God came to us as a stranger. Nobody expected to see the Messiah come in the way He came. God fulfilled the prophecies about Himself but not in ways anyone could grasp. Really, not even those closest to Jesus understood who He really was, not until after the resurrection. Even then the realization came slowly….
Read moreCHAPTER ONE: A GARDEN CALLED EDEN When God created the heavens and the earth, He made an especially beautiful, delightful place. He put a lot of thought into its design, its function, its beauty. He planned and dreamed about it with an expectant, loving heart. It turned out to be a paradise. It wasn’t…
Read morePhilippians 2:15: “… so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish though you live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the world . . .”
Read moreA week ago I searched online to see if Brennan Manning had written a new book. I discovered he had died last month (April 12, 2013). I immediately felt the loss and discovered I had really loved him. His words had so often come to me from God’s own heart. I sat under the spell of his teaching an entire…
Read more
During a walk through my lovely community, I thought about how extraordinary it is that Easter falls on the cusp of spring, announcing it as a time of hope bursting with new beginnings. Jesus had a plan from the start, didn’t He? Our Jewish savior used Passover to put in place a picture-story that would be more…
Read moreWe read in the Bible so many accounts of times when God spoke to people. Have you ever wondered if it was out loud? You know, hearing His voice verbally with physical ears? Or, was it an inward knowing, like what today is most common in how Christians term being “led by the Spirit” or guided or comforted by…
Read more
This is a love story. The answer to why God came to earth is at once simple and profound. Simple because it takes eyes of faith to see the truth. Profound because it takes eyes of love to see the depths of the matter. God came to earth to save us. But the manner and way He came is what won our hearts…
Read more
I couldn’t agree more with Shakespeare’s idea that our world is a stage and each one of us are its players.[1] Our choices and their consequences become subplots within the epic drama the Author is writing. I thought about that today while reflecting on the year behind me and considering the one ahead. And to…
Read more
This time of year can be so full of busyness and stress we lose ourselves and our bearings. But, just think, something so extraordinary happened that silently dazzled the universe and forever changed our world. We would do well to be just like the mysterious visitors who came to worship the Child Jesus. We know them as the…
Read more
For a couple of decades I’ve enjoyed intimacy with God. It has, however, been impossible to experience this without bringing the Creator down to my own level, in human terms, so to speak. But how else can any of us even dare to experience knowing Him? After I believed in Him as my personal Savior, I wanted to live…
Read more