“No!” Fred said, covering his overflowing ashtray, “You can clean everything else, but my desk is off-limits.” Fred needed me one-on-one. The Challenge I complied. How could I complain? I had a job that I thought I’d lose on my first day. When I realized the campus Human Resources Department had assigned me to a chemistry lab after I had taken Chemistry 101 twice, barely passing with a C-, I knew I had to inform my new boss, even … Continue reading →
Eat, O friends! Drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones! ~Song of Solomon 5:1 NKJV Multiplication. Some kids relish practicing their times tables. Me? Not so much. But garden multiplication? Well, that’s another story. By the time I ran out of fingers on which to count, I was lost. But there is a multiplication that I do love. In fact, I relish it. It is garden multiplication. We see it in Song of Solomon 5:1. Believers are the Bride … Continue reading →
Perfume’s Unchanging Value Your anointing oils are fragrant; your name is oil poured out. ~Song 1:3 ESV Consider the value of a fragrance. Perfume does not change in value, no matter what we spill it onto. We can spill it on the floor or onto a wealthy person’s skin, and the value remains the same, as does the fragrance. Perfume can sit on a shelf untouched or be cherished one dab at a time by someone who has saved … Continue reading →
Be hospitable to one another. ~1 Peter 4:9 NKJV Mother pulled the pie from the oven. I hovered, waiting for a taste. How could she resist giving a portion of the friendship pie to her eight-year-old daughter? She continued to work, scalloping the edges of a second pie. Then she sliced apples and placed them in the pie shell. Next, she poured in the blueberries and raspberries that had been set aside in a bowl. Finally, she topped the … Continue reading →
Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth? ~Psalm 113:5-6 NIV When God stoops, our perspective changes. As I walked out the front door early one winter morning, a few sprigs of green greeted me in one of the planter pots on the steps. Oh, yes! Where I live, the daffodils start to emerge in the middle of winter, promising future sunshine. I … Continue reading →
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. ~2 Corinthians 9:7 NKJV Sparkling, sun-kissed snow caused puddles to form on the cobblestone sidewalk. Tiny streams meandered toward the red brick steps leading to the veranda. White colonnades, wooden rockers, and potted evergreens added elegance to this stately home. It was a picturesque morning. That is, it would have been, except for the turmoil within. The Argument … Continue reading →
When I was a kid, families signed up each week of December to light the Advent candle and read a special passage of scripture in front of the church. During week one, the scriptures spoke of the hope of the coming Messiah. Week two was about preparing for the King. Joy was the focus of week three, while week four was about loving our Savior. According to The Oxford Dictionary, advent means “the arrival of a notable person, thing, or … Continue reading →
You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. ~Revelation 2:3-4 NIV I love God. Hopefully, we all do. I also love my husband, my family, my dog, and my country. Loving so many things in life is wonderful, but we should be vigilant to separate our first love and pink laundry. I’ll explain. In English, we have many … Continue reading →
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ~Philippians 2:3 ESV Perhaps we have heard of the little boy who cut the cocoon of an emerging butterfly to lessen its struggle and ended up killing it. We Christians can show compassion to others without balancing some painful truths. When we do, we end up hurting others. Paul’s attitude is the antithesis of entitlement. To the entitled, we are not a person but … Continue reading →
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ~John 10:27 NIV When I lived in Houston, Texas, a Christian radio station bought several billboards that said, “God Listens.” I still listen to their station, although I now live in Tennessee. After being reminded of their slogan recently, I decided that listen would be my word for 2025. Our Talk with God During my quiet time, after meditating on a passage, I ask God to speak to … Continue reading →
