Luke began his book with a meeting of two expectant mothers. This would not be an ordinary meeting. Mary was a teenage girl overwhelmed by wonderful news. She would be the mother of the Messiah. Elizabeth was in her 6th month of pregnancy even though she was past the child-bearing years. She who was barren was carrying the forerunner of […]
Towards the end of Mark 7, Jesus exited Galilee and entered the region of Tyre, Gentile territory. He entered a house not wanting others to know he was there. For some reason, he needed privacy, a time away. From previous chapters, you know he needed a rest. He fed the 5000, calmed a storm, was confronted by the religious leaders, and […]
Often when we come to the scriptures, our first question is how does this apply to us? I am learning more and more that my first question needs to be what does this passage tell me about God. It is only when I have a right view of God that I can then have a right view of myself. We see […]
I remember the first time one of my friend’s lost a parent. My friend was grieving, and I didn’t know how to help. Not knowing what to do, I basically did nothing. I was worse than Job’s friends. At least, Job’s friends showed up. I still remember my friend sharing her disappointment with me at a later time. I was not there when she needed a friend to just […]
This week my daddy would have turned 70 years old. I miss talking to him about life. He thrived on conversations that challenged your thinking. These days he has been on my mind more often. Maybe it is my age, or maybe I wonder what he would say about the election and all that goes with it. My best memories are […]
My heart is heavy as I read the news about the shooting in Orlando and the division of my nation over who should be the next president. We often feel helpless. What can we do? Will things ever get better? But Daniel reminds us that we aren’t helpless, we can pray. Currently the ladies on my team are going through Beth Moore’s Daniel study […]
It all started with a pumpkin coffee. Someone had sent me some pumpkin coffee, and I was sharing a pot of coffee with two young ladies who have been volunteering at the school where I work. One lady had pretty much grown up here, but the other lady new to this country. I asked the lady who had only been […]
In John 11, Jesus arrives in Bethany four days after Lazarus has been buried. Upon hearing of Jesus’s arrival, Martha decides to go out to meet Jesus rather than wait for him at the house. Why? Maybe she needed some fresh air or maybe she had a few words she wanted to say to him without others hearing. We […]
My kindle goes with me most everywhere. I have this strange quirk that when I turn on my kindle if I am in the middle of a chapter in a book that I at least finish that chapter before moving to a different book. Yesterday as I was sitting in the chiropractor’s office, my kindle was in II Chronicles and […]
Encouragement from Haggai
I was enjoying a lazy morning studying when the news came. Our country had its first confirmed case of COVID 19. It wasn’t a surprise. We knew it wasn’t a matter of “if” but “when” especially since bordering countries had confirmed cases. Even before the first case, precautions were set in place with extra hand washing and social distancing. But still I found […]