Hiking or Sauntering?

Like Muir, I'm a saunterer!!! Hiking—"I don't like the word or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains—not hike! Do you know the origin of that word 'saunter?' It's a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the …

A Time for Everything and a Season for Every Purpose

“There is a time for everything and a season for every purpose under heaven.” Time. From time to time. For the time-being. Time-honored, timeless, timely, time-sharing, time-worn. Time heals all wounds. Time wounds all heels. Time is always a circus packing up and moving away. Living is entirely too time-consuming. Time and tide wait for …

HOPE FULFILLED

Isaiah 9:1a, 2, 6 and 7; Luke 2:11; Romans 15:4 Hope. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines hope as the wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment or the theological virtue defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with the help of God.  Emily …

Point to the Prince of Peace: Prepare the Way

Mark 1:1-8 His name was John. People knew him locally as the Baptist. Some would say of him that he was a religious eccentric. Others, less kind, would dismiss him as a flake. He wasn’t a "how to win friends and influence people" kinda guy. He seems something of an odd choice of one to …

Christmas Bells

I just placed a Christmas flag at the end of our drive that reads: "Joy to the World, the Lord has come." And, at the center of the front lawn, I set letters that spell out the word "JOY." In the "O" of JOY is a rendering of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and alongside the …

A Prayer of Confession

I have adapted the following from the Book of Common Prayer and personalized the words by changing the plurals to singulars that I might offer this confession as an individual. Perhaps you'll feel led to join me in lifting this. Almighty and most merciful Father, I have erred, and strayed from Your ways like a …

The Teachings of Jesus Hit Us Where We Live

The teachings of Jesus hit us where we live. We cannot stand as impostors before Him for even one second. He instructs us down to the very last detail. The Spirit of God uncovers our spirit of self-vindication and makes us sensitive to things that we have never even thought of before. When Jesus drives …

Wash Away Your Sins…with Bubble Bath

In the book of Acts, Saul—after undergoing his Damascus Road conversion—is encouraged by Ananias to “get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”  Well, I was reminded today of an article I penned, some years ago, about the "Wash Away Your Sins" product line manufactured by Blue …

Less Grumbling. More Gratitude.

Gratitude. Thankfulness. Focusing on the positives in our lives, rather than—what we might think of as—the negatives. I have a couple of stories to share, but we begin first with Philippians, chapter 4, where we read: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to …

A Voice in the Wind: Another Route

A Voice in the Wind: Another Route Audio How does the Lord speak to us? How do we discern the voice of God? Some time ago, an acquaintance suggested I read, A Voice in the Wind, by Francine Rivers. I located a copy and dug in. Now I’m not usually attracted to much Christian fiction, …