Tuesday, May 28, 2019 | Reflections
Giving birth, whether to a dream or new life, is both a glorious and painful process. The one giving birth must almost always endure some pain and discomfort, and experience some stretching in order to accommodate new life. Pressing through the labor pains of the...
Monday, May 27, 2019 | Reflections
We all have friends on whom we rely for certain things and for certain reasons—the one who makes us laugh or has an encouraging word, the one we look to for guidance and advice, the one we can count on when the chips are down. Time and shared experiences help us to...
Sunday, May 26, 2019 | Reflections
Sometimes the only thing between us and our healing is the getting up part. Sometimes to get to our healing, we simply must get up and move. To get up and walk—off the mat of worry, fear, and self-pity, away from the pile of excuses we have pieced together and grown...
Saturday, May 25, 2019 | Reflections
We see so little when we look only with our eyes. We look at our earthly possessions and conclude we do not have enough. Jesus often describes the kingdom of God as something that starts out small but grows larger or becomes more mature. Such illustrations...
Friday, May 24, 2019 | Reflections
In an age when electronic communication dominates, we are challenged to remember the benefits of human touch. A simple touch is so powerful that it can reduce heart rate, lower blood pressure, and reduce stress hormone levels. Research shows that touch can make a...
Thursday, May 23, 2019 | Reflections
Some of us don’t want to follow Jesus too closely because of the perceived cost. We fear we may have to give up our lifestyle, relationships, comfort, status, or some other pleasure, and it will be too much. It’s okay to give up some Sundays, memorize some scripture,...
Wednesday, May 22, 2019 | Reflections
I used to fall apart.And Love put me back together again and again and again.But then, something in my heart and in my head said:Time has come for this to endYour doubt grieves me and does offend.When will you beginto really trust and not just pretend?I AM the...
Tuesday, May 21, 2019 | Reflections
Some people consider worship an occasion to put on something special and carry themselves in a particular way—a prescribed set of actions, performed in a certain place and manner in order to pay homage to God. Our truest acts of worship are not about our ….(View...
Monday, May 20, 2019 | Reflections
After he was all grown and living on his own,He often stopped by to see the old man who had helped them out so often when they lived back home. Gratitude.She volunteered at the shelter whenever she had a free dayRemembering when she….(View this reading and more...
Sunday, May 19, 2019 | Reflections
Our praise is like music to God’s ears. Praise is not just a matter of saying or posturing ourselves a certain way but of living in a way that points upward toward the Creator. To offer praise is to give accolades with our words and ways, unrestricted by time and...
Saturday, May 18, 2019 | Reflections
A friend recently found the man of her dreams through online dating. When she found him, she knew he was the one. In some ways, he’s different than what she imagined, but he was what she had been looking for. Had she focused on what she thought was missing, she could...
Friday, May 17, 2019 | Reflections
The Caterpillar and the Polliwog by Jack Kent begins, “Caterpillars aren’t like other folks.” As folks and other animals get older, they get bigger—but not caterpillars. They turn into something else, and turning into something else is “not a thing that just anybody...
Thursday, May 16, 2019 | Reflections
My mother was a biscuit-making master—they looked and tasted good. The goodness and the prettiness came both from the ingredients and her process. Baking things well has a lot to do with the make-up and the work-out of the dough, knowing exactly the right amount of...
Wednesday, May 15, 2019 | Reflections
Could it be that when we pray in order to get stuff, the power of our prayers is not so much in the asking as it is in the acknowledging the power of the One we bow before? Maybe prayer is a tool to prepare us to receive, an acknowledgment of the Giver’s power to...
Tuesday, May 14, 2019 | Reflections
Hunger gets our attention. Its pangs remind us that we have needs. The grumblings and rumblings of hunger remind us of our reliance upon sustenance from outside ourselves. The emptiness prompts us to go in search of what we are missing. Hunger will not be satisfied...
