Life with God
An Advent Devotional Matthew 1:20-23 "But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son,... Continue Reading →
Jeanne and I used to laugh when classroom teachers were smothered in flowers during Teacher Appreciation Week, or when they amassed stacks of Starbucks gift cards during the weeks leading up to Christmas. As reading teachers working in small intervention groups, we might have received a candle that looked like it had been lit, an apple-pin slightly tarnished,... Continue Reading →
When the sun is shining, when relationships are sailing, when CostCo has restocked its Kirkland pinot noir from Oregon - that's when I am all-in with God - praising, humming, brimming with spiritual contentment. But when life takes a turn, or as someone recently put it, "When life throws garbage cans in your path," my... Continue Reading →
God, I pray with expectation that you will... I used to think prayers like this were presumptuous, even manipulative. He is God after all. But then I got to thinking... Jesus criticized those who doubted God's miraculous power - "Oh ye of little faith" he called them. And when Jesus did perform a miracle, he... Continue Reading →
You sit in the doctor's office waiting for test results. A midnight phone call bodes difficult news about a loved one. You don't get the job. (Or worse, they neglect to inform you that you don't have the job.) At such times, there are different responses falling into two categories -- ignoring (or resenting)... Continue Reading →
Last night Brett and I sat in our backyard watching with great concern as a baby sparrow flailed its tiny wings and flitted across the grass. One of its wings seemed underdeveloped and the little birdie could not get airborne. However, it was not lacking confidence as it circled our yard, pecking here and there,... Continue Reading →
Margaret loved this verse from Isaiah 45, "I will go before you and make the rugged places plain. I will break in pieces the doors of brass and cut asunder the doors of iron. And I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches in secret places that you may know that I... Continue Reading →
My neighbor, Mary, a longtime nurse, commented, “I am not very religious, but I have witnessed the power of prayer. I don’t know how it works, but when people pray, I have seen healing.” I believe in the power of prayer. Prayer to a God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all love. This God is... Continue Reading →
The year was 1964. My mother sat in the waiting room outside intensive care, a coast away from the rest of the family. She did not know whether her 21 year old son, in critical condition, would survive the head injury sustained in a car accident. Hours stretched into days as an untenable future loomed. ... Continue Reading →
