It has always been true that the world has a way of catching us off guard. Many of us like to think we have our life in control. Especially if we were fortunate enough to be born into a comfortable middle-class family, we have been taught to work hard and life will reward you. Pestilence, … Continue reading Sabbatical Series: Lessons Learned Through Loss
It has always been true that the world has a way of catching us off guard. Many of us like to think we have our life in control. Especially if we were fortunate enough to be born into a comfortable middle-class family, we have been taught to work hard and life will reward you. Pestilence, … Continue reading Sabbatical Series: How to Keep Standing
It has always been true that the world has a way of catching us off guard. Many of us like to think we have our life in control. Especially if we were fortunate enough to be born into a comfortable middle-class family, we have been taught to work hard and life will reward you. Pestilence, … Continue reading Sabbatical Series: Music’s Magic Healing Place
It has always been true that the world has a way of catching us off guard. Many of us like to think we have our life in control. Especially if we were fortunate enough to be born into a comfortable middle-class family, we have been taught to work hard and life will reward you. Pestilence, … Continue reading Sabbatical Series: Finding Personal Equilibrium in a Chaotic World
Easter morning, fair skies, beautiful sunshine! Seemingly the perfect day. But this was not like Easter mornings my family and I had experienced in the past. My 52-year-old husband and the father of our three adult children was in the Hospice Care Unit of our local downtown hospital. His body which had been vibrant, moving, … Continue reading No Longer Hungering Nor Thirsting
When we feel our gut rumbling, most of us—if we are fortunate enough to have a full pantry—respond by getting something to eat! And when our throat feels parched, we instinctively reach for a drink. But do we recognize hunger and thirst of the soul? Does your spirit just feel like something is missing and … Continue reading Satisfying Hunger and Thirst
One of the things the now two-year-old COVID-19 pandemic has taken from those individuals who have found themselves isolated from family and friends is not only actual personal visits or personal interactions but the thrill of anticipation of that happening. These individuals might include those who live in a private room in a nursing facility. … Continue reading The Thrill of Anticipation
The grapevine when it is bursting with royal purple grapes against large emerald-green heart-shaped leaves is just about as pretty as any fruit on any fruit tree. And wine made from these luscious berries feels equally at home at an elegant dinner party, for a casual event or on a church communion table. But before … Continue reading Message of the Grapevine–Pass It On!
We are living in a time when it is very difficult to know what truth is, or perhaps it has always been that way. I recently reread George Orwell’s novel 1984 written and published in 1949. I read it for the first time in the 1960s; so I, as well as Orwell, was looking into … Continue reading Truth or Lies–Is it Possible to Know?
The blog posts in my Who Is Jesus Series define Jesus in His own words: “the bread of life,” “the light of the world,” “the door,” “the good shepherd” and today, “the resurrection and the life.” All are teachings of Jesus found in God’s Holy Word as the Gospel of John presents them. As a … Continue reading Who Is Jesus? The Resurrection and the Life
My Who Is Jesus Series has included thus far three descriptions of Jesus: ‘the bread of life,’ ‘the light of the world,’ and ‘the door’ or ‘the gate.’ All the descriptions of Jesus that we are examining in this series come from the Gospel of John from God’s Holy Word. Each definition helps us to … Continue reading Who Is Jesus? The Good Shepherd
How do you access the various places you go during the week? Whether we are going into our home; a place where we work, attend class, or enjoy ourselves; where we buy our daily necessities; or our house of worship—most likely we pass through a door. Even if we go to some of these places … Continue reading Who Is Jesus? The Door
Before I address the question of who Jesus is, maybe I should tell you briefly who I am and what might qualify me to ask you, my readers, to trust my thoughts on the subject. I am not academically trained in Bible studies nor ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic—the languages of the Dead Sea Scroll … Continue reading Who Is Jesus? The Light of the World
When someone asks who you are, what do you say? Maybe just your first name. Or perhaps your first and last name. Or you may even add your job description depending on where you are when the question is asked. God in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible identified Himself to Moses with a … Continue reading Who Is Jesus? The Bread of Life
I don't know if the monetary value or the number of your Christmas, Hanukkah, or other Winter Holiday presents was different this year than in years past. Perhaps your financial situation has been insecure due to the ramifications of the spread of Coronavirus-19 and its variants. Maybe you are feeling down that you could not … Continue reading The Best Presents: Family and Friends
As I was recently going through some old family documents, I came across a United States Postal Service first class stamp with the denomination of six cents. “Wow!” I thought. “When I sent a Christmas card this year, the cost was fifty-eight.” The stamp had never been used to send a piece of mail, but … Continue reading In the Beginning…
English—“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1 NIV (The Holy Bible, New International Version 2011) Français—<<Dites merci au SEIGNEUR, car il est bon, et son amour est pour toujours!>> Psaume 107:1 PDV (La Sainte Bible, Parole de Vie 2017) Español—<<Den gracias al Señor, porque él es bueno, … Continue reading Give Thanks!
One of my climbing red rose bushes last year developed a really thick stem with huge prickly thorns for practically its entire length of about four feet. That started me to think about the thorns we are enduring in our daily lives which have been turned topsy-turvy in 2020 and 2021 as we react to … Continue reading Enduring Thorns
There are times when life can become overwhelming. The sense of not being able to shoulder alone what is being thrown at you is very real for all of us at one time or another. It may be the loss of a loved one. Or losing one’s job. Struggling with health issues. Betrayal of a … Continue reading Carrying Each Other’s Burdens
If you followed my recent snippet blog post series called Lighthouse Lamps, you know that I presented the Ten commandments from the Holy Bible’s Old Testament as variously translated into English, Spanish, French, and German, primarily in modern versions. I gave a brief foreword to each with the desire to let the translated words speak … Continue reading The Lighthouse that Doesn’t Need a Lamp
From time to time I’ve watched a few of the PBS episodes called “Storage Wars.” These are about abandoned rental storage units all over the U.S.A. opened up for on-site auction sales of the contents. Whether the unit contains junk or ‘jewels,’ it may represent our desire to acquire more and more. Along with that … Continue reading How Much Stuff Is Enough?
Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish author of novels, plays, and poems. In 1808 he wrote the poem “Marmion: A tale of Flodden Field.” In it he cleverly and skillfully pointed out the risk of telling falsehoods with the couplet: “Oh what a tangled web we weave/When first we practice to deceive.” Just as with … Continue reading The Tangled Web We Weave
We see it all around us: cars stolen, vehicles broken into; valuables stripped from a home or shop through break-in and entry; packages snatched from a front porch; retail merchandise slipped out of a store; someone’s identity information used in a fraudulent manner; take-overs of personal, corporate, and governmental online systems through hacking. The list … Continue reading I’ll Just Help Myself, Thank You!
Little girls pluck the petals from a flower and dream their way to the colorful last one. “He loves me. He loves me not,” they repeat. Middle school boys exhibit awkwardness when that certain someone is close by. Youths and adults seek companionship and intimacy. Everyone wants a love that will last a lifetime. The … Continue reading Faithfulness Within a Sacred Union
Genesis, the first book of Moses in the Holy Bible, tells us that God created the first man Adam from the dust of the earth and the first woman Eve from one of Adam’s ribs. We are also told that these first persons in the world were created in the image of the God who … Continue reading Disregard for the Image of God
Whether your mother and father are your biological parents or others who raised you, they are the reason you have life. Of course we know some did a better job at loving, protecting, and nurturing than others. It hasn’t been very long since my youngest adult child said to me, “Mom, thanks for giving me … Continue reading Those Who Gave Us Life
Although the term R&R has varying interpretations in different situations, a basic meaning is rest and recreation. Now, we all know what “rest” means. But wait a minute: how did you pronounce “recreation” in your head as you were reading? Did you say [RECK ree A shun]? Or did you say [REE kree A shun]? … Continue reading Making Time for R&R
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