Good morning… As I prepare for this month's Listening Group, I read again Jesus' ultimate show of powerful love before he begins his walk to the cross. We pick up the story in John 13:1-17 in the Contemporary English Version. It was before Passover, and Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and [...]
Good morning... "What would Julie do?" This is a question many of us have been asking regularly since April 2nd, when our 41 year old friend left earth for heaven. When wondering if a mother/son event should be canceled, we trust Julie would want the celebration to go on. When faced with how to best to share Christ's love [...]
Good morning... Accepting my son's invitation from yesterday morning, I have prayerfully pondered my final tweet. Even though I have never tweeted before in my life, if given 140 characters, I might send this final tweet to the world. God made us unique, loves us just as we are. Jesus died for each sin, frees, leads, heals whole. Spirit [...]
“I don’t believe God caused my cancer; I believe He has allowed it,” she said. “Cancer has become a part of God’s plan for my life.” At peace, she trusts God. 21) Jesus’ Pathway Through Pain How do we live through excruciating pain? We turn to Luke 22:41-45 (NIV) to discover a pathway. How did Jesus live through [...]
Good morning... If you knew your close friend would betray you by evening's end, would you sit down beside him and share a meal? If you knew this would be your final dinner, would you willingly pull up a chair and relax into your seat? If you knew this celebration would lead to your death, would you show up [...]
Good morning... "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in," says Hebrews 12:2 in the Message translation. "Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, [...]
Good morning... When I was a kid, we played in our neighborhood from after school until the dinner bell rang. One of my favorite childhood games was Red Rover. When we played Red Rover, we would pick two teams from our collection of buddies, we would stretch out in two lines, hand-in-hand, facing one another from about twenty feet [...]
Good morning... "For the joy set before him (Jesus) endured the cross," explains Hebrews 12:2b (NIV). This is a good thing to remember as we walk into Lent. We all have different crosses to bear. The cross of grieving a loved one who has left this earth. The cross of a scary diagnosis and its various treatment options. The [...]
Good morning... As we got together for lunch and caught up on each others' lives, one friend said, "Sue, you look really tired." Part of me felt a bit offended, "Do I really look that bad?" Then the rest of me began to unload. I told my friends I am exhausted from pushing to finish another graduate school paper, [...]
Monday was a dud of a day for me. It began with me feeling self-consciously down after a phone call that activated the critics in my head. It continued with news of another teen suicide, a sudden death of a beloved father, and an awareness that hard anniversaries for grieving friends are just around the corner. Then unrest in [...]
