Redemption
In a word
This week I’m away speaking at a high school camp. Three hundred students gathered to seek God through play, worship, study and fellowship. It’s awesome.
During one worship session, the students were invited to write down those things for which they are thankful on a shared canvas. This one moved me deeply. Does it you?
We’ll resume our “scheduled programming” next week. Thanks for reading along.
In the dark. But never alone.
The night must have seemed exceptionally dark.
In Genesis 32, we find Jacob fleeing his uncle Laban and returning to his homeland to face the brother he’d deceived many years prior. He was fearful of this fated reunion, dividing his family and property into groups to prevent losing them all if Esau attacked (Genesis 32:7, 8).
The night before the two shall meet, Jacob separates himself from his family. In the dark of the night he wrestles with a man — who turns out to be God in an angelic, physical body — until the break of day. Jacob’s dark and sleepless night probed my heart this week, exposing the faulty way I’m prone to view my struggles: Read More
Rejected
My skin isn’t thick enough.
Because I’m in my early 40’s you might expect me to have the emotional capacity to shrug off feelings of rejection. But I don’t. At least not all the time. A series of events colluded against my heart over the last few weeks:
- I’ve recently tumbled down the list of people whose opinion matters to my teenage daughter. Developmentally normal, I know, but I still feel the loss of her esteem.
- A heart-felt, oft-expressed invitation to come visit us was again turned down; our family’s hopes of sharing special time with people we love were dashed.
- Several of my children have experienced isolation from their peers, in some cases for their faith. My mother-heart feels their pain as my own.
- Our Easter Sunday was spent without the fellowship of friends or family. Read More
Before Joy
As Christians who live in light of our Messiah’s resurrection, I think we often gloss over all that the Lord endured in the days between Palm Sunday and Easter. While Jesus’ redeeming sacrifice on the cross is difficult to meditate on, such awareness is necessary in order to appreciate the incomparable cost. I encourage you to join me in taking a cue from the Jewish Passover celebration as a way to do just that — see what I mean by reading last year’s Maundy Thursday post here: The Cup of Deliverance.
For the joy set before him [Jesus] endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
— Hebrews 12:2b NIV
Indebtedness
I just wanted to be nice.
I had the ability to give a small gift and I wanted to do something for them. My daughter was going to be in the dentist’s chair for an hour, so I had both the time and, fortunately, the money for a run to the coffee shop. So I offered to treat the office staff to an afternoon indulgence. They were eager for lattes, but misunderstood my desire to pay. All three opened their wallets, counting out the bills and jotting their orders on yellow sticky notes. I protested, reiterating my offer. They hemmed and hawed, reluctant to permit me the pleasure of giving. Read More
Christmas Upside-down
Senseless, untimely deaths.
Inexplicable illnesses.
Life-altering diagnoses.
Strained relationships.
Financial distress.
Loneliness and depression.
Weariness and fear.
All juxtaposed against the holiday that’s supposed to be happy.
Approaching Christmas in December seems to press on the tender, raw places in our lives. We’re more aware of our loved ones’ absences because we’re rightly accustomed to gathering with them to celebrate. The world around us seems to go merrily on its way while we bear our burdens. Somehow, facing such difficult circumstances during December seems more unjust. Read More
Where else can I go?
Following God is anything but easy.
Every day seems to bring news of tragic events. In recent days, it’s struck closer to my circles in the forms of the kidnapping and murder of an elementary student, and the suicide of an eighth grader. I looked at my own eighth grader through tear-filled eyes, thankful for her every breath. I recalled the scare we had this time last year with my younger daughter and was moved again to gratitude. The happenings of the last week have touched me deeply because of their proximity, but injustices the world over paralyze me with their enormity and pervasiveness. Evil seems rampant and I’m tempted to question both the goodness and power of God. Read More
Keep out. Come in.
Are privacy and authenticity mutually exclusive?
The call for authenticity has taken up residence in yet another forum. It’s no longer the mantra just of small groups and friendship; now blog posts and Facebook status updates are required to contain some degree of personal drama to qualify the writer as being ‘real.’ It appears there’s no venue in which privacy is deemed appropriate or even important. Read More
Caution: Men at Worship
Grungy clothes. Sweaty brows. Dusty feet. How did this manual labor constitute a church service?
Church looked a little different this weekend. Our ‘Sunday best’ involved work gloves, hats and rolled-up sleeves. Our congregation took to the hills for a little old fashioned work.
We ambled our way up the hill and put our shoulders into the effort. I watched my children and husband find their groove and settled into my own. My body engaged in its task and my mind began to muse. The lessons were plentiful… Read More
Does God still like me?
He was devastated. I was exasperated.
Sitting on the edge of my son’s bed, I looked into his eyes. He
knew I was upset. Yet another day with multiple food allergy infractions. His inability to control his impulses around food frustrates me for the obedience issues, but even more so because of the adverse impact on his growth due to nutrient malabsorption. We’ve seen God’s redemption and work in these issues, but it is an on-going battle that is likely to plague him for years to come. Read More