-
He Regrets Us
“But the Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time. The Lord REGRETTED that he had made humankind on the earth…. So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – everything from humankind to animals, including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I REGRET that I have made them” (Genesis 6:5-7). “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. People were…
-
One New Year’s Resolution: Desert Blame and Develop Blessing
Perhaps you routinely do self-examination to start off the New Year. Some habits need to be developed and others need to be deserted. I unexpectedly found something God had for me to develop—blessing and to desert—blame. The passage in John 9 where Jesus heals the blind man born blind, revealed my need to develop discovering the blessings and desert finding the blame in difficulties. Let’s take a look at that passage. “As He (Jesus) passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’” (John 9:1-2). From an Old Testament Jewish perspective, the…
-
Releasing “Mom Guilt”
Once upon a time I served as an educator. While serving a special needs family, the mom revealed to me that she felt like her daughter’s disability was a punishment for her own sins. This mom was steeped in deep grief, somehow allowing herself to believe that she was personally responsible for her child’s cognitive disability. I knew her to be a healthy mom in a healthy home environment. She was actually a wealthy mom with all the comforts this modern world offers. Despite having the American dream, she was unable to enjoy the rich blessings of her life due to this story of guilt she had written for self. …
-
Meekness—It Is More Than You Think
Ever since our church small group discussed meekness last week, I’ve been thinking about it—trying to make sense of it. It seems simple enough until you really pause and consider Jesus’ words. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Meekness isn’t something we talk much about. It’s often seen as being weak, timid, or passive—hardly qualities we want to possess. But take a second look, and you quickly discover meekness is much more. The biblical view of meekness is strength under control. It’s the middle ground; the place where we struggle to live. Most of us choose to either keep the peace at all costs.…
-
You are Free!
Most of us know that the world of the earliest Christians included slavery. The book of Philemon details the return of Onesimus. And elsewhere, Paul flips the usual household codes, addresses slaves directly (scandalous!), and tells masters they, too, have a master. But even more personally, Paul refers to all believers as manumitted from sin and free to become slaves of righteousness. Here are three examples from his letters: Romans 6:16-23 Do you not know that if you present yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you…
-
One of the Impacts of Easter in our Lives
Easter is a particular time we set as a celebration of our God of the gospel—Christ dying on the cross for the payment of our sins, God accepting Jesus’ payment by raising Him from the dead, and the Holy Spirit’s transformative work in our lives for righteousness. One of the beautiful impacts of Easter on my life took form as I reflected on a particular incident. One evening my eye began to hurt. My eye would go from feeling normal, to hurting, to back to feeling normal. After about 18 hours, I had someone look at my eye to see if anything was on it. An eyelash was slowly…
-
This is My Father’s World
Maltbie Babcock, a nineteenth century pastor, often said, “I’m going out to see my Father’s world” as he left for his morning walks. Babcock was an admirer of nature and penned the poem, “This is My Father’s World”, which was later put to music.[1] I enjoy singing this hymn, especially when I am out in my Father’s world. Recently, I was reminded of this hymn as I was learning about flowers as companion plants to vegetables and fruits. Several parallels to my life unfolded. Historically, planting flowers in vegetable gardens has been a common practice. For various reasons (including food, beauty, and medicinal access) vegetable/flower gardens were placed near kitchens.…
-
The Main Event…Lessons Learned and Embraced from the Ark
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to have been Noah and his family on the Ark? Do you think it might have been a bit noisy? Perhaps a bit smelly, hot, dark, and uncomfortable? Living on the ark for months would have been an experience and a memory no one would forget. Yet only Noah and his family were chosen to experience God’s saving grace during the main event of judgement that God poured out upon the earth and mankind. Noah’s experience must have been an adventure of a lifetime. Last week my husband and I, along with our two grandsons, had the opportunity to visit…
-
Prone to Wander
Jesus sought me when a stranger; Wandering from the fold of God: He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed his precious blood. Leland Ryken sheds light on the life of Robert Robinson, the hymnodist of this well-known hymn, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.[1] In Robinson’s late teen years, he identified with drifters and hoodlums on the streets of London. However, after hearing a George Whitefield sermon, he converted to Jesus Christ as his identity. You and I may not find our feet wandering on the streets of London as drifters or hoodlums, but our hearts are surely prone to wander from our relationship with God. Hosea 14:4 reveals the…
-
A Cross at Christmas
Christmas, for many, is a magical time of twinkling lights, singing, brightly colored packages, cookies, candy, parties, and laughter. However, for others, Christmas is shrouded with the stark reality of a cross they have to bear. Some will face things like roaring fires that ravage neighborhoods, hospital rooms, funeral homes, broken relationships, drunken relatives, or deep sorrow as they look in vain for the faces of those who are missing from their lives.