I had a weeping cherry tree. It must have been 30 or 40 years old, and the trunk was rather gnarly. It had, however, the most glorious profusion of blossoms for a brief time each Spring. It was such a rare pleasure, and I looked forward to it with anticipation. The Spring before my father passed away, the cherry blossoms were truly spectacular, and I made a point of calling him to tell him about it. I wanted him to see it. I wanted to share the beauty of it with him. Sadly, he was by then already less than vigorous, and he said, “I’ll see it another time, honey.”…

Mercy is a relatively easy word to understand. Quite simply, it is not getting what I deserve, implying that my motivation and my action warrant an undesirable consequence. In other words, I’m actually guilty, but mercy granted protects me from the consequence of guilt. Grace is different. It has more varied applications. In basic terms, grace is getting what I don’t deserve, with no inherent implication of guilt. It is undeserved and freely given: a gift that is indicative of the generous nature and heart of God. Grace is like oil. Things seem to run smoothly when it is present. After taking a fearless personal moral inventory, I find that…

Sometimes it seems as though not one thing is going right. Times when you are just getting to the end of a particular hardship when another one appears to block your path. If you’ve lived very long on planet earth, you’ve encountered hard things, maybe even tragic things. Possibly you’ve had the thought or even said to others, “It shouldn’t be this way.” Take this thought captive to the obedience of Christ. At no time in all the things that Jesus suffered did He tell His Father the plan was a bad one. Even in His darkest hour, His prayer was “Is there another way?” Asking if there is another…

This morning in our Sunday worship service we sang a song about the faithfulness and goodness of the Lord. I was glad to enter into worship with sincere gratitude for His faithful goodness to me and to my church community. Some of us have known each other for many decades, and our heritage of friendship, commitment and so-journeying faith is a rich tapestry portraying the unifying love of God, which He so graciously bestowed in our hearts. The fact that I do not doubt His love for me is due in part to the many evidences of His love I have seen expressed in the lives of the people He…

Regarding the “Come Unto Me” post, Debbie shares: “This was perfect for me. I’m currently in a situation that is causing unrest, and also in another area I’m experiencing peace that I need to express my gratitude for. I frequently find myself missing the forest for the trees, and what you said about external rest not providing internal rest reminded me again of the futility of my efforts if the effort isn’t focused on Him. Also, the journaling prompts help me put it all together to give it to Him, for His glory. Thanks for what you do.”