A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. ~Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLT On the dairy farm where I grew up, I learned the value of a cord of three. We had a couple of apple trees. On one, a swing hung from a sturdy branch. Unlike swings found on modern playgrounds, this one consisted of a wooden board approximately two feet … Continue reading →
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. ~1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV Of all the gifts God gives, the greatest is love. The Lesser Gifts During a recent “when it rains, it pours” season, I stared at my haggard reflection, thinking no amount of makeup would conceal the spirit of defeat I carried. I missed deadlines at work. My caregiving efforts were not keeping my elderly aunt from declining rapidly. The stacks … Continue reading →
John the Baptist’s followers asked Jesus, “Are You the One we’ve been expecting?’ … Jesus told them, “Go back and tell John what’s going on: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the wretched of the earth learn that God is on their side.” ~Matthew 11:1-8 MSG God is on our side. We know this from reading Matthew 11:1-8. We can all recall incidents when we knew God was on our … Continue reading →
This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. ~Joshua 1:9 NLT When change arrived, my wife and I weren’t quite ready. The Change We knew the time would come when we’d have to care for our aging parents; we didn’t think we’d have to care for three at the same time. Things had worked out, so we could buy a home next door to … Continue reading →
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. ~Revelation 21:4 NLT We fought to swallow the lumps in our throats and blinked away the tears. Then, we proceeded with saying goodbye. Our daughter had always been my run-away bride. No man had been able to tame her. Some had come close—one even close enough to give her two children—but in the … Continue reading →
I am only a foreigner in the land. Don’t hide your commands from me! Psalm 119:19 NLT I was just passing through; I had no plans to stay forever. As a pastor’s son, I passed through many places. We passed through Hilda, South Carolina, and stayed for three years. Next, we passed through Jackson, Tennessee, where we stopped over for four years. Then we went to Cameron, South Carolina, where we passed through in one year. Finally, we journeyed … Continue reading →
