What happens when we come face to face with the divine? According to the Biblical record, when a human is contacted by the divine, either by an angel or by God Himself, the receiver of this visit is left in a less than desirable emotional state. In Deuteronomy, chapter 18, the Israelites cry out, “If […]
Fully Known By God: The Power of Truly Seeing Another Read More »
Sleeping to Escape Reality There’s an REO Speedwagon song that used to serve as my alarm back in high school. In the ballad, a man desires to stay asleep so that he can dream that the woman he loves also loves him in return. Since his dreams were better than his waking life, he longed
A Reality Better Than My Dreams Read More »
Stiff as a Board I carry a lot of tension in my body. When I was in college, I often noticed how slim and lean most of my friend’s calves were (a bit weird, I admit). If my friend’s legs resembled those of flamingoes, mine (and I am a relatively slim person) resembled those of
The Emotional Contagion of Joy: Living in the Kingdom Read More »
Note: This post is the text version of a sermon I gave at my home church on in September, 2023. Just a few short weeks ago, I was on the mountaintop. I felt in tune with God’s will and knew without a doubt that the Spirit was working through me in ways that went beyond
Embracing Our Humanity Read More »
About two years ago, I lost my husband to liver cirrhosis. He had celebrated 4 months sobriety shortly before his passing. It was a beautiful four months. When he died, I wasn’t angry with my husband; I understood the nature of the disease and that he never meant to hurt me. But I was angry
The “GIFTS?!!?” of Alcoholism Read More »
The Taylor Swift Effect I’m a bit like Taylor Swift…if I know you, chances are, I’m going write about you at some point. I try to be discreet. I said next to nothing in my blog about my late husband until after his passing. And unless I ask your permission first, there’s not going to
The Reluctant Single: Embracing God’s Plan Read More »
Wrist Slap I’m a contemplative Christian. That means, out of the main sources for my understanding of and relationship with God (Tradition, Scripture, and Experience), I lean towards the “experience” part. I meditate twice a day, walk in near-constant prayer, and worship with passion. I used to be more about the other two: tradition and
The Best Defense From the Devil: Know Who and Whose You Are Read More »
Different Gifts, Same Spirit As Christians, when we submit our lives fully to Christ, the Holy Spirit moves within us powerfully for the good of all the Body of Christ and the world at large. In two different epistles, Romans and 1 Corinthians, Paul speaks of these varied Holy Spirit-bestowed gifts. Interestingly, these passages both
How to Play Your Part in God’s Symphony Read More »
The Chosen I’m four episodes into season 1 of The Chosen. I know, for a Christian blogger in 2023, this is probably bordering on shameful. I just don’t watch that much TV (typically I watch about an hour or two a month outside of family movie night). In episode 4, Simon (who will soon be
The Real Significance of the Miraculous Catch of Fish Read More »
The Firefly Recently, my youngest son (9) was outside catching fireflies. He caught one gently in his hand and noticed that this particular insect friend had an injured wing and couldn’t fly. I suggested he place his friend gently on a leaf where the little critter could have a meal and be hidden from predators.
I Love You Because You Are Read More »
