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Then Sings My Soul
As the Sun sets over the Gulf, I am sitting up in bed in the house on the beach we’ve rented this year for our family vacation. There are 29 of us this year, and so there are two houses. We have multiplied, of course, in the 30 plus years that my sister and I have been coming here, initially with our parents and then with our growing families. It’s something we look forward to and plan for months in advance, and by the time we leave at the end of the week, we will have scheduled the houses and the dates for next year. To say that it’s a…
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Unshaken
He is my firm foundation. When everything is shaking and nothing seems to be standing, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. He is unshakeable, unchanging, immutable and irrefutable. I don’t know what is going to happen, and I don’t often know what is the right or wise decision to make amidst the current chaos surrounding us. But, I do know the One who not only knows but who also is in complete control. I am a child leaning into Father and listening for the voice of Him who faithfully shepherds me. This may sound simple, even naive. I do not apologize. The gospel is…
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The Trade-In
Trading requires two things: letting go and taking hold. We, in our fallen state, are prone to cling to what is bad for us and often miss opportunities to take hold of what is good for us. One of the things that can be difficult to let go is regret. This past week I had an opportunity to deny myself, my comfort, and choose someone else’s preferences and priorities. I did not embrace that opportunity, and in the process of setting boundaries to protect my own time and energy and resources I caused hardship and discomfort for others. Others who are actually dear to me and not one’s I’d want…
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For or Against
David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Kings 11:4). Isn’t it interesting that scripture portrays David as a man loyal to the heart of God, when you consider some of the disastrous choices he made. Being loyal to the heart of God must mean something other than being right all the time. David’s journey with the Lord offers us much insight into the heart of God, and it offers us much hope in the nature of God’s desire toward His people. As you see the life of David unfold, from shepherd boy to soldier to king, you see someone unafraid to enter into relationship with God, someone unafraid…
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Entertaining
Recently I heard the Lord ask me, “What thoughts and ideas are you entertaining in your mind? Are they worthy of Me?” Hmmm. I realized I couldn’t give a resounding “yes, Lord, always.” Just so is the kind way in which He deals with me. He is serious, but He is also gentle. It’s His holiness that gives me pause, and it’s His kindness that brings me to my knees. There are lofty places in my thinking that need to be brought down in obedience to Him. When I think I know best. When I have a strong opinion that sets itself up against the true knowledge of Him: who…
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No One Like Him
I typically speak from the heart each week and offer a song selection that maybe highlights a concept or that I feel might soften your heart to hear Him speak personally to you. This week, I want to begin with a song and end with an encounter. This first song was one of my father’s favorites. Let it take you to that time in history when all seemed lost…..and then the stone was rolled away. Pretty powerful, is it not? Gives me chills every time. I can only imagine what it would have been like for His loved ones who, after watching Him die, were able to see Him, to…
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Walk Humbly
Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” This verse is both the heart of God for His children and His expectation of them. Here is the essence of our relationship to the triune God. We cannot “do justly” without first asking for the wisdom of the Spirit of God; we cannot “love mercy” without receiving the love of Christ and His life laid down for us; and we cannot “walk humbly” without the awe of reverence for the Father who ordained all things before the foundation of the…
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Strength Will Rise
These are uncertain times, and we are witnessing the harsh reality of our broken world in the midst of hardship, divided interests, heartbreak and tragedy. It is tempting to become despairing in the face of such sin sickness, tempting even to become disillusioned and hopeless, or bitter and angry. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 4 not to be surprised by the fiery trial among us, but rather fellowship Christ with an understanding of His suffering and keep on rejoicing so that we may see the glory of God (my paraphrase). Waiting on the Lord in the midst of difficulty and uncertainty and chaos requires faith and hope. Faith in…
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Play Skillfully
Psalm 33:1-5 Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones;Praise is becoming to the upright.Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.Sing to Him a new song;Play skillfully with a shout of joy.For the word of the Lord is upright,And all His work is done in faithfulness.He loves righteousness and justice;The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord. This is a favorite Psalm of mine, and I am always particularly affected by the phrase, “play skillfully with a shout of joy.” I believe there is an aspect of worship in the skillful execution of a talent, whether that talent be musical, artistic, scientific, mathematic or literary. Ability is God-given, and discipline that…
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Light in the Darkness
Last year was one of many challenges for my husband and me. On January 2nd, my maternal grandmother went into the hospital, and she passed away on February 12th. This was a hard time for my mother, and I handled the bulk of my grandmother’s estate work. In early April, My husband was rushed to the hospital and had two stints placed near his heart. His recovery required a complete overhaul of our diet and lifestyle. In May my mother developed shingles that led to her complete physical breakdown later in the Summer, and she was placed in assisted living for two months while recuperating. During the time she was…