I admire artists for their observational abilities. They notice things the less visually talented tend to miss. Do you ever wonder what it is that you might not be seeing as you walk through life? Luke 2:25-28 tells about a man with exceptional spiritual vision. The story goes like this: Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who...
Listen:I Peter 3:15, NIV: In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do it with gentleness and respect. Reflect:The other day I attended a Zoom wedding. It was gratifying to see my friend get married again after a...
As is my tradition, the weekend of Thanksgiving I began putting up Christmas decorations. I have some favorite artificial flower arrangements. The red Amaryllis especially. After carefully extracting the arrangement from the plastic bag, I lifted it high to admire. Gasp. What? Who had nibbled the red berries? I checked the plant’s backside. A big gash in the stalk showed...
Are you uneasy about the upcoming election? Me too! Right now we are a nation holding its collective breath. Waiting, apprehensive, on edge. Events that have occurred this year can only be described as unprecedented, and November 3rd could surely follow in kind. When I talk with people I hear concern, regardless which presidential candidate they support. Our trepidation seems...
I stare out my window at the orange-tinted smoke-choked landscape. Ash from the nearby wildfire falls lightly like snow and covers my deck with debris. I check my phone. In one week, Oregon wildfires have already burned one million acres and five towns. The Air Quality Index remains fixed at “hazardous,” rivaling even India’s worst days. Not good. I inhale...
I park my car at the beach, then open the door against a strong headwind. My thin sweatshirt is no match for this gale, and trekking the sea-grass lined path leading to shore, I hug it tightly to myself . The brightness of the sun makes it difficult to decipher details on the horizon, but something unusual is happening on...
“I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land” ( Psalm 143:6 ). When my 95-year-old father suffered a stroke, the brain damage caused him to cry out in terror every few minutes. To cope with this uncontrollable urge, he redirected his shouts to praise, thanksgiving, singing, reciting scriptures, and intercessory prayer for...
Suzi with her two first born. A few weeks ago, a Mallard duck decided to hatch her eggs in a nest she built only about two feet from the edge of our patio. We were about to become duckling grandparents and even announced it on Instagram! Now don’t scoff at our apparently shrinking world. Who isn’t becoming a bit unbalanced...