The Lion of the Tribe of Judah
It’s been four years, but I still remember the song the worship team was playing as I walked into church that particular Sunday. I’ll be honest, I might have been mouthing the words, but my heart was having a hard time believing what I was singing. “Our God is the Lion, the Lion of Judah, He's roaring with power and fighting our battles...Who can stop the Lord Almighty?” The lyrics were scriptural and theologically sound, that wasn’t the issue...the issue was the battle I was facing. It felt like a battle between good and evil, and evil was winning...by a
Honoring Those Who Serve
I am so honored and proud of the veterans who have served our country. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have bravely fought and served since our country was formed. The sacrifices of these brave men and women are not to be diminished. They left their homes and their families behind to bravely fight for a cause bigger than themselves. Today my heart is overwhelmed with gratitude for those who served in military service and because of them I can live and worship freely. I am reminded of another brave veteran in the Bible….Joshua. Joshua was handed the mantle of
Conversations
My friend and I were chatting away on the sidelines of our boys’ basketball game. With college just around the corner, my friend asked if I had any concerns about my firstborn leaving home. Funny she should ask. You see, I DID have a concern...but I hadn’t thought to share it with anyone. ‘It is what it is,’ I kept telling myself. Plus, it seemed kind of silly. But since she asked...I told her. And to my surprise, she offered a practical solution! There is so much we can gain when we are willing to have conversations and allow trusted
Resilient Ruth
I will try not to overuse that ‘u’ word that’s been used too many times in 2020 ... you know, unprecedented. I would like to think that the word for 2020 is RESILIENT. A resilient object ‘springs back into shape after being bent, stretched & compressed’. I am sure many of us have felt stretched & pulled apart in 2020. Recently, USA Today commemorated the 100th anniversary of a woman’s right to vote in the United States by recognizing ‘Women of the Century’. One common thread in these women was their resilience to overcome adversity. One of the women highlighted
Grateful for Mercy
Here’s the current situation in my home: “You took the bigger slice. That’s not fair!” “Stop calling me names. You’re so rude!!” Perhaps this banter sounds familiar from growing up with siblings. Or maybe, like me, you have the “joy” of listening to it now between your children. After all the screaming and shouting, it amazes me though how there’s suddenly a moment of sanity when apologies are made, there’s forgiveness and then, the atmosphere is filled with laughter and fun. Thank goodness for the mercy which siblings show to each other, right? The reality is that no matter what
Roles
"Are you ready?” “Yes, Dad. I’m ready.” He was moments away from walking me down the aisle and giving me away. I can’t imagine how he was feeling. It must be quite daunting to let go of your daughter, yet fulfilling, to know you’ve done everything you can to raise your little girl into the woman she is meant to be. For over twenty years, my dad invested time, money, energy into my life, and he trusted that he did his duty well as a father and empowered me to be a wife with good character. In Genesis 2:24, God
Sowing and Reaping
I recently heard the story of a young family who had made a decision to pay off their 30 year mortgage early. Realistically they didn’t know how quickly they could actually pay it off. But they made a decision that they would start with what they had in their hands, and would always put something extra towards the payment of their loan each month. At that time, they were living off of one income, and the only additional amount they could contribute towards their mortgage was $20 a month. Now it doesn’t matter who you ask, $20 is a drop
Comparison
Many, many summers ago, my younger son made it clear, he was NOT excited about starting kindergarten. So one day, in an effort to change his little heart, my mom drove her two grandsons by my old elementary school. “This is where your mother & nana (aunt) went to school,” she said with excitement. “School. School!” My son whined...”I don’t want to hear about school. I don’t know how to read, write or do math. Achacha (big brother) knows how to do those things...I don’t.” I laugh as my mom retells the story. Poor kid was just starting kindergarten. Why
Make Lemonade
At times, life can seem sour like a lemon. Am I right? Maybe you are in college, like my daughter, and thanks to the pandemic, most classes are meeting online and there is diminished face to face interactions. It’s depressing. Perhaps you’re planning your wedding day and you realize you can’t invite the number of guests you had expected due to present restrictions. It’s disappointing. It’s possible you are facing a health struggle and instead of good news, you’re told there’s more to be dealt with. It’s discouraging. Yet, what inspires me time and again is the person who takes
Next To
Let’s be honest. The Bible isn’t always easy to read. I’m not even talking about the challenging doctrinal passages. I’m referring to the verses we can understand but aren’t quite sure why they are there. Things like ... The details of the tabernacle. ALL 613 commandments in the Old Testament. And of course, the begats. So. Many. Names. In the book of Nehemiah, we read the story of a cup-bearer turned construction worker. At first glance, chapter 3 looks like one of those chapters with name after unpronounceable name. But this chapter isn’t about who begat who. These were the
