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In the Fire
Ahhh, summer. Vacations, ice cream, grilling out, ice cream, family time, and did I mention ice cream? But if the temperatures where you live are anything like the ones we have, better eat that ice cream fast. We’ve had multiple days in the nineties, even breaking a record on June 12th with a high of 98 degrees Fahrenheit. How appropriate that in the midst of the sweltering heat, my Bible reading landed on three guys who walked around in blazing heat themselves. Literally. Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego? These Jewish exiles, whose story is found in the Old Testament book of Daniel, lived in Babylon. They found favor with King…
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Does God Care About the Small Things?
Do you ever wonder if God cares about the small things? Is His perspective like ours? In today’s culture of mega cities, mega churches, and mega stores, we often equate size with importance. ‘Smaller’ suggests insignificance, maybe even worthlessness. After all, bigger is better. Or is it? A few days ago, I played in the backyard with the newest member of our family, a two-year-old lab. Axel finally decided to plop down and roll in the grass. As I knelt beside him, I spotted tiny flowers growing between blades of grass. Did I mention they were tiny? Maybe the size of a tomato seed before opening and an apple seed…
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How to Stop Barking Up the Wrong Tree
We’ve all heard, and maybe spoken, the words “you’re barking up the wrong tree.” This idiom carries the meaning of being misguided, on the wrong track, in error. The phrase originated with the description of hunting dogs. Unfortunately, not all the canines in our neighborhood have read about this. Take Sampson, for instance. A lovable black lab, he usually runs the length of his fenced-in back yard as Gibbs and I walk by. His ferocious bark would be more intimidating if his tail wasn’t wagging 100 miles per hour. But one day, Sampson completely ignored us. With every muscle tensed, he stood at the bottom of a Bradford pear tree,…
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Pebbles, Problems, Pearls, and Perseverance
What do pebbles, problems, pearls, and perseverance have in common? Okay, the p alliteration, but what else? I thought about this question as I hobbled along with a small rock in my tennis shoe. In case you’re wondering why I didn’t take off my shoe and get the pebble out, the seventy-nine pound lab at the end of the leash I held was not interested in stopping. My discomfort brought oysters and pearls to mind. I’d always believed pearls were formed from the irritation of a grain of sand, but according to research, parasites or other organic materials are the more likely culprits. Interestingly, like the pebble in my shoe…
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How to Stop Doing Things the Hard Way
Somewhere in my back yard is a tiny bug who needs to know how to stop doing things the hard way. This little green bug caught my attention one rainy day when he found his way inside our house and onto the kitchen faucet. When I moved in for a closer look, I realized he was a shield bug. (I helped both my kids with their elementary school insect projects, so I know things.) Because of his bright green color and tiny size, I classified him as cute and named him Sammy. But, cute or not, I refused to let him live in my kitchen. Not wanting to smush Sammy,…
Faith for the Adventure
