On:
In: Advent 2017, Bible Journaling, Recess with Jesus

I was overwhelmed this week by these words of the Prophet Isaiah… Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. (Isaiah 53:4 NIV) He was wounded and stricken for you and me. He took MY punishment and YOUR punishment because of OUR sin. How do we respond to that? It’s a gift beyond imagination. The ONLY real response to that kind of gift is to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. And not stopping there but to love others with the same kind of costly love. Not just to obeyRead More →

On:
In: Bible Journaling, Grace, Recess with Jesus

  The writers of the Psalms did it all the time… they poured their hearts out to God in cries so loud that sometimes we imagine we can almost hear the confusion, frustration, and grief in their words. Sometimes I feel like their words could have come from my own tongue. But those Psalmists never camped out in those emotions. They poured them out and in the next breath they were aiming their heart’s eyes toward praise and thanks and its fruit – a better perspective. As is typical of a season of victory, or at least moving forward to victory, one day I was filled with joy at beingRead More →

On:
In: From My Garden, Uncategorized

This mum… about two years ago, I was given the start of a mum which had been divided from another plant. It was a very small piece. I planted it in my own garden but in two growing seasons it had not done anything but survive, and barely at that. Yet each year I have watched its mother mum across the street growing and blooming like crazy. Late this spring when I moved a border into the full sun, I made room for the mum… only I managed somehow to divide the little spindly thing into three plants and wondered if they’d make it soRead More →