posted April 12, 2016 under Availability, Compassion, Eyes, Seeing, Seeing eyes
“As Jesus passed by, He saw a man . . .” (Jn. 9:1). I didn’t need to read any more. These few words stopped me in my tracks, and they continue to convict me, “As Jesus passed by, He saw . . ..” I tend to pass by without seeing. Goals are important. If I…
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posted April 5, 2016 under anger, Fear, Fear of God, Fear of man, fear of unknown, Peace
What’s our problem, anger or fear? In TheNational, Rashmee Roshan Lall contends that “Fear, not anger, is gripping voters around the world.” Anger is filling the airwaves and is even evident in political crowds, but I tend to agree with Lall. Something happened several years ago that led me to believe fear is the real issue.…
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posted March 29, 2016 under anger. insecurity, Fear, security in Jesus, vulnerability
“We are all insecure and we all put false devices around ourselves to shield us from hurt. When they are challenged, insecurities and fears are exposed to ourselves, and we fear exposure to others,” according to Mark C. Mark was studying Uprooting Anger: Destroying the Monster Within on Ephesians 4:26, “In your anger, do no sin.”…
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posted March 22, 2016 under Betrayal, Easter, love, Love the sinner, sacrifice
At the Last Supper with His disciples, Jesus knew that one of them would betray Him, He would be crucified, and that He would rise from the dead. He also knew His disciples would scatter, leaving Him to suffer alone. Jesus understood what was before Him, and yet in obedience to His Father, He continued…
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posted March 15, 2016 under crab mentality, how to respond to attacks, Response to attack, testimony
Have you ever watched a bucket full of crabs? They fight to get to the top by clawing their way over others, pulling down anybody in their way. It produces a hopeless situation that traps them all in the bottom of the bucket. You may not have seen crabs trying to climb to the top, but…
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posted March 8, 2016 under Communion with God, Finding God's love and fellowship, Hiding, Hiding from God, Repentance brings life
Have you found Lennox yet? We met him in Part 1. I spoke of how tempting it can be for us to hide our light so we won’t be seen as a Christian in a culture that seems to suddenly be against anything Christian. When my granddaughter posted this picture on Facebook, she asked, “Can you find…
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posted March 1, 2016
“Can you find Lennox?” asked the mother of our twenty-month-old great-grandson. “He’s hiding from me.” Indeed, Lennox is hiding—in plain view. If you’re not careful, you’ll step on him. I wonder if we, as Christians, are doing the same. Do we stand tall as Christians, or do we try to hide our identity with Christ?…
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posted February 23, 2016 under Depression, Faith, hope, hope in hard times, Spring, Winter depression
This time of year, I look for Spring. I’m ready for sunshine and daffodils. If I’m not careful, short, cold, gloomy days pull me down. When one melancholy day leads to another, motivation and energy drag. Reason fights to stay up and be responsible; to change the mood, but it doesn’t necessarily come easily. But,…
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posted February 16, 2016 under clutter, house cleaning, put away the old, transformed life
I was awakened this morning by a dream. We were moving to an unseen furnished apartment for a season. I opened the door on moving day to discover it was furnished indeed. The rooms were packed full of antique furniture. Not grand, gorgeous pieces. It was more like pieces inherited from Aunt Myrt and Uncle…
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posted February 13, 2016 under enduring love, flowers, love, Valentine's
It is Valentine’s, time for cards, flowers, chocolates, and dinner out. Time to express love and caring. Time to say, “I love you.” But then, when isn’t it time to show love and caring? Cards and gifts are mandated by culture on this special day. For many, they are necessary in order to maintain…
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