March 2022

  • March 2022

    Why

    I heard something today, and it has caused me to pause and think. The moderator of our church service (who also happens to be my little brother) spoke for a few minutes about a recent encounter with the Lord during his Bible reading. He was reading through some verses in John 3 when he came to the one that may be the most well-known, even among non-believers: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son….” At this point, he felt God stop him and ask, “Why?” The question is intriguing. Why would God choose marred and chipped vessels and then pay considerably above market price for…

  • March 2022

    Shadow and Light

    Spring has officially sprung. My Cherry trees are bursting with bloom, the Blue Martins have arrived and staked out possession of the bird house, and the sheen of pollen is covering everything. Depending on where you live, pollen may not be a topic of conversation like it is here in the South. Where I live, we check the “pollen count” almost every day between March 1st and May 1st. If you do not suffer from allergies, please count yourself among the blessed and let gratitude fill your heart. The irritation that some humans endure during this season of pollenation can be mitigated, however, by embracing the beauty of the fertile…

  • March 2022

    Out of the Wilderness

    I have been in the wilderness of post-surgery that some call “recovery.” Not having much experience in this terrain, I have discovered some unexpected truths about myself. I am not as independent as I thought, nor am I as prone to self-pity as I feared. These two things may seem diametrically opposed, but allow me a moment to shed some light. I think I have often equated independence with dignity, and there is nothing like needing physical care of the most undignified kind to reveal the errancy of this view. In “recovery,” there is a great deal of focus on managing pain, conserving energy, and accepting the reality of physical…

  • March 2022

    A Holy Moment

    Some moments are so holy they are difficult to describe. One even wonders if they should be. I am going to attempt to tell you of such an event, simply because I’m not sure I could speak of anything else. Today my husband and I served as one of the teams administering Communion in our Sunday morning service. It is a high privilege to serve our community in this way, and one that is always both lofty and weighty. At the end of the service, once invited, the congregation comes in family groups and sometimes larger groups to one of several couples to receive prayer and to partake together of…