Blog
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Temporal or Eternal?
Temporal or eternal? I was thinking about this subject awhile back. No, I wasn’t reading a theological treatise. Instead, I was attempting to clean the floors with a cat and two dogs in the house. I always started the process when the crowd napped in the bedroom. They’d snooze through the sweeping and snore through the vacuuming. But the instant I finished mopping, the circus came to town. “What’cha doing, Mom?” “Hi, Mom, just getting a snack.” “Hey, Mom, I need to go out.” Back and forth, back and forth, until paw prints covered the wet floor. The satisfaction I felt at the completion of a task evaporated in a…
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Light for My Path
Do you ever stumble around your house in the dark? I do this when my husband is asleep and I need to adjust the thermostat. Not really the greatest idea, because sometimes I press the A/C when I intend to turn on the heat. Makes for a chilly start the next morning. Outside, though, I always have light for my path, especially since I attended a class on wildlife in our community. Deer, snakes, and possums occasionally trek through our yard. Sightings of a bear or fox have also circulated through the neighborhood. But I was surprised to learn bobcats and coyotes live in our area. If I’m late taking…
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Steps
Do you count your steps? Back when I counted mine, 10,000 seemed to be the sweet spot. Tools to measure the number of our steps flood the market. But could someone invent an app measuring the how? Are our steps hesitant or confident? Ambling or running? Faltering or steady? Weary or energetic? Measuring the how would enable us to evaluate those times we need help getting where we’re going. Most importantly, what about tracking the direction of our steps? I don’t mean geographical direction. Plenty of devices exist for that. Instead, I’m thinking of the destination to which our steps ultimately lead. Who or what are we moving toward? A…
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The Heart of Joy
Who is the most joyful person you know? What makes that person so joyful? Do they enjoy their job? Have a craft they love? Does their joy come from a relationship with God? What is the heart of joy for them? And what is the heart of joy for you? In the book of Matthew, tucked into the Christmas story, we find a beautiful description of the heart of joy. “And he (Herod) sent them (the magi) to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.’ After hearing the king,…
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Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
For ten days in September, a group from our church visited the beautiful country of Israel. One month later, on October 7, 2023, the land that has such a special place in my heart was attacked. Shock and sadness washed over me at the news. I tried to imagine the panic of those huddled in safe rooms. I might have experienced the horror firsthand had the attack come a month earlier. Now, twenty-four days into the war, concern for friends we made during our stay there, and for Jewish people around the world, permeates my heart and prayers. War tears apart so many innocent lives on both sides. “Pray for…
