So here we are, a few days away from Christmas day. The stress is rising, fatigue deepening, and frustration mounting as we wonder how we will get it all done. Today, let’s take a deep breath, close our eyes and repeat to ourselves, “I don’t have to do it all.” We can easily get caught … Continue reading Advent – Week 5
“For God so loved the world…” John 3:16 NIV Most of us get a thrill out of giving gifts to those who are precious to us. Our hearts look forward to blessing them with something that will make them smile, comfort them, or help them. God made us in His image. Therefore, it stands to … Continue reading Advent – Week 4
“He was despised and rejected by men, A man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.” Isaiah 53:3 NIV The faint sound of an infant’s cries, intermingled with the bleating of sheep, draws you toward the opening where the flickering of lantern light emits. The air, pungent with the lingering scent of animal waste, dampness and … Continue reading Advent – Week 3
“This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12 NIV God is a God of humility. During Advent, we celebrate that Almighty God, who needs nothing and lacks nothing, humbled Himself to be born as a weak, helpless human baby. Not a … Continue reading Advent – Week 2
"and they will call him Immanuel" -which means, "God with us." Matthew 1:23 NIV For the next few weeks, I will be doing a mini-devotional on the meaning and reason for celebrating Advent. In this first week, we will examine the word and its significance. Advent. A word we often hear at this time of … Continue reading Why Advent? – Week 1
So let us not grow weary of doing good; for if we don’t give up, we will in due time reap the harvest. Galatians 6:9 (CJB) Do you ever feel like giving up? Is your heart heavy and your body sapped of energy? Recently, I struggled with these feelings. An article I wrote did not … Continue reading Growing Weary
Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, But my ears you have pierced; Psalm 40:6a NIV I guide the thin metal to the small hole and it slides smoothly to the opposite opening in the back of my earlobe. Quick and easy, I do it almost mindlessly, but I recall when I first got my … Continue reading Pierced Ears
The lush greenery and quiet brought calmness as I deeply inhaled. As I walked with my friend along the path, she pointed out different landmarks and the history of the land we walked. Pausing, she pointed out the high stump of a tree trunk near the shore of the stream that ran through the property. … Continue reading Tangled
Tears filled my eyes as I knelt on the floor in my office, heavy-hearted with frustration and a sense of failure. I had been earnestly praying for something for years, but nothing seemed to have changed. What’s the point, I thought. It seemed hopeless and I wondered if I was not praying right, frequent enough, … Continue reading Glimmers
Jesus wept. John 11:35 NKJV Her hair felt wrong. It was stiff and dry, not soft and supple like usual, as my fingers caressed it. The spirit who was my mother was gone. Unreachable. All that remained for me to touch and say goodbye to was this flaccid, lifeless shell. I was jolted awake by … Continue reading Mourning Grace
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