A friend and I were sitting and drinking coffee one day. We were talking about the bible story where Peter denies Jesus—three times. This is such an important story that it occurs in all four gospels: Matthew 26:33-35, Mark 14:29-31, Luke 22:33-34 and John 18:15-27. As we continued to discuss this further, we both claimed: “I would never deny Jesus. Never.” I even went so far as to say, “not only would I not deny Him, but I would never…
Delight. What does this word conjure? Ice cream sundae on a hot summer afternoon? A Friday off from work? Taking a stroll in the park with your dog? An al fresco lunch with two of your best friends? To delight yourself in something means to get pleasure from it and to SHOW that delight. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Why did David write this? As an encouragement to…
Today, January 14, 2021 from 5:00am to 11:00pm, there is a call to lift up hearts in prayer for America, believing this is God’s call to His people: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved,” (1…
In this dream, I was looking for a property to purchase. Not a big farm, but just a small piece of land. Every place I looked at had a red barn, but there was something wrong with each one. One had the roof that collapsed; the next was leaning off to one side. Another was completely laid over, and the following one had been all but destroyed by fire. Every property I looked at had a big red barn that…
When Jesus heard that his friend Lazarus was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. (John 11:6) The bible shows us that Jesus didn’t immediately come running when he heard his friend was sick. Nor does it indicate that He sent a message back at once. When all is silent, this can be confusing or upsetting; delay of an answer feels bewildering or even agonizing. Oswald Chambers, in his writings in ‘From My Utmost for…
Oswald Chambers, the Scottish evangelist and teacher wrote about the habit of having no habits where he implores us to check ourselves to see if our god is something other than God. He explains that it is easy to develop Christian habits that we focus on rather than focusing on the Lord Himself. This is something we all need to take a prayerfully close look at. Chambers sums it up by saying that our habits should be so immersed in…
Dreams and visions can range from severe to humorous, depending on the dreamer’s attention to the Spiritual Journey. In this particular dream, I was trying to put on some underwear that wasn’t fitting properly, and I couldn’t figure out the cause. One leg felt too large, while the other too small. And the fabric stretched the wrong way and was made of a material that was not conducive to easy donning. The elastic seemed strange, but I knew the underwear was…
There is a lot written about the quiet and the silence on the Spiritual Journey. Even though there can be long periods of silence, listening intently for what the Spirit is saying should never cease. Much can still be heard and received in the quiet. Sacred Forest poem by E.A. Wilhelm I come this way a lot, you know, It’s cool and quite so still. The sanctity of life itself can silence nature’s trill. But in the calm and…
When the carnival comes to town each year, it is always a fun time for all. We can especially enjoy the roller coaster, the tilt-a-whirl, the Ferris wheel and the carousel, all going around and around. Games like whack-a-mole, the bean bag toss and throwing darts hoping to pop a balloon all offer fun and entertainment. Night after night, friends can enjoy the rides, the games of chance, the music, the colors and all the amusements and delights. However, after…
Circumstances, big or small; situations, major or minor. We sometimes feel taken in by these occurrences in our lives, manipulated and mistreated with the sense that this is not our own doing. We seclude ourselves, nurse the wounds and think we heal only to return to the situation with the thought ‘it will be different’. It is commonly compared to the guy that plays with a dog, having a great time and then the dog bites. The guy runs off…