Are you fond of going to the doctor? Or do you wait until the last possible moment? When my mom was living, I always laughed at her because anytime I had the slightest sniffle, she urged me to visit the doctor. My first reaction, though, is usually to wait. Surely, it will go away on its own. Surely, my immune system just needs time to work. Sometimes that rationale worked. But sometimes it didn’t. I remember several times I waited too long and paid a hefty price in pain and discomfort. I think we naturally bear quite a bit before …
Slavery From Blessings
Tears spilled down my cheeks as I choked out, “I’m just so tired.” My writer friends encircling the table didn’t exactly know how to respond at my sudden outburst. I’m sure from all appearances I seemed as though I not only held all the proverbial plates at once but spun them with the skill of a circus performer. But the truth became evident as my eyes grew red. I was crumpling underneath the weight of it all. What is “it,” you ask? Well, that’s an interesting story. Before I even bought my first training bra, I had a desire to …
Oh Pioneer!
While we were hitting the back roads we came upon some campers. Now these campers were in a remote part of the area and had no electricity or running water. It was primitive. We’ve seen these types of campers in this area before. They were probably living in a tent and their vehicle. We didn’t see them at first. We did see their cardboard sign. That’s what made us stop. “Need $5 for cigarettes. Will trade for Firewood.” About the time we got the sign read we saw a woman in a long black dress moving through the thicket …
Stand Firm
Danny’s first visit by a physical therapist involved a belt. It was so colorful. It reminded me of a belt Danny had in the 70’s. The therapist put it around Danny and then they stood up together. Huge victory! He was standing firm. I now find myself having to stand firm. And I realize that it’s in the big mountains of life where we learn to stand the most firmly. Oh beloved, this is no ordinary day. This is the day when you can stand firm in your faith. You can stand for righteousness. You can stand against evil. And …
Freedom in Jesus
Freedom in Jesus…three words that hold a multitude of meaning. Once you meet Jesus, the freedoms you experience are innumerable. One that has been on my mind, recently, is the freedom to dream. I’ve been thinking about it more than I ever have, so believe me when I say, that’s a LOT! You see, most of my life has been spent dreaming. When I was a kid, I would literally spend hours at a time just letting my mind create scenes that I hoped would someday come true…some were feasible, but others were just plain outrageous. I suppose it could …
They’re Working
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” ~ Romans 8: 28 This is one of my life verses, so it shows up a lot in my, um, life, lol, and probably my writing, too! There is a lot of freedom in this verse, because the bondage of “the here and now” is a dream-killer! I love to just think on the journey I’ve had following the Lord and my dreams, because I can see how all the details, even the little ones …
Reflecting on the Red Sea
“…They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” I Corinthians 10: 1-2 Exodus 14 concluded with the incredible miracle of God parting the Red Sea and delivering His people. The Israelites have just seen God do the unimaginable for them, the undeserving. They have witnessed the faithfulness of God to them, the unfaithful. They have seen Him make a way…where there was no way. Paul refers to the passing through the Red Sea as being “baptized into Moses.” When we hear the word baptism, we think water, but the Israelites went through on dry …
Pausing to Praise Him
…He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. Exodus 15: 1-2 An experience like the parting of the Red Sea calls for – it demands – a pause in the journey to worship, acknowledge, to praise their deliverer – a time to stand in absolute of AWE of the magnificence of Almighty God, the El Shaddai – God Almighty. And that is exactly what the Israelites do. In verses 1 and 2 of Chapter 15, the Israelites sing with Moses and Miriam, “…I will exalt him.” The Hebrew word for …
Why the Long Way?
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea… Exodus 13: 17-18 We all know the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but God’s route for leaving Egypt was to lead the people the LONG way around rather than the shortest. The short route would have taken them through Philistine country. He chose to avoid …
Class Is In Session!
When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” Exodus 15: 23-24 The desert became a classroom for the Israelites in their journey to the Promised Land. God chose Moses as His professor and mouthpiece to teach them His truth. He sent tests to examine their faith and give them opportunity to behave they like they believed. This passage includes one of many tests the Israelites will be given in their desert classroom. …
Hearing From God
And the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. Exodus 19: 10-12 God issued very specific instructions for the people to follow as they …
LOOK and LIVE!
The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” Numbers 21: 8 No real surprise to see the Israelites, yet again spiral downward to grumbling and complaining in the wilderness. (Lest we criticize them too harshly, invite the Holy Spirit to highlight your own thoughts over the last 24-48 hours. We have much more in common with the whiners than we would like to admit.) God responds by sending venomous snakes. These snakes bit the people and many of them died. Perhaps regretting the …
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