“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10) Burned, bombed, belittled, beheaded. These are just a few of the awful consequences of claiming the name of Jesus Christ in countries where oppressive regimes or cultures reign. Yesterday, the first Sunday of November, was International Day of Prayer for... Continue Reading →

“Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” (Acts 14:17) Our mountains are exploding.  Those of us who live in the Appalachians (by the way, here in the South, that’s APP-uh-LATCH-uns) have been treated to spectacular leaf-peeping... Continue Reading →

 “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:38 I didn’t expect them to live. They were spindly, fragile seedlings—like green angel-hair spaghetti, less than an inch tall.  Our daughter, Elizabeth, brought them to us in little trays after carefully starting them in Indiana, launching the Lenten season of preparation for Easter... Continue Reading →

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ ” (Mark 1:17) Do you enjoy fishing? I’ve discovered people either love to fish or could care less about it. I’m on the former side, my husband on the latter.  However, my beloved Mark surprised me this summer with a... Continue Reading →

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) How do you describe being bone-tired? So fatigued you can hardly stand, much less put one foot in front of the other?  The British have a good word... Continue Reading →

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him....” (Colossians 2:6)          I looked at the treads on my sneakers yesterday…worn down to the next layer. They’re not that old, but after walking about four miles a day in them, my shoes are shot.          As Indiana Jones so famously quipped in Raiders of the Lost Ark, “It’s... Continue Reading →

“To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7) You’ve heard about pandemics of the past—bubonic plague, polio, smallpox, Spanish flu, and of course, now COVID. But did you know about another kind of plague, the one that killed more than four billion?  I’m referring to... Continue Reading →

“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another...” (1 Peter 3:8a) Do you consider yourself to be compassionate? When I want to describe truly compassionate people, I think of pastors, nurses, missionaries, counselors, food pantry volunteers, and others who are “in the trenches” with people who are suffering and need help. I think of... Continue Reading →

“The spider skillfully grasps with its hands, and it is in kings’ palaces.” Proverbs 30:28 I came very close to swallowing a live black widow spider.  Several years ago, I bought a large container of fabulous red grapes and was joyfully munching on them when I noticed skinny black legs on a stem. Using a fork,... Continue Reading →

“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” Psalm 34:18 Who doesn’t love stained glass windows?  They captivate us, tell us ancient stories, and lift our eyes to worship the God of Light. From lofty, ancient cathedrals to tiny jewel-like chapels around the world, these frozen kaleidoscopes of stained... Continue Reading →