|
|
"Christ the Lord is Risen Today" Slowly we walked back home from the Easter sunrise service. We looked forward to this annual event on the lawn of the church where my husband was minister. This year the beauty was too lovely to leave. The glorious day of resurrection of our Lord Jesus began on a chilly, cloudy morning, but eventually sunshine had spread it's rays across the sky. We praised God for His creation and for the joy of resurrection.
.... ... (Read the entire
article HERE)
|
|
|
"O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go" I awoke crying, quickly reaching out to touch my sweet husband, Woody, as he lay beside me, peacefully sleeping. But in my dream - or nightmare - he was the man who walked into our home after a brief absence and quietly began taking pictures off the wall. He casually remarked,"These have always been my favorites, you can keep the others. I won't be coming back again." .... ... (Read the entire
article HERE)
|
|
|
"His Eye is on the Sparrow"
Ever wonder why our Lord chose
such a common little bird to illustrate
such a profound truth? Everyone
and everything God created is
significant. So when Jesus was
teaching He questioned the listeners,
"Are not five sparrows sold
for two pennies? Yet not one of
them is forgotten in God's sight"
(Luke 12:6).
My friend Richard, a former
inmate who has been released from
prison, learned this truth the
hard way (see thesparrowministries.org).
For several years I wrote words
of encouragement to him. After
becoming a Christian, he wanted
to grow in the faith but there
were obstacles. One of the most
difficult is printed below
.... ... (Read the entire
article HERE)
|
|
|
"His Name is Wonderful"
Hugging my young son, Ben, was
always a joy. Now that he is a
grown man, I don't remember every
hug, of course, but one special
one I will never forget. It happened
on the first school day in January.
In his class they were to bring
a favorite Christmas gift for
show-and-tell so they could tell
why it was special. Ben was leaving
the house with nothing to share
and I asked why.
.... ... (Read the entire
article HERE)
|
|
|
"Now Thank We All Our
God"
Each Thanksgiving our family
laughs about the sermon that turned
us into a few muffled gigglers.
It happened years ago, when our
children were young and we were
visiting at the community Thanksgiving
church service.
The preacher kept repeating his
favorite phrase: "This worship
service is for more than Thanksgiving
-- it is for thanksLIVING."
The children continued to get
tickled as he increased his volume
each time he stressed the word,
LIVING.
.... ... (Read the entire
article HERE)
|
|
|
"More Love to Thee"
A little green book with ragged
edges entitled Stepping
Heavenward has a prominent
place on my bookshelf. The author
is Elizabeth Prentiss. The book
was published in 1869 and sold
more than 200,000 copies in America.
But its age and its popularity
are not the reasons it is special
to me. On the inside front cover
a young boy wrote his name when
he was twelve years old. That
signature was written so long
ago it has almost faded away.
That boy was my father.
.... ... (Read the entire
article HERE)
|
|
|
"She May Not Know Me
- But I Know Her"
For several months sweet old
Mr. Sam went to the Nursing Home
each morning at 9:00. One stormy
day the nurse who cared for his
wife, wondered if he would come
out in this awful weather. But
he arrived exactly at the same
time ready for his special visit.
Nurse Susan commented on his faithfulness
to his wife who did not even recognize
him anymore. Mr. Sam smiled and
replied, "She may not know
who I am, but I know who she is."
With those words of love, he
entered the same room, and sat
in the same chair and took the
same cherished and wrinkled hand
he had held for almost 60 years.
.... ... (Read the entire
article HERE)
|
|
|
Since the 1950's, a cartoon
known as "Peanuts" has
brought laughter and joyful wisdom
to millions of readers in newspapers
across the world. In the beginning,
Charlie Brown was the only character.
Soon the cartoonist, Charles Schulz
began to add other little people
to the cartoon. I always chuckled
at the conversations that Charlie
Brown and Lucy had. One such cartoon
pictures them sitting together
in a chair watching television
as the announcer says, "All
is right with the world."
Charlie turns to Lucy to ask
what that means. Her smug reply
is, "All is right with the
world when Lucy's here!"
.... ... (Read the entire
article HERE)
|
|
|
Classes had been slightly boring
this Friday at school, and I was
ready for a long weekend. The
books in my arms were heavy so
I hurried home. As I plopped them
into a chair, my Bible fell to
the floor. I picked it up to place
it on top of the stack of textbooks.
Before I set it down, I lamented
over the bad grade I had made
in my Bible class the day before.
It was a sad surprise, but all
of my studies were taking second
place these days.
.... ... (Read the entire
article HERE)
|
|
|
It is simple to spell l-o-v-e,
not always so simple to experience
it. But just as a baby wrapped
in the arms of a loving parent
is fed even if he is not drinking
milk, so God's love can flow through
the loving arms of a mom or dad,
and give that baby strength for
a lifetime.
With each new stage of growth
there is that same basic need
for love that fills the heart
and soul of every child. After
talking with a judge of a family
court, one statement in our discussion
has stayed with me.
.... ... (Read the entire
article HERE)
|
|
|
What's up with your New Year's
Resolutions? Several weeks into
the New Year and I am already
a little sluggish with some of
mine. But I regain my determination
with one of the greatest hymns
of prayer ever written:
"O God, our help in ages
past, our hope for years to come.
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home."
When a "stormy blast"
comes.... ... (Read the entire
article HERE)
|
|
|
It seemed to be a regular night
in Bethlehem over two thousand
years ago. Shepherds on the hillsides
were caring for their sheep. I
imagine it was dark and dreary,
because they were astounded when
angels appeared with a message:
"Do not be afraid, I bring
you good tidings of great joy
which will be for all people."
Even more exciting were the words:
"For there is born to you
this day in the city of David,
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord"
(Luke 2: 10-11). ... (Read
the entire article HERE)
|
|
|
It seems
strange, but singing the same Christmas
carols year after year is delightful.
"O Little Town of Bethlehem"
is one of them. It never ceases to
be meaningful as I picture the many
visual images in the words. I accept
its beauty with joy in my heart and
the simple beat of its music. ...
(Read the entire article HERE)
|
|
|
Walking
slowly from the church, we lifted
our candles high into the darkness
of the night. What a beautiful sight
to behold. Those little lights were
a symbol of the true message of Christmas
as they glowed from our church lawn.
God sent the Light of the world to
us thousands of years ago. So we sang
with gusto, "Go Tell It On The
Mountain." ... (Read the entire
article HERE)
|
|
|
Since the early
days of America, there have been
many gifted people, of all races,
who are a part of the greatness
of our country. During Black History
Month in February, the media focuses
on the many contributions made by
African-American leaders.
But why was this not always an
important part of American History
classes? ... (Read the entire
article HERE)
|
