Reading in the Gospel of John in Chapter 11, two sentences really stood out to me..."Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was." (verses 5 and 6). It is true that previous in this chapter Jesus had told the disciples that Lazarus's illness did not lead to death and that it was for the glory of God yet when I read verses 5 and 6 I was struck with the reality of those two days f

This morning in prayer I feel a bit internally tangled. There is a lot to pray about. Along with the prayer needs of others on my list I have some needs of my own - and the needs on my mind are long running issues in my life’s arena. As I frequently do when I am meditating/praying about something, I use the tool of analogy and visually I can frequently see an image of something that helps me explain or define what I am burdened about. Today I saw a pile of Pick Up Sticks. In

Sometimes we just brood about things. If you are not understanding what I mean about brooding, it is to “show deep unhappiness of thought” as the dictionary states. Showing deep unhappiness of thought - but how do you show thoughts? To show is visual but thoughts are not seen. To brood is to think deeply about what makes us unhappy. Yikes. I don’t want to do that, especially to the point it would become visual on me. Maybe a grumpy face or dark troubled eyes…all because I am

Recently I have had the necessity to travel back and forth frequently between a business project in another state, a 5.5 hour drive. When I make these trips I am usually alone. The pattern for these trips is an early morning departure as well as listening to Christian music the first half of the trip and then I switch to some oldies and sing along with them trying to match my voice to the singers. That second portion of musical listening is very amusing to me and it would be

I am currently reading the book Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament. My study bible contains information on all the sections of the Bible that include details regarding each book. To me, reading these additional sections is a must before getting into any book in the Bible as the context is made much clearer for me when I can conceptualize the historical timeline. The date proposed for the writing of Malachi is the mid-fifth century B.C making Malachi a contemporary of

It’s been awhile since I have written anything. In my last post on addiction it took a lot out of me to write about something so personal. It is an excursion of sorts to reveal yourself. Since that last post I have had quite a few themes bouncing around but nothing I felt compelled to express. Regarding writing something, I did reply to a Facebook post that a high school acquaintance reposted - a diatribe composed by one of the anti-Trump brigade. After a few days considering

As a writer you are always aware, or at least you should be, that every time you write you reveal something of yourself that you were not intending to. It’s just the nature of the beast. I am certainly aware of it and so I try to write with that in mind because although I write revealingly, I try not to write to be specifically open regarding my person. Perhaps that is not a good trait if you consider writing an art. Aren’t artists supposed to create their art with abandon? A

I am currently reading through the Gospel of Luke. One of the main themes in Luke is that Jesus prayed, and did so frequently. We know Jesus is God, so why did God need to pray? I don't know, not really, but I am studying and wondering on that point. I am thinking it has to do with Jesus's humanity. He can identify with us: "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be gra

I love the book of Habakkuk. Years ago the Holy Spirit spoke to me so strongly through this book that it has been a major part of my spiritual life. It is one of those books that opens up for me more and more as I study it. It is a book about waiting and trusting in God through the working out of difficult situations. It's a book about living by faith. In this book, the prophet Habakkuk has a questioning dialogue with God. During the time Habakkuk lived, Assyria had ruled in

"Master, we have toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." Luke 5:5 When I read this scripture I thought immediately about the great big heart of Peter, a flawed man. We know Peter was flawed through stories about him in scripture. We even know that Peter was flawed through Peter's own words as later on in that chapter of Luke 5, when after pulling in a tremendous amount of fish from obeying the instruction of Jesus, Peter c

I have wasted time in my life. A lot of time. I don't so much look back at it in deep regret as I truly believe each new day is a new day in the LORD and full of potential. He does make His mercies new every morning. Additionally I don't believe looking back in regret is very profitable or kingdom behavior, yet... I am a reading in Luke 4 of the temptations of Jesus at the start of His ministry. At a point of hunger the devil tempts Jesus to use His power to feed Himself, to

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me. But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. Jonah 1:1-3 In this particular season of my life I have been contemplating wh

Reading Ephesians 6:12 I was reminded of something very important regarding prayer and that is that it is not easy. It can frequently be a wrestling match. The materialistic, western Christian culture and it's acceptance of feel-good, prosperity messages has attempted to drown the truth of what it really means to be a Christian. Do slogans that are centered on blessings and prosperity really encapsulate what being a follower of Christ is all about? Perhaps ask Stephen who was

Reading this post by Joni Eareckson Tada is an experience. Please give it a read. The link is below: https://www.bsfblog.org/what-makes-me-long-for-heaven/

"When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death". Matthew 27:1 Reading that today brought tears to my eyes. I know it is part of the story of redemption and a part of God's plan but in my heart I grieve. This world can be so cruel. Jesus Christ, the pinnacle of God's love, being plotted against by greedy, vain men with the earthly power to kill him. Knowing the full story we can rejoice even more in the sac

Yesterday morning I came across an index card where I had written portions of this Psalm, apparently to condense it down to a type of instruction to myself. I have had the habit for years of writing scripture on index cards to carry with me during the day especially in times of trials in my life. I have found that scripture reading is a very important part of training myself to not give way to my thundering thoughts. When I came across this card I put it on my laptop to furth

I started this morning later than I usually do. I slept in. There has been quite a bit going on. First, an answered prayer happened four days ago, a situation I have been praying for many years was answered and answered in a very specific way. Such relief and gratitude. Yet, two days ago another long running prayer need reared its ugly head, again. Reading this morning in the Gospel of Matthew the phrase in verse 6 of the 26th chapter - "Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the h

I am really being tested right now. In areas of trust. In areas of faith. In areas of courage. Have you ever been in a time such as that? I bet you have. In these times I always look for that spark of the Holy Spirit - in my day, in my scripture reading, even in my thoughts - (but you have to watch out there!) In these times of trials or testing, the journey is a process. And I am currently in a process, so strength and direction, courage and faith, are being built up but are

It's been a hectic few weeks. When I would want to just continue in my routine everyday, the issues and demands of life have prevented me from doing so. I am just now getting back to my greatly needed and fervently anticipated time to write, reflect, pray, read...I am so needing of this! In my reading today in Matthew 19, a man comes to Jesus. He is described as a "The Rich Young Man" in the periscope heading labeling that section in Matthew 19. This man wants to know what go

Today in the news I read that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, are beginning talks for a peace agreement in Ukraine. This is in hopes of negotiating a potential meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the Biden administration we only heard of Ukraine and the awful things Russia was doing to them, and Russia was doing awful things. We read of money being given to Ukraine to d