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Arms Open Wide
Though I did not grow up in a Christian home, I knew the song, “Jesus Loves Me This I Know” from my childhood. God’s arms were open wide to me which drew me to Himself. In my early 20’s, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior and began a lifelong pursuit of knowing who God is. As I studied the Bible, I soon realized God was much more than just love. God is accessible, creator, deliverer, eternal, faithful, gracious, holy, jealous, kind, life, merciful, nurturing, omnipotent, perfect, truth, and wise to name a few of His attributes! It can be easy to get focused on God’s love…
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Lingering
Linger means to be slow in parting or in quitting something and tarry means to linger in expectation. These 2 words have taken on new and impacting significance to me lately. I was impressed how Mary Magdalene saw the Lord as she lingered at the tomb (John 20:11-18). Mary not only saw the risen Lord, but she was sent on the crucial mission to go tell the disciples. Mary’s lingering at Jesus’s tomb brought new insights and joy to her soul. John provides another example of someone who lingered. It seems that John wrote the Gospel of John; 1, 2, 3 John; and Revelation in the 90’s A.D. Which means…
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The In-House Holy Spirit
The concept of in-house came to my mind as I was contemplating the Holy Spirit this week. “In-house, or insourcing, is a term used in business to describe the utilization of internal sources rather than outsourcing for activities.”[1] Advantages of in-house as opposed to outsourcing include: less time to understand issues and the way the organization works; better comprehension of the organization’s history and atmosphere; and escalated trust which increases knowledge sharing.[2] Clearly, the Holy Spirit is in-house for every believer (John 14:17; 1 Cor 6:19); yet, His presence and activities are largely ignored.[3] In comparison to a business in-house in the preceding paragraph, the Holy Spirit exhibits the following:…
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Diligence in Fighting off Habitual Sins!
Early summer mornings I enjoy my front porch with my Bible and coffee pondering God’s Word and His creation. His birds sing sweetly and the wind blows gently. But lately I have noticed an intruder to my minutes of peacefulness. Red paper wasps. Red paper wasps flying in and out of my house eaves. Because I know they do sting, I began to ponder how to get rid of them. I could get the fly swatter and get after them, I could spray them with wasp spray, or I could go tell my husband. Over the past weeks, I have chosen all three of these options on different occasions. However,…
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Even my Christmas Chicken is Sideways
Sometimes life feels sideways. Recently, my husband and I parted ways to attend various Christmas activities at our respective places of work. He was fortunate enough to take our three children with him to his event while I sat through a quiet adult evening. When my husband came home, he informed me that the front door to our house had been left wide open for the duration of his two hour trip. I am happy to report that we did not acquire any new neighborhood cats during that time. I came home from my event later in the evening to find our decorative Christmas chicken lying on its side in…
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But… God
Mental health has taken center stage because people still struggle in a “not normal” new normal. Our mental dialogue can actually drain us of positive outlook and both mental and physical strength. How do we disempower our insecurities?
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Thankfulness As Our Purpose
As the calendar winds down on another unprecedented year, we gladly enter this joyful season of giving and thanksgiving. Many of us feel a gentle nudge toward understanding God’s call to purposeful daily life. Have you ever asked God about His will for your life?
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Just Jesus…
When I was younger I thought a revival was a 3-night event where all the church folk would come together and sing longer than normal. I later came to understand revival as awakening the church ultimately to win others to Christ. My husband and I are inner-city missionaries so I have been thinking about, praying about, and meeting about revival for a while now. But if I can be honest for a bit—I am tired. Although we have been at this for three years now, at times it seems the lingo of “revival” is still as nebulous and undefined as it was when I was a little girl. It almost…
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On the Anniversary of Dad’s Death
“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment accompanied by a promise, namely, “that it may go well with you and that you will live a long time on the earth” (Ephesians 6:2-3). Today is the anniversary of Dad’s death. Dad was a complicated man, to say the least. Recently I was talking to a Christian brother and, essentially, said that when we die it might be said for any of us believers: “He was a Christian… and he was a mess in many ways.” We never outgrow our desperate need for Christ. Anyone who knew my dad knew he had struggles, but they also had no doubt…
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God the Holy Spirit (Part V): The Paradox of the Paraclete
If believers do not seek the Holy Spirit for His sake alone, He will seek to comfort, correct, and guide them.
