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Small Beginnings
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” Zechariah 4:10 NLT KIDOGO KIDOGO HUJAZA KIBABA. It’s an African proverb that a Kenyan friend recited to me often when I, as a newly arrived missionary, would become discouraged at my very slow pace in learning basic Kiswahili, or when I would get confused over the local currency or make embarrassing cross-cultural social blunders. He would say the proverb to remind me that great things start out small and mastery happens gradually over time. KIDOGO KIDOGO HUJAZA KIBABA. Little by little fills the measure. I…
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Delighting in the Lord
In different seasons of my life my vocabulary has been based on different lexicons. In college words like, “cool” and “oh man” and yes, even “groovy” were a part of my everyday language. As a young mom, I think the word “tired” was well-worn as it was the answer, excuse and explanation for everything I thought, said or felt. During my early career it was the term “busy” that came to my lips regularly. About a year and a half ago I entered a new stage of life and with it came a whole new set of standard phrases. My favorite, of course, is my new…
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Yearnings of the Heart
It disguises itself as that stabbing feeling you get when something goes terribly wrong. It shows up when the new shiny thing you just bought doesn’t really bring the happiness you thought it would. It stomps across your heart when you feel adrift and wonder why you’re even here and if your life matters. It’s that abiding sense of, “this isn’t the way it is supposed to be” and the despairing whisper of, “is this all there is?” Let’s admit it. At our core we feel unsatisfied. We know life should be better, justice should prevail, things should go right. Our hearts are built to hold much more than they…
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I am Barabbas
As we begin to walk through the holiest of days of the Church, we will take time to recall the most fundamental truths that make Christians Christians and turn sinners into saints. We will revisit in various ways, through many different traditions, the events leading to the suffering, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the son of God, the son of man. As we look at the Gospel narratives, we are introduced to a full cast of characters whom we only know because of the parts they played in this great story of redemption. I think of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who, though having repeatedly declared Jesus innocent, still condemned…
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Man-in-Waiting
In this last week of Advent, one of the ways we learn to prepare our hearts for the celebration of the arrival of our Savior is to see how others have done so. In Luke 2:25-32 we meet Simeon as he meets Jesus. But before the Messiah is revealed, Simeon is a man-in-waiting. He has waited a very long time to see the coming of the Savior of Israel, for God to keep his promises, for hope to be fulfilled. Notice that Simeon doesn't just pass time as he waits (like we do at the airport), but he "eagerly" waits for God to send the One. There is an anticipation, an expectation.…
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Leave it
As a young Christian in college I was challenged to ask God to provide a specific amount of money so I could pass it on to a ministry or mission and experience the joy of being a conduit for God’s generosity. I stepped out hesitantly and asked God to give me $15 so I could give it toward a friend’s mission support. Then I watched and waited. Only a few weeks letter I received a valentine’s card from my stepmother (who never wrote to me). It contained a check for $15. Later, in our early marriage, my husband and I decided to ask God to overfill our cup by $100…
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Ministry and Mission and Mental Illness
In the United States, May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It's the time when advocacy agencies and support groups draw our attention to the indicators, treatments and challenges for the nearly 20 percent of the population impacted by mental disorders. For one month a year we are exposed to stories, facts, figures and fundraisers with the hope that we will care. However, for many families, the stories don't surface just once a year. They are written every day in desperate hearts coping with the confusion, isolation and stigma of mental illness. And many authors of these stories are sitting in the pews of your church. Did you know that? While…
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Silent Saturday
“But by the time they were finished, the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.” (Luke 23:56b) It is the day slid between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Not much is said in the Scriptures about the time between the filling of the tomb and its emptying. Perhaps that is because, unlike us who wait with anticipation the arrival of Easter morning, no one was expecting anything. The disciples assumed it was all over and were beginning the horrid task of re-grouping when you haven’t a clue when or where or how to start over. How do you enter that space when the anticipated future evaporates…
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What’s in Your Closet?
My husband lost over 100 pounds a few years ago. Throughout the months of his weight loss we began to notice that his clothes weren’t the right fit anymore. They were made for the body he used to have, not the one he was beginning to have. And eventually NOTHING fit—not even the underclothes. Since we weren’t able to fully replace the wardrobe, he kept wearing many of the things he always had and sometimes looked like a child wearing hand-me-downs, several sizes too big. The Scriptures remind us that we as believers are also changing. As we mature in our faith, the ways we used to act or talk or…
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Lepers in Our World
A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” (Mark 1:40-41 NLT) The man’s name is unknown. He is just “leper” to us—unnamed and unclean. He approaches Jesus. It is an audacious step. Lepers are supposed to stay out of the way, unnoticed and unseen. There must have been something about Jesus that emboldened the leper to come to him. And the man is not disappointed. Jesus responds with kindness. He is motivated from…
