Cultivating Faithfulness

I was not the most popular kid in school. I was the last one picked for a team when we played kick-ball during recess. And, there was usually at least one bully who would realize I was fair game to be called “fat” or “chubby.” One time, in fifth grade, a rather nasty note was left on my desk, signed, “The Whole Class.” It made me cry. After dinner that night, I told Daddy, “No one likes me.” He spent the next hour having me recall all the family and friends in my young life who not only liked me, they also loved me. I remember actually being surprised when…

A Spirit-filled believer is a bit like a pneumatic tool in the hand of God. “A pneumatic tool is a type of power tool, driven by compressed air supplied by an air compressor. Most pneumatic tools convert the compressed air to work using a pneumatic motor. Compared to electric power tool equivalents, pneumatic tools are safer to run and maintain, without risk of sparks, short-circuiting or electrocution, and have a higher power to weight ratio, allowing a smaller, lighter tool to accomplish the same task. Furthermore, they are less likely to self-destruct in case the tool is jammed or overloaded.” (Wikipedia – Pneumatic Tools) Without the Spirit of God blowing through my life, I am static bits and pieces…

Today is the first full day of our family vacation. This year there are thirty of us, ranging in age from a few months to eighty years. Consequently, getting to the island requires a whirlwind of planning and activity. Coordinating food and paraphernalia for that many bodies in two enormous beach houses, is a project manager’s dream come true, and my sister and I are spreadsheet queens. We are in heaven. Last night, after all the unpacking and organizing, I was alone on the deck (the others in my house having retired to bedrooms or living areas). There was a low bank of clouds at the horizon where blue gray…

We need rain. Where I live we’ve been in near drought conditions, which means we’ve taken to reviewing various weather apps with something bordering on desperation. Some of the neighboring counties have even implemented water restrictions. So, when the heavens opened up yesterday morning to give us a good two-hour soaking, I felt like dancing. Even going to the grocery store in the deluge didn’t dampen my spirits (if you’ll pardon the pun). There’s nothing quite so wonderful as rain when it’s been desperately dry. The grey overcast skies seem comforting rather than dreary. The rumble of thunder a herald of good tidings rather than frightening. It is, after all,…

I have nothing to say. Consequently, I shall proceed to espouse so much nothingness. It is remarkable that most humans do not know how to endure silence. To sit alone with one’s chattering mind can be wearying at best and alarming at worst, so we create distractions for ourselves in an effort to ignore the thoughts that plague us. This chaos can be ordered, and there are many forms of meditation and mental discipline to avail such order; however, real peace – peace that goes deep into our inmost being and stretches wide to embrace those within our atmosphere – this peace comes only from walking with God. Walking with…