming

Ahem. Hello. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’m sorry. I hope this post will get the words flowing again. Thank you for being patient and sticking with me; I appreciate y’all! I wrote this after picking the first crocuses this year (February...
Psalm 23, Introduction

Psalm 23, Introduction

Do more beloved words exist? Framed and hung in hospital halls, scratched on prison walls, quoted by the young, and whispered by the dying. In these lines sailors have found a harbor, the frightened have found a father, and strugglers have found a friend. Max Lucado,...
Christmas, Storms, and No Fear

Christmas, Storms, and No Fear

I walked out of the church, past the reach of the candlelight, and into the storm.  At first I hadn’t expected it. The wind twisting my hair with invisible fingers, the blackness of the clouds against the night.  It was strong, and frightening...
God With Us

God With Us

Christmas is not here to offer a four-week escape from the pain of the world with a paper-thin layer of twinkle lights. It is not here to anesthetize us with bows and eggnog lattes. Christmas is not offering us the chance to escape the ache of life through piles of...
Thanksgiving All November: List #3

Thanksgiving All November: List #3

{Click here for the explanation and here and here for the first two lists.} Day 1: ▪ a good night of sleep ▪ having one of my favorite breakfasts: toast, hashbrown cake, ketchup, and a runny/dippy egg (in a stack). Plus Earl Grey tea with a splash of milk making a...
Thanksgiving and Christmas

Thanksgiving and Christmas

Some people have been teasing me by putting up Christmas decorations, listening to/singing Christmas music, etc. before Thanksgiving. And I’ve protested against it. I insist that we can’t just skip over Thanksgiving. I was not happy with the snow before...
I Lift My Hands (aka, Praise and Pride)

I Lift My Hands (aka, Praise and Pride)

I didn’t know for years that if you really want to get to joy, there is only one road that will really get you there: thanksgiving. I also didn’t know: Thanksgiving comes from the Hebrew word “Yadah”—which is to say YADAH, YADAH, YADAH means to give thanks, give...