The recent flooding in Texas has been a disaster for so many—if you would like to be a part of relief efforts, may I encourage you to give to an organization which has proven itself trustworthy to bring help and hope in such times...

This gift that each of us has been given called 2025 has reached the halfway marker! One of the primary motivations I hold in writing this blog is the hope that each time you read it, your spirit is refreshed and your faith stirred. ​So today I wish a happy and meaningful summer to you—as we shift gears into the time of year where the calendar loosens up a little bit, I pray that a true spirit of godly rest can take deep root in your heart. Our culture thrives on pushing all of us to be busier, more productive, more, more, more, and it is a refreshing, countercultural move to slow down and smell the roses.

We recently celebrated our daughters’ birthdays, and that always makes me feel so nostalgic and sentimental. They are very gracious to allow me a stroll down memory lane every year on their birthday week. We have always celebrated them together because they are three years and three days apart, meaning one wonderful birthday party with all of the people who love them most. So I was searching through a huge box of pictures, looking for the perfect photos of past birthday celebrations, when I came up upon a photo from 1983 that made me stop in my tracks...

This was from my own childhood, several years before I first met my wonderful husband, and long before our beautiful daughters came into the world. I lived with my family (by direction of the United States Navy) in New England, and this photo captured a perfect summer afternoon at Tanglewood, which is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I just looked it up online, and it turns out John Williams was the conductor that summer, and personally played the harpsichord that day! In my 11-year-old heart memory, that particular afternoon encapsulates everything most wonderful in this beautiful world our good Father made. 

The weather was perfect, mild and warm, and when I think about that day, I can just feel the balmy breeze in that tree-shaded park touching my cheek as it made its way across the countryside. The music was amazing—that day the selection was a Vivaldi concerto, and even hearing just the first few bars of that piece still sets my heart right back to this beautiful memory. The food was glorious: three different picnic baskets and a couple of coolers were unloaded on that quilt, containing the most amazing cheeses and meats and nuts and crackers and sweets and drinks—picnic food that somehow fed my soul as well as my body. 

But even better than all of those things was the fantastic company that was assembled that day. My daddy was home from sea, and anytime that happened made everything right with the world. My beloved Nannie was visiting from Texas, and anytime she was with us was the best day of all. Of course my wonderful mom and big sister were there, and we had so much fun, laughing and enjoying the day with our assortment of not-family-family that military communities afford. It was a day filled with love and laughter and hope and happiness, and that one afternoon has marked me for the rest of my life.

I think it spoke so deeply to my little 11-year-old heart as a glimpse into a reality that so few of us realize is a sure thing. Sure, many of us understand that heaven—one day,  eventually—is going to be something like this, but very few of us grab hold of the fact that actually Jesus’ kingdom is already here right now, this moment.

And it certainly isn't difficult to understand why that is such a difficult thing to believe. In just the last few months, I've had serious discussions with friends who are going through the worst of the worst of bad times: people they love lost in addictions, or worse—lost to suicide, repercussions of divorce, crippling fear and anxiety, devastating illness, loss of jobs, slander, betrayal, kids who despair of life, confusion of all kinds, insomnia, bitterness, unforgiveness, and terribly complicated and contentious relationships. The world is truly broken, and terrible things happen all the time. And the world is also lying to us, trying to convince us that these difficult situations are just the way life is supposed to be, and that there is no hope for any peace or joy to be found. It crushes the belief right out of us.

I know I am always railing on modern media, but that's because it deserves railing! The whole (lucrative) industry is intent upon keeping everyone anxious and angry to generate more clicks and reactions, and we all fall for it way too easily. The current trend is to put up every single accusation, be it factual or slanderous or somewhere in between, and let actual truth fall by the wayside. In so doing, every institution and archetype has been gutted, and no one believes in anything anymore. We live in such a cynical culture, bereft of a foundation of faith, and shouldn't wonder why kids are so confused and anxious, or why neurosis is so common and widespread.

Lumped in with everything else to be mistrusted is anything to do with religion, and too many try to fit Jesus into this category. But we should all take time to read the four gospel books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John again to refresh our memory that Jesus wasn't too thrilled with religion, either. Hear me, I am all for faith in Jesus Christ, and understand that "religion" is a catch-all word often employed to describe a walk of faith. But that's just what makes following Jesus so different: a relationship with Him has nothing to do with religion in the traditional sense at all. He didn't come to make us adhere to a set of rules or laws, He came to absolutely fulfill the law and to set us free! He came to deliver the greatest news in the universe: that God loves each of us so deeply and wants to have a relationship with each of us, forever. He came to personally invite each one of us to the Divine Picnic, and all we have to do is believe Him. 

It will be amazing in Heaven, and we can all be filled with hope as we long for that day. But it can also be lovely here and now, and it's so important that we don't let the world rob of us all of the joy and love that can be found today. We must fight to believe God! This is why the entire Bible is so filled with admonitions to remember: remember His goodness, remember His faithfulness, remember His promises and provision, remember His victory over death, hell, and the grave! It is also filled with invitations to come to Him—if you're tired and weary, if you're happy, if you're troubled, if you're sad, if you're carrying a heavy burden—whatever life throws at you, come to Jesus, and let Him help you through. In fact, almost the very last words of the entire Bible read, "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let the one who hears say, 'Come!' Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life."

I am so grateful God gave me that lovely afternoon so long ago, which stirred all of my senses for His goodness. I might have been just eleven years old, but the reality of God's beauty and joy impressed me so deeply, and that memory has been an important reminder to me through many decades now. I've always been able to hold onto the fact that what I experienced on that day so long ago was the real thing, no matter how hard everything else tries to convince me otherwise. How has God impressed your heart in the past? Dig through the hurt and disappointment that life in this world has tried to heap on you, and think of the times His kindness and generosity shone through brightly. Find those beautiful touchpoints and hold tightly to them—REMEMBER how good and faithful He is, as often as it takes. 

In spite of all of the difficult circumstances we all have to face, COME TO JESUS. We may never understand why all of the things we go through happen, be we can trust Him to somehow work everything for our good and for His glory. We aren't strong or wise or good enough to carry everything the world throws at us, but He is plenty strong, and knows the way out of any grave. Come to Him, and join in the celebration of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Come to Him, remember Him, and believe Him. Let the cool breeze touch your cheek, let the beautiful music encourage your heart, let the delicious food nourish your body and soul, and let the wonderful fellowship brighten your countenance. He is risen, and He has overcome the world! Grab a plate and take your seat, there is plenty of room.

Happy summer to you! As we in the USA shift gears into the time of year where the sun stays out longer and the calendar loosens up a little bit, I pray that a true spirit of rest can take root deeply in your heart. Our culture thrives on pushing us all to do more, be more, buy more, scroll more, worry more, complain more, whatever-it-is more, and this leads to lots of frantic feelings in too many hearts. One of the most prevalent and dangerous of those frantic feelings is fear--let's take a moment to think about this. 

​We had a doozy of a thunder storm a few nights ago, and I was awakened by a terrible sound of something breaking violently. I jumped out of bed to see what might have just crashed through the roof, only to realize I had heard the sound of our dog, who is actually a pretty strong and robust guy, busting out of his crate. He thinks that thunderstorms, especially one like this which had so much lightning, are the worst thing ever. So I spent much of the night holding a shaking, trembling, panting dog, who was convinced that the world was ending. No matter what I said to him, and no matter how tightly I held him, he just could not hear me reassuring him again and again that we were safe and that he was going to be OK. (the picture below is the day after...Maggie's crate on the left and Gus's reconstructed one on the right)

​We live in a very fearful world. This has been true since the fall of mankind, but it is even worse now. As wonderful as it is to be so connected and up to the moment through media of all kinds, unfortunately, it seems that people have found a way to make a little money off the fact that most of us are shaking in our boots pretty much all the time. Many content creators prey on this knowledge with fear-based headlines and information, just for clicks. I read one writer who called the ubiquitous modern smart phone a Palantir In Every Pocket, and he is not wrong.*

Some of us do a better job of disguising or masking our fear than others, but it is such a common denominator of the human race. Old and young, rich and poor, male and female, every tribe and tongue is susceptible to fear. Think of all the things we are afraid of… loss, the unknown, not having enough, embarrassment, illness, irrelevance, aging, humiliation, abandonment, purposelessness, and a whole host of other big and small things, including the number one fear of death. We spent a lot of time and a lot of money trying to push fear down simply because it is always with us.

Many people spend a fortune just trying to sleep, because fear especially loves to express itself in myriad ways the minute you lay your head on the pillow. You didn’t know you could have as many thoughts about what could go wrong as when you were trying to fall asleep!

People spend a fortune trying to numb the effects of fear, through entertainment or drink or drugs or any number of other things that are not great when used as a crutch. 

So many conflicts arise out of fear. We are afraid that there is not enough for all of us to have some, so we’ve got to outdo each other all the time in every arena. I’ve got to protect me and mine, and too bad if that means you and yours get hurt in the process.

Fear is a terrible taskmaster.
Fear is a horrible husband.
Fear is a devastating mistress.

And the Bible is actually very clear about where this awful thing comes from… “For He has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) Debilitating fear is NOT from God. But in this broken world, it’s something common to all of us. We all battle it whether we recognize it or not. How can we overcome fear? 

When I was a little girl, my parents took my sister and me to Walt Disney World during the summer of the bicentennial celebrations. I was four years old, and was a pretty tall little kid, and therefore was able to ride all the rides…Including Space Mountain. This might seem like a great thing, but my four year-old self did not think so at all. My mom and my very brave older sister rode together, which left my dad with scaredy-cat me. Disney is pretty good at creating anticipation in the hallways you snake through leading up to the ride. Beeping noises, flashing lights, planets whizzing by—rather than happy anticipation, it all served to create a dread fear in my heart and mind. What in the world was going to happen to me as we went hurtling through space? But I just took a deep breath and grabbed onto my dad's thumb, and leaned close into him with all my might, and that made everything better! If my big, strong dad was there with me on terrifying Space Mountain, nothing truly terrible could happen to me after all.

When you recognize that fear is the preferred tool of the enemy of your soul, you can understand why there are so many times in scripture where the Lord encourages us to lean into Him, and away from the fear than enemy exacerbates. The Bible bears witness to the love and concern in God's heart for you—lean into Jesus! 

Here are just a few thoughts from scripture to combat fear:

-He will never leave you or forsake you

-In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart for Jesus has overcome the world

-If God is for us, who can be against us

-His yoke is easy and His burden is light

-Do not fear, do not fear, do not fear (it says this so many times!)

-The Good Father is watching on the road, ready for you to run back to Him at anytime, day or night 

-He is the one who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them 

-Jesus is the one who overcame death, hell, and the grave 

Fear is lying to you, trying to convince you of things that are not true, especially that God has forsaken you. But God said again and again—He will never leave you or forsake you!

Is fear trying to put its talons in your heart and mind again? Lean into Jesus. 

He is faithful, and He is your provider.

Death did not stop Him, and it can’t touch you either—Jesus' resurrection power flows through your veins. 

God has tremendous concern and care for you, and is ordering your steps. 

Jesus covers you like a hen covers her little ones in her nest. 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2

No matter what your circumstances are saying to you, no matter how fierce the storm you are experiencing, no matter how furiously fear is surrounding you, Jesus  is with you in the boat, and you are safe with Him. Lean into Him with all of your strength! ​

One more thought—many years after my 1976 Disney experience, I was able to go to the west coast Disney park on a high school trip. They have Space Mountain in that park, too, and I happened to be on the ride when something occurred that made the operators stop the ride and turn on the lights. Guess what? Space Mountain, the thing that struck such soul-crushing fear into my little heart with all of that whirling and flying through the huge nothingness of outer space, is tiny! I couldn't believe how hilariously small the roller coaster actually was, all contained in a neat little room in the backlot of a theme park. Those Imagineers at Disney know a thing or two about capturing your mind and imagination, and, unfortunately, so does the lying enemy of your soul. 

​You ride through this life with Jesus, the Incarnate God who is the Giver of Life, the Creator of All Things, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! Lean into Him, and don't let fear lie to you today!

​* a Palantir was a magical seeing-stone in the Lord of the Rings stories—the holders of which could use to communicate and see past and future events, not realizing that what they saw and heard could be completely manipulated by the evil one. How prophetic Tolkien has proven to be! 

I hope that you're having a wonderful day so far as you take a moment to read this—but even if you aren't, I'd love to encourage you today. My heart is so full this season, as I am experiencing the marvelous grace of God in a new and fresh way. So many things all around you are trying to rob you of this beautiful gift, so just for a moment, let me remind you of the greatest news in the world...

​Just about everyone can remember what it feels like to be the new kid. Maybe when you aged into the junior high or high school campus in your town, or went to college, or joined a new team or got a new job; we've all had the occasion to feel awkward and uncomfortable in a new situation. I had a lot of experience with this as a Navy brat. It was actually pretty tough to be the new kid, especially if we moved somewhere where everyone else had grown up together and knew each other very well. I remember my junior year and the very kind librarian at my new high school in California allowing me to eat my lunch in a reading nook for the first three weeks of that new fall semester. It was just too much for me to walk into that giant cafeteria, where everyone else in my class already knew where they were going to sit and with whom, and have to fend for myself.

But military families just get a little bit of extra practice in something that is common to everyone. At some point in time, we will all experience being the new person that doesn’t know anyone else yet. How wonderful it is when someone older and wiser and cooler decides to take up the new kid's cause! It is the most refreshing and reassuring thing in the world when somebody takes you under their wing, and shows you the ropes. When just the day before, it was a dreary drudge to go wherever it was, the day the cool kid picks you feels like the best day of your life! Suddenly, you have a special seat at the table, no matter which room you find yourself in. Please keep this pleasant thought tucked away for a moment. 

Too many of us as followers of Christ are falling for the terribly wrong idea that we must be perfect to bear the name Christian. Oddly enough, our entire culture participates in this and really enjoys crucifying anyone who calls himself a Christian, yet does something wrong. Just about any day of the week you can look at the news headlines and they will be exulting in another Christian doing something considered out of bounds. This is actually hilarious and ironic, because the people who are writing these headlines are the same people writing the headlines celebrating all kinds of not-Christian people doing ever-more deviant and dysfunctional things. If they applied any logic or consistency to their arguments, it seems those writers should be celebrating instead of mocking, but we are in no danger of that happening: they just want your clicks, and far too many of us refuse to follow Jesus' instructions to treat others the way we would like to be treated, and continue to click away at every juicy bit of gossip. Even still, it does leave most Christians shaking in their boots every time there’s a new headline. Nobody wants to have their name scorned in the public square, not one person. Truly, the way this cultural moment is going has every person, whether they are a Christian or not, afraid of being "found out."

I once heard a funny story of a group of ten old friends who still enjoyed doing all kinds of things together. They would occasionally vacation together, or go out to eat or to a concert together; they were old friends from school days who enjoyed staying in relatively frequent contact with one another. They had known each other for so long and through so many seasons of life that they really knew each other, warts and all. They knew the stories about one another that everyone wished hadn't happened or would remain forgotten. One time, the practical joker of the group thought he would really do a number on the rest of his friends. He arranged for each and every one of the group to receive a late-night knock on the door from a delivery service, who would place in each hand a simple envelope that said "Open now". The inside card was inscribed with just the words “Flee! All is known!“ and by the next morning, nine people mysteriously did not show up for work...

It makes a great story, because every one of us can relate to the fact that we are fragile, and we are sinners. Some of us have terrible deeds we have originated or participated in, and all of us have terrible thoughts we have entertained. We can be prideful, and selfish, and moody, and mean...and worse. Even when we work up the courage to share our deepest and most distressing confessions and thoughts with someone else—which is so rare—we sense that we're giving that person a real power over our lives. We risk it all when we're honest with each other, which is why so few people ever let anyone past their protective barrier. We don't want anyone to know the selfish and strange things that lurk in our hearts. Worse, we will often deflect blame we deserve onto someone or something else; anything to maintain our perfect image. But these attempts to cover ourselves are such a strange habit! The Bible clearly teaches no one is righteous, not one, and when we are honest with ourselves and each other, we know this is true. Why do we all dread being found out, and why do we all think people will be surprised when they find out we're not perfect?

It is the enemy of our souls, who revels in spreading division and dissension, who feeds the rumor that Christians are supposed to be perfect. This is actually a lie straight from the pit of hell. And it takes away from the fact that only one person in the history of mankind has ever been sinless, and that person is Jesus Christ. Any righteousness that we have is as filthy rags next to His, and any good thing in us is because of Him. God created us and sustains us: we did not make ourselves, and we cannot give ourselves even one moment of life beyond what He intends. God saves us and redeems us; there is not one thing any of can do to save ourselves. The lie of self-righteousness is perhaps the most dangerous and deadly thing in the world. 

Friends, believing this lie a real problem in the church. Of course, we are all on a journey of becoming holy as God helps us, and we should not aspire to think and do selfish and hurtful things. But we have to be careful that we don't fall into the trap of thinking what we do is the thing—this comes with dual dangers of becoming either terribly prideful or attempting to live while being crushed under the pressure of an impossible weight. Some of us must try to stay free from the self-righteous attitude that makes us an obnoxious stumbling block to the rest of the watching world. Others of us must try to stay out from under the lie that we will never be enough. See how both ways of thinking make us the center? 

The idea that salvation and worthiness have anything to do with what we do or don't do is not at all true. Everything hinges on what God has done—His grace is sufficient. Those of us who have accepted the amazing grace of Jesus must be so careful to remain grateful and in a receiving posture for this tremendous gift.  


Jesus had so much to say about all of this, as a warning and reminder to us, and to help us change the way we think...

-the parable of the unmerciful servant - he was forgiven so much and then abused his friend for owing him just a little (Matt. 18:21-35)

​-the fellow with a giant log in his eye who wanted to criticize his friend with a speck (Matt. 7:3-5)

-the good Samaritan—the least likely person to stop and help, when the "holy" priest and "wise" lawyer made a wide berth (Luke 10:25-37)

-you'll be judged with the same measure you use to judge others (Matt. 7:1-6)

-even thinking of something is just the same as doing it (Matt. 5:27-30)

-love and pray for your enemies (Matt. 5:43-47)

-people of the Kingdom are not critical, angry faultfinders; rather, they are meek, merciful peacemakers (Matt. 5:3-12)

-the people He knows are the people He knows and spends time with - not necessarily the ones who keep busy doing the "right" things (Matt 7:21-23)

and so much more!

Let's take a moment to untangle the lie:

Lie: I must be perfect to come to Christ
Truth:   But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Lie: God loves me only as long as, when, if, until ____________ (fill in the blank)
Truth: God's love is an everlasting love--He will never leave you or forsake you! (there are so many times the scripture says this - look it up and be amazed!)

Lie: The hateful way people react to my sin is the way God will react
Truth: God is kind, and patient, and loving, and forgiving (see John 8:1-11)

Lie: God shuns sinners and wants us to do the same
Truth: God LOVES PEOPLE and wants to be with them forever, so much so that He gave His only Son, that whosoever will can be reconciled back to Him (John 3:16-18)

Lie: You had better keep trying, and if you're lucky you'll do more good than bad and maybe make God decide to let you in
Truth: It is all about faith in God! (Hebrews 11:8) And, to quote something our great friend Donnie Moore said often "You can't do anything to make Him stop loving you, just like you didn't do anything to make Him start loving you! 

The world and its system is NOT like God and His Kingdom. You do not have to live in fear of being found out and abandoned: Jesus knows us, intimately and completely, the good the bad and the ugly, yet HE LOVES US! He came for us,  and wants to be with us, and will pour out His grace on us if only we let Him. 

Jesus is the infinitely cooler, wiser, stronger, better, more beautiful, more wonderful person that wants to take you under His wing. He is the ultimate best friend to have, like that person that rescues you when you’re the new kid, and who has a special seat at the table for you. Not one of us deserves to be his friend, yet friendship is just what He wants with each of us—and that is the most amazing thing in the world.

Be blessed and encouraged today, and let the marvelous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ wash your mind and heart in a fresh way. God is for you, not against you!

Happy spring to you—I hope that you had a wonderful Easter in your home, and that you're still celebrating the amazing fact that HE IS RISEN!

I mentioned a few months ago that I had a new personal trainer, and I am loving it! I had noticed that I am just not as young as I once was, yet my grandchildren are growing and growing—so I realized that I need to be serious about staying active so I can keep up with them. Aging is inevitable, and nothing to fear, but doing what we can to stay healthy is so important. Further, I believe that there is a strong connection between our minds, bodies, and spirits; it is impossible to untwine the three parts of a person, which means it is wise to pay attention to staying healthy in all three areas. We can exercise and eat healthy things to be physically healthy. We can read and think about whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, and whatever is admirable to keep our minds healthy. But what about spiritual health? Just once glance at the news, or social media, or at the comments section on just about anything tells us that too few people are focusing on the vitally important area of spiritual health. Let's spend a few minutes today thinking about keeping spiritually fit. 

​I was listening to a podcast the other day, the topic of which was a lament over the fact that too many Christians never really grow up into full spiritual maturity. They pointed out that too many of our fellowships are designed with only the objective of helping a person come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Truly, this is a wonderful thing for any person! However, that is literally just the beginning of a walk with Jesus, and should not be the one and only thing we ever talk about. Accepting Christ is the first step of hopefully many hundreds of thousands of steps that a person will take with Jesus and their fellow believers as they grow in the grace and knowledge of God, together.

So at least part of the problem of stunted spiritual growth comes from this way our weekly gatherings have evolved. Those who gather come in, maybe sing for a few minutes, then sit down shoulder to shoulder and listen, and then possibly greet a few people before trying to beat the parking lot rush. There is a lot of opportunity for growth in whomever is leading the singing or the preaching, but not so much for the rest of us.

The people on this podcast were talking about the true biblical objectives of the regular gathering of the body of Christ of edifying one another, developing godly character, and helping saints grow into maturity, and they mentioned the idea of "getting in reps" while we gather together. This is such a Gym Rat word, reps, and I really love it that they were using it in talking about a church gathering! It means repetitions, whether you are talking about bench press or piano practice or any other thing, and what they meant in this instance was we should actually practice difficult things with each other, so that we can practice having a godly response. Case in point, they mentioned the suggestion of getting in reps of having someone say something awful to you— literally for someone to curse you—so that you can practice replying with a blessing instead of a bitter curse of your own. What an idea!

We may not be leaping at the chance to incorporate this into our weekly gatherings, but we can read the Bible, and we plainly see that Jesus taught that we ought to repay ill treatment with kindness and forgiveness. Jesus taught that we ought to love our enemies and pray for them, not harass them or belittle them or talk bad about them to everyone we meet. But this is exactly what we will do if we are immature. An immature person will retort with an equally vicious and totally selfish reply whenever anyone says something terrible to them or about them, strengthening and perpetuating the evil and ill-will in the exchange. But a spiritually mature Christian, which is what we all should strive to be, will respond in the manner that Jesus would respond.

​The world is filled with keyboard warriors and self-appointed critics. The world absolutely loves a good comeback or a fierce and savage reply; the more cutting, the funnier and the better. If you want to have an incredibly popular social media account, all you need to do is find somebody to attack, and do it with all your might. The world is full of this! But what the world desperately needs is many more men and women who will act and respond like Jesus would act or respond. 

In His sermon on the mount, Jesus describes the people of His kingdom. Before you flip to Matthew 5 to read this,  take a moment to try to describe the ideal follower of Christ. What attributes do you imagine—perhaps strong, unbreakable, formidable, or invincible, never doing anything wrong? That all sounds nice to our ears, but is actually a dangerous road to walk upon: the religious spirit aroused by trying to be perfect in our own strength is nothing less than deadly. We run the risk of becoming as proud as Satan himself, or conversely rendered impotent by a fatal self-loathing. And besides those horrible things, it isn’t at all what Jesus said! He described the members of His Kingdom as meek, merciful peacemakers. This is what each of us ought to aspire to be, and with the Lord’s help, we can become much more like Him with every passing year. The people on that podcast had a pretty great idea about getting in some reps of reacting rightly.

Just like building muscle requires tearing down tissue in order to build it up, character development only happens as a result of conflict or difficulty. This sent me to thinking for quite some time the first time I heard the podcast folks say this. What did they mean? But the more I thought about it, the more I understood. It’s pretty difficult to know if you have become more kind, or patient, or gentle, or filled with self control, or any of the other fruit of the Spirit, unless you have cause to show kindness or patience or self control, etc. It is when things get difficult that we must choose how to respond and react, and the more we choose to respond and react as Jesus showed us how to do so, the more natural it will become to really act like Jesus.

So how can we get some reps in on kindness? The lucky thing is that in this age you don’t have to look very hard for someone to treat you rudely...

Just drive out in your car sometime, and it won’t take long before somebody cuts you off in traffic, or drives too close behind you, or steals that parking space that you were just about to turn into, and so on and so forth. What’s the workout here? Just smile and wave, and I don’t mean a vicious smile, or a very special kind of one-fingered wave, I mean, really smile and wave. Pray a blessing for them as you calmly get out of the way.

Or go to the grocery store, and watch for the person who gets right in your way, or cuts in front of you in line, or frowns at you for no apparent reason. Get in some reps of smiling and giving a gracious amount of space to them, practice not retaliating, or repaying evil with evil. Instead, respond as Jesus would respond with kindness and grace.

Or the next time you check in on social media, practice NOT engaging with the person who is strangely choosing the most public forum ever imagined to vent their frustrations and pains for all the world to see. It is not helpful to return the volley with your own thoughts or to encourage such exhibitionist behavior in anyone: this is such a dangerous path we have embarked upon as a people, and it is not leading anyone anywhere healthy or happy. Instead, breathe a prayer of blessing and grace over that person, and keep on moving. If you must participate online, strive to fill the ether with a little bit of goodness and hope instead of more doom, gloom, and conflict.

And most importantly, in your own home and with your own family, watch for every opportunity to practice being a meek, merciful peacemaker. Meek does not mean being a doormat, it means choosing to absorb injustice without retaliating. Merciful means to be full of compassion or forgiveness toward someone whom it is within your power to punish or harm. And a peacemaker is a person who makes peace instead of making or continuing conflict. 

We have just celebrated the selfless death and glorious resurrection of our wonderful King Jesus. How fitting it would be for every Christian to spend some time and effort getting in some great reps of acting and reacting with love and mercy! We have all had blessing upon blessing heaped upon us by our gracious and loving God—what better time to share some of that with the people around us? Too many people around us are still thinking Easter is just another Hallmark Card day to celebrate springtime with eggs and bunnies with lots of chocolate and treats, so how amazing would it be if we showed them the true meaning of Easter by offering self-sacrificing love to all? 

Besides, everyone knows that a great spiritual workout with lots of reps will help burn off the extra chocolate calories from our Easter baskets!

This spring I've taken part in a study called People Like Us, a look into different people highlighted in the Bible whose lives and stories can teach us something about what it looks like for a healthy, spiritually mature person to love and serve God. It is vital to begin any such study with a long look at the other end of the spectrum of spiritual health; namely, the fact that the core of our relationship with God does not have anything to do with what we do or do not do. Rather, it has everything to do with Jesus and His graciousness. Still, it is a continuum, and when we are a healthy Christian, our lives will show it by the things we think and do and say. When we are a spiritually healthy follower of Christ, our lives will remind people of Jesus. 

So we have discussed all kinds of people's lives in this series: Elijah, Joseph, the servant girl in the story of Elisha and Naaman, Gideon, and now Ruth. I did not realize it before, but some theologians consider that the book of Judges (which is where the story of Gideon is told) and the book of Ruth are actually one book written by the prophet Samuel. We can learn so much from these two very different parts of the same whole. 

​The Old Testament begins the story of God's beautiful plan for restoration and redemption, and is an in-depth look at the nation of Israel. Judges tells the story of several different cycles' worth of Israel, representing the people of God, getting into a lot of trouble, and God continually delivering them from it. The way the cycle begins is generally like this, “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes." This can often be taken to mean that people were purposefully thumbing their noses at God‘s way and the law, and doing whatever they please instead. But I would like to point out that it actually says they were doing what was right in their own eyes, meaning they thought that what they were doing was right. That means either they totally forgot what God‘s law said, or they had just changed it around in their minds to suit their own ways, both of which are a lot like what we all do all the time.

In any case, the people do what they think is right, and then they drift toward idolatry, which is really just another word for religion. With religion they attempt to manipulate their circumstances to get what they want, and they end up getting into a huge mess because of their idolatry. Somebody comes in and overruns them or takes all their stuff again and again, and it is the same story every single time: make their own way, turn to idols, get ransacked, get delivered by God, remember for a while, but forget again and do what’s right in their own eyes… The cycle goes on and on and on, seven times in this one book alone. When you read all of Judges from cover to cover, you consider tearing your hair out by the end. Stop! What in the world are you people doing?

But we can’t say too much, because we do this too. Judges simply tells the story of the human condition. Israel in the Old Testament was to be the snapshot of what it looks like to walk with God in covenant relationship. They were supposed to be the roadmap for everyone else, and as they walked with God, they were to invite the rest of the world to walk with God with them. But of course, they kept forgetting, and thought that God had chosen them simply because they were fantastic and fabulous, not because He was choosing the smallest and most foolish thing in the world to show his greatness and power to the rest of the world, which is actually the case. 

But we do this all the time, too. We who walk with God continually put the cart before the horse, and mistakenly think that God loves us because we follow the rules so well. In fact, we make all of life about following the rules, and we forget entirely that the whole point of a relationship with God is the relationship with God, and not some sort of scoring system where we get points for what we do or don’t do. We, too, fall into a weird cycle of forgetting and remembering, forgetting and remembering, again and again all the way until we die. It is actually just as exasperating as the picture Samuel painted in Judges.

We spent quite a bit of time this spring looking at the story of Gideon, who was one of the deliverers that God raised up during the time of the Judges. He really was a person just like us, in that it took several chapters for God to convince Gideon that yes, He really meant him, even though Gideon and everybody around him thought he was the last person that anybody would choose to deliver the nation. It’s a great story, and very inspiring! But still, it is an epic story, and most of us cannot relate to the idea of being the one person that God picks out of a generation to deliver the entire nation from the trouble we all got into together by doing what was right in our own eyes.

So how amazing then, is the part of the story about Ruth. I think Samuel was brilliant to write Judges and Ruth as one book. Judges paints a painfully accurate picture of the endless cycle of chaos into which God continually reaches His hand to set us upright again. Ruth is a much deeper and slower-paced look into one person‘s life, and how her relationships and choices allowed her to become a part of God's unstoppable story of redemption and restoration. 

The years of her life story commemorated in this book take place at roughly the same time as the story of Gideon. But Ruth is not a Jew, and at the beginning of the book she is not a follower of God. She is from a totally different people who worship totally different gods, and just becomes part the story when she marries a Jewish guy whose family left their hometown of—guess where?--Bethlehem, to escape a famine. A woman named Naomi followed her husband Elimalek, and their two sons found wives while they were in the land of Moab. We don’t know what happened, but all three of the men died. That left Naomi and her two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, as widows on their own, which at that time especially meant they did not have an amazingly bright future ahead of them. Naomi recognized this, and encouraged her daughters-in-law to leave her and go back to their own people and their own land and their own gods to try their luck there.

And here’s where my point for today comes in. Up to this moment, Ruth is not part of the story of the people of God, and what God is doing on the Earth to reconcile men unto Himself. At least she does not appear to be, because she is not from Israel. In this account, she is a young widow woman from Moab, an outsider, someone with no impact or influence at all. She’s the wrong race, the wrong gender, the wrong status, the wrong everything. But look what God does, and especially look at how He does it!

Many commentators would say that in Ruth chapter one, we actually witness the moment in time when Ruth decides to give her heart and life to God. Here she is with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, and they’re counting what they’ve got, which doesn’t take long because they have nothing. Ruth watches and listens as Naomi does an incredibly unselfish thing in offering to release her and Orpah to go back to their own people and support network. In doing that, Naomi is basically taking what very little she has of hope for a future, namely, two daughters-in-law who might be able to get married and have some children so that they’ll all be cared for, but instead looks out for their best interest over her own.

Orpah takes the opportunity to go home and start over, but something about Naomi's incredibly unselfish act is the thing that tips Ruth’s heart over the edge. She’s heard a lot about this God of Naomi‘s over the last few years—Naomi and her husband and sons surely talked a lot about Him, and must have taught her a lot about God‘s ways and truth. Now the thing that sets Ruth’s life on a brand new course and trajectory is this unselfish demonstration of unconditional love.

When Naomi releases Ruth, Ruth sees that there is something really different about the God of Naomi‘s, so different that Ruth does not want to go back to her own people and the gods that they worship. She recognizes that this God, the very one that actually is so uncompromising in the fact that He claims to be the God of all gods, has a love greater than anyone or anything else in the world.  Jesus talked about this great love the night before He demonstrated it on the cross when He said, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (John 15:13)

This unselfish love is the greatest witness that any of us carries. 

We get so hung up on the rules, that we forget that the thing that makes any of us different is the fact that we have been beneficiaries of the unmerited favor of the God of the universe, Who longs for relationship with each of his sons and daughters. Understanding and demonstrating this kind of unconditional love and friendship is the kind of spiritual maturity to which all of us should aspire. Nobody around us who doesn’t know God really cares much for our rules or for our religion; they’ve already got their own, and frankly, more rules and more religion don’t help anybody. People desperately need transformed hearts, and only God can do that. God wants us to share His unconditional love with others, so that people will recognize Him and know Him and turn to Him.

Samuel brilliantly painted a picture for each of us who will read his books. We are all part of the drama of generations rising and falling, but we can also be a part of God's unstoppable plan of redemption and restoration. I love what Ruth‘s story says about the heart of our good Father: she was an outsider in every way, and yet her acceptance of Him, and frankly, her bold insertion of herself into the grand story of what God is doing on the Earth, made her one of Jesus‘s foremothers. She became the grandmother of the greatest king in Israel’s history, but so much more than that, one in the line of the One True King, who saved the whole world. Her life and story give us a glimpse into what God has in mind for each of us as carriers of the Christ.

Be encouraged today, and may the Lord bless you and the ones you love!

Thinking of friendship is one of my favorite things to do—I believe there is so much evidence pointing to the fact that it is one of God's favorite subjects, too. If you're interested in more, please consider picking up a copy of my book Living Stones which has an entire chapter on friendship...

The new year is flying by, isn't it? We've got one of our cold fronts blowing through Texas today, which makes it feel like real winter. But yesterday I saw that the redbuds are beginning to bloom, and that new growth is emerging on the rose bushes—spring and growth time is coming! Another sure sign is that all of our grandchildren and the other kids in church are hitting a growth spurt and seem to be significantly taller every single week. Life is all about growth, and even when we stop growing physically, we should never stop growing in godliness. 

We could look in several places to find analogies to help explain spiritual maturity. The human body is an obvious starting point, as physical maturing is something we all experience. It is not difficult to see the similarities between my darling little granddaughter who just turned one year old and her beautiful mother whom she looks exactly like. But she looks like her mother did as a one-year-old, not like she looks today. The physical differences between an immature infant and a mature woman are clear.

Another analogy, which Jesus often employed, would be found in a garden or orchard. It is very easy to see the difference between an apricot seed and an apricot tree, or between an apricot blossom and an apricot you can eat. These phases of the maturity cycle are easy to differentiate. In agricultural terms, it is easy to understand when something has become mature, and when it has not.

But what about spiritual maturity—what are the signs that indicate a person is fully grown, spiritually speaking? This one is tricky, because it does not necessarily follow the usual pattern that we can see physically. Just because someone has a ripe old age does not at all necessarily mean that they are spiritually mature, nor does it mean that a young person cannot be spiritually mature simply because they have not lived long enough. There are other signs of spiritual maturity or the lack thereof. As our beloved deep East Texas pastor once said years ago, we are none wise or good enough to stand in the place of judgement against one another—that job belongs to God alone—but we can all be fruit inspectors, especially of our own hearts and lives.

The reality of spiritual maturity as a follower of Jesus Christ is walking faithfully with God, and allowing Him to conform us into the image of His beautiful Son. Spiritually mature people have hearts, lives, and actions that really remind others of Jesus. Here are a few signs to look for, just letting the scripture speak for itself…

A couple of inward signs of spiritual maturity -
A quiet and content heart - “…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13)

A renewed mind - "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)

These things are lovely signs of spiritual maturity, and I’m so thankful that the Lord so graciously helps us learn through trial and error the way to internal transformation. I am always amazed when I meet a godly person who is truly content no matter what circumstances they encounter, or who thinks absolutely differently than the rest of the world. As fruit inspectors, we all thoroughly enjoy this beautiful fruit of a transformed life when we encounter it, and I imagine that God is pleased, too. 

But the longer I live, the more I think there are certain indicators that stand out above all the others, namely how we engage with one another. After all, Jesus came to make a way for us to be reconciled to God, which is such a breathtaking miracle, and through His finished work on the cross He has made it possible for us to be reconciled to each other—and anyone who has ever stepped foot outside their own room knows this is also a marvelous miracle! Our default is to be supremely selfish, looking out for Number One. We continually think more highly of ourselves than we do of anyone else, and do whatever it takes to self-preserve and self-protect. We can justify and rationalize our own hurtful actions while too easily knocking others down a notch or two for less serious missteps. And if we are not careful, we will stay like that literally forever. God wants so much more for us!
​
I would like to submit this idea for your consideration today: The Spirit of the Living God continually allows us to be in situation after situation where we must choose unselfishness so that we can grow into full spiritual maturity, as full spiritual maturity is willingly participating in the beautiful unity, love, and fellowship we are invited into by the Godhead. 

In other words, spiritual maturity is displayed in relationship, and most specifically in friendship.
​
I hope to unpack this over the coming weeks, but for now, let’s continue the fruit inspection…

A few outward signs of spiritual maturity - 
An encouraging, forgiving nature - "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:29-32)

A self-sacrificing lifestyle - the willingness to lay down one’s own life for another is what Jesus lived and demonstrated, and He plainly taught, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:3) 

The implication is clear, and nothing less than amazing: when Jesus spoke these words, He was hours away from doing that very thing for us…people with whom He longs for friendship! If this doesn’t blow our minds, we are missing something. The Lord of heaven and earth, the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords wants to be friends with us—WOW! But wait, there is more, and this is the part we too easily brush off: He also wants us to be friends with each other. 

Many years ago I was a school teacher, and this was during the beginning of the inexplicable modern era of not ever giving people a failing grade. I had a very angry student in my math class who never once picked up a pencil or wrote on a piece of paper. No matter how much individualized attention or extra help I gave, this person would not give any effort, not out of a lack of ability, but out of sheer rebellion. When the first quarter ended and grades were given, I gave the student a 50, which seemed incredibly generous since there was literally zero percent effort given. But within a few days, I found myself in the principal’s office with the two nervous and remarkably unhelpful administrators watching on passively as the student’s mother screamed at and threatened me until she was actually blue in the face. I was young and inexperienced then, and found myself just sitting and taking the verbal abuse, all the while thinking about how awkward it was going to be the first time we ran into each other at the grocery store in our small town! 

Isn’t this the reality of a whole bunch of people who are going to live together forever in Heaven? Heaven will not be heaven if we try to bring all of our relational baggage there with us, and becoming fit for heaven is what growing up spiritually is all about.

The world has no idea of this concept, and is all about division and discord. Try to imagine any of the popular internet chat spaces in heaven...this is impossible to do, because the back-biting and savage nature of discourse in such spaces cannot exist in the presence of a holy God. These virtual spaces make it far too easy to engage in a form of crucifixion of a person when we would all be mortified if the same hateful destruction was aimed at ourselves. Participating in such “conversation”, be it virtual or real, does nothing to bring anyone to maturity, quite the opposite. A spiritually mature person is wise and realizes that God is our Father—emphasis on OUR. God loves me so much, but He also loves His other sons and daughters that much, and for His sake I must love them, too. We are fooling ourselves if we think there will be segregated areas in heaven where we can put people we don't like, or use to stay away from others we won't abide.

This leads to one last sign of maturity for today...

A desire for unity and a love for others - “We love because He first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” (1 John 4:19-21)

That is plain talk!  There is so much more to say about this idea of godly friendship, but for today, it will be a great start to put on our fruit inspector badges—not to examine anyone else this time, but to examine our own hearts and lives. Let’s be honest with ourselves about what kind of fruit our lives bear: the ugly, bruised fruit of division and destruction, or the healthy fruit of love and unity? 

God is so kind and good. He puts us into families and so many other kinds of relationships where we have ample opportunity to find out how deep our own selfishness actually goes, so that we have plenty of opportunity to work all of that selfishness out with His help! The apostle John especially clued in to all that Jesus had to say and demonstrate about love and friendship; all of his writings are infused with this theme. I encourage you to take the time to read all of 1 John chapters 3 and 4, better yet the entire book of 1 John. A wonderful frame of mind to begin an inspection of our own hearts comes from 1 John 3:16, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." Next, go back through the inward and outward signs listed here today, and allow the Lord to help you inspect your own fruit. It's time to grow!

Father, we pray that you would help us to grow in the grace and knowledge of God as we learn to love and trust You, and as we learn to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. The watching world is going to know that we are Your people by the way we love one another, so please make us mindful of your great love as we interact, and help us to lay down our lives for one another, as You did for us. 

Happy New Year! As I write this, we southeast Texans are having a real, live snow day—which thankfully is not accompanied by terrible wind and widespread power outages, and is just a beautiful, wintry day. Of course, very few of us know how to drive in this blizzard (we have about .5 inches on the ground, meaning all of you from elsewhere with real winters would laugh at us!) so most of us are staying in to drink coffee and cocoa all day long. It provides a great day for reflection, and I'd like to propose that something meaningful to think about is what it means to be spiritually mature. This is a great theme of the New Testament which bears serious study and effort from each of us who follow Christ. 

What does it mean and what does it look like in everyday life to be a healthy, whole,  redeemed, restored son or daughter of God? Of course we are in the world, even as we are not of the world, but how might our lives actually be different, and how can our lives impact the people around us and help them draw closer to their Father? 

I intend to spend the next few months of this blog ruminating upon this idea of spiritual maturity. The world desperately needs more Christians who have taken the time and pains not to remain spiritual infants for a lifetime, but actually to grow up in the faith, actively inviting and permitting the Holy Spirit do His beautiful work of conforming us into the image of Christ. There are so many parts of our lives that will be impacted as we follow Jesus, perhaps none more so than our ongoing conversation with God, also known as prayer. Mature believers spend more and more time in prayer as they grow. Let's look into this together for a few moments today. 

I have a new personal trainer, and it is awesome!  I used to be a top-shelf athlete, but something seems to have happened, and now I’m more-than-middle aged and, well, diminishing. I can no longer rely on the muscle development I put so much effort into as a young person, and need to put some effort in today if I want to remain active in the next years of my life. The best part of the whole thing is that my new trainer just happens to be my younger daughter, so I know she really loves and cares for me and wants me to be healthy and whole. She is just like me in so many ways, and therefore knows a lot about what I can and can't do, and what I need to do to grow and be stronger right now. So Kory has helped me design a workout rotation that targets all of the main muscle groups in turn, keeping me from doing too much, too fast lest I hurt myself, or too little which would prevent growth and leave me to further diminishment. It's pretty amazing to have a personal trainer who knows me so intimately, and who loves me and cares so much about my future. Perhaps you can guess where I'm going with this! 

God is the greatest coach in the universe. He lovingly created each of us, and knows exactly what we are actually capable of doing and becoming. He is deeply invested in providing everything we need for life and godliness, and cares about our health and futures so much more than we do. Will you trust Him to set your daily workouts? 

Recently we read and discussed Luke 11:1-4 at church, which is the passage where the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Matthew also includes this amazing teaching in the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 6 of his gospel. The disciples had been spending a lot of time with Jesus, and had watched Him doing and saying all kinds of wonderful, amazing things. He healed people, set them free, and raised the dead to life! They had already realized Who He was—the Son of God—and knew that He was teaching them and training them to do and say the kinds of things He did and said. 

More than that, they lived in such close proximity with Him through those years that they saw the way He actually lived. They knew Him, and they watched Him, which means they saw how often He withdrew from them and everyone else to spend time with His Father in prayer. These disciples might have been regular guys without a lot of formal education, but they weren't dumb. They recognized that Jesus really was a man just like them, but that He also was tapped into a tremendous and powerful connection with the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. And when they asked Jesus to teach them to pray like He did, this is what He said...

The prayer is so short and simple, a daily recognition of Who He is, and how much we need Him.  Of all the things we might have guessed Jesus would say about how to pray, this almost seems too simple. But this is what Jesus said about it, so we should take a closer look. The Greatest Coach in the world, Who was also the greatest and only perfect human to ever live, is giving some great advice on a healthy daily habit that will help us grow up spiritually!

When you pray, say...

Our Father - You are our maker, our protector, our guide, and the giver of our identity and purpose—not just for me, but for my neighbor, too. 

Holy is your name! - God, You are other, higher, sinless, all good, all love, all power.

Let your kingdom come and Your will be done, here on earth like it is there in heaven. We trust that You really are working everything together for Your highest good and ours, and we will do what you say. 

Daily workout:  Get some reps in each day of putting your mind and heart on God. Stop, pause, recenter, and reflect on Who He is and what He is doing, and get your heart back in tune with that. Have you just spent a chunk of time in a death scroll, or in a difficult place at home or work? Refocus on God and His big picture. Have you been surrounded by people and immersed in the daily grind? Step back for a moment and purposefully confess with your mouth that He is your Holy Father, and that He has a wonderful plan unfolding. Has He told you to do something but you haven't yet? Thank Him for His care and obey His good instructions. 


Give us today our daily bread - I trust you to give me what I need, and to withhold what I don’t need.

​Daily workout: Each day, remember where everything comes from: it isn't from ourselves, or from our abilities or disabilities, or from anyone or anywhere except from God. Further, He knows that sometimes what we think we need would actually be bad or dangerous for us in some way. He is the Giver of all things, and it is so healthy to remember this each day, several times a day. This will keep our pride and envy in check, and will help us to remain full of gratitude. 


And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors - this is a big one! The Father will forgive me with the same measure I use to forgive others, so God please help me to have a generous, graceful, and merciful heart. 

Daily Workout: This is the spiritual equivalent of leg day, every day—it is really hard every single time, and is just going to hurt since all self-sacrifice is costly. Start small and be consistent so that you can get strong enough to work up to the big stuff on this exercise. This is actually the revolutionary part of our faith! If we really want to change the world, we'll grow spiritually mature and become people who forgive others like Jesus forgives us. 
-forgive and forgive and forgive, as often as it takes (Jesus said once you have done it for one person 490 times, maybe at that point you can ask Him about it again!)
-choose to overlook offense
-go the extra mile to help people, even when they've been awful to you
​-consider others as highly as you consider yourself 
-keep no record of wrongs against one another
-choose to believe the best about one another
-refuse to take vengeance on one another, as that is God's territory alone (He's the only One wise and good enough to wield that weapon)
-pray for everyone else, even your enemies


Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one - I recognize that the enemy of my soul, the entire world structure, and every cell of my own flesh is pretty much constantly trying to deceive and defeat me, and ask for daily help to withstand and overcome all three. 

Daily workout: Jesus showed us the way here: He resisted the enemy, the world, and His own human flesh with truth, and always leaned into God. He always asked God to help Him, and instructs us to do the same. We would be very foolish not to follow this wonderful advice! 



The disciples were slowly coming to the realization that Jesus’ plan to let everyone in the world know the Good News of the Kingdom was THEM. They trusted Him more each day to get them in shape for the task. Will we trust Him?

God wants us to grow into spiritually mature sons and daughters, filled with grace and wisely using the gifts He has given us in helping Him accomplish His redemptive and restorative work. Jesus has taught us all how to pray, and now it is our prerogative to take His advice and engage in a beautiful, daily conversation with our good Father. How amazing it is that He wants to speak to us that way! This year, let prayer be the foundation of your spiritual workout regimen, and may your life be filled with healthy growth in the grace and knowledge of God. 

​I know we're all praying for the people whose lives have been so impacted by the devastating wildfires in California. If you do not already have a preferred charity, may I recommend an organization that does much good relief work...

Merry Christmas to you and yours! As I post this, the big day is just around the corner, and anticipation is high. Judging from the crowded streets and stores over the weekend, people are out and about getting ready to make merry for a few days. Many are trying to choose the perfect gift for each person on their list, which is not an easy task. We want to get something fun and useful, beautiful and meaningful, unexpected and delightful all wrapped in one gift that will be a joy to open and a continued blessing all year long—does such a perfect gift even exist?  

It does, and the giving of this tremendous Gift is truly reason for celebration! 

​Let me share some recent thoughts with you...

​We just celebrated Thanksgiving, and now round the bend of the year into what is arguably the most wonderful time of the year. My husband made a wise suggestion decades ago, correctly sensing that I could easily get out of hand with decorating, and proposed that in our home we could wait until after the Thanksgiving dishes have been put away to start decorating for Christmas. I agreed and this has been a good rule for me, otherwise I might put up my tree in July, so deep is my love for this holiday. Making myself wait and letting the anticipation build helps me to truly cherish the season, keeping it fresh and potent in my heart. 


What other time of the year can you walk through Walmart and hear songs about such tremendous spiritual truths—the incarnation, justification, salvation, the deep and wondrous love of God? It is a beautiful, special time, and I love it more and more the older I get. 


I still remember the very first Christmas after I truly gave my heart to Jesus, when I was in college. I went home to visit my parents who had moved to the other side of the country thanks to the Navy, so nothing was familiar to me at all except for them. But that was all the sweeter. I felt like George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, after his waking dream; just being with the people I loved most in the world suddenly had such a new and amazing importance to me. Singing the songs and carols that I had sung and heard my whole life suddenly pierced my heart to the very depth. The great meaning of what we were singing just washed over me and I cried through every church service, not sad but grateful, happy tears. I think I understood for the first time what a tremendous reality it is that the Lord of heaven and earth left glory to come here to be with us. It is truly amazing!

I recently heard someone pose the question of what we picture when we think of God, and thought that was an important question. Our own experience with an earthly father can color this mental exercise in a strong way. Is He far away, a Zeus-like figure in an enormous, cold throne room? This is the picture so many might have of God, which causes a lot of heartache and grief. How can we possibly approach such a deity? But this is the wonder and beauty of Christmas: God is not like that at all. Rather, He is the kind of Father who will get right down on the floor with you, letting you rest your head on His strong arm. He comes down to us! Another name for Jesus is Emmanuel, which means God With Us. 

One of the earliest explanations I heard as a young believer for what the word incarnation really means has stuck with me. The person explaining it to me said, “you know, carne, like the Spanish word for meat! Jesus came down and got into some flesh." That certainly was a striking illustration, and it’s true. Jesus came down and took on flesh, became flesh, and walked among us. He suffered like we do in this broken, messy world, and went through all of the temptations that we do. He became one of us, and the more you think about that the more it will just blow your mind. God became flesh.


And not only that, but He wants to be with us still. Through His sacrifice, Jesus made a way for all of us to be as close to the Father as we will. We can ask the Lord of heaven and earth to come and dwell in our hearts, and He does by the power of the Holy Spirit. All day every day, God with us. God in us, God working through us—what an incredible gift!


Further, I’m understanding more all the time what a gift just being together is. I believe this is another powerful piece of what the Incarnation means: because Jesus came, we can be reconciled to Him, and also to one another. There truly can be peace on earth, and it begins in our hearts and in our homes. 


We had four generations together at Thanksgiving, and I marvel at how wonderful it is that my grandchildren get to know their great-grandparents in a real way. The day after that I was able to travel with my parents to a memorial service for my aunt, who has gone to be with Jesus. It was so good to see my cousins and my aunts and uncles, and all of the new generations that are coming behind us. Just to be together in the same room, sharing stories and memories and happy times and lovely thoughts with one another was so encouraging to all of us, and I realized in a fresh way just what it means that we all will get to be together forever in heaven because we know and love Jesus. We won't just get to be with God forever, we will also be with one another forever! For now we will miss Aunt Glenda, which was my name for her, and to others she was sister, mother, grandmother, friend—an important part of so many lives. We will miss her until we see her again, but there will be no more goodbyes in heaven. Thank God for the gift of the Incarnation!


So this Christmas, as you put up your tree and deck the halls and do all of the wonderful and busy things that you’re likely to do, take some time to ponder what a gift it is that Jesus has come to be with us. He is Emmanuel, the God that wants a relationship with us, and gave His own life to make it happen. Reflect on the gift that family and friends are, and make room in your heart for gratitude, goodwill, and peace among one another. Pause and listen with fresh ears and an open heart to the words of those beautiful Christmas carols, which proclaim the tremendous story of Jesus. Take some time to share the news of this wondrous gift to the new generations in your gatherings, how amazing it is that Emmanuel has come!


I encourage you not to give into the world's idea of complaining about yet another holiday gathering, or griping about people in your family with whom you have different views or grievances. Instead, let your heart be filled with the grace and mercy of Christ, and let it spill over on to all that you are around this season. May the love and peace of Jesus fill your home and fill your heart afresh this Christmas—merry Christmas from my heart to yours!

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Lots of fun stories are coming in of people enjoying my new book, Friday Night on the Frio River—get your print copy or ebook today!
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I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that you are having a lovely, peaceful weekend with the people you love. As I write this, the dishwasher and washing machine are running, helping me to finish the cleanup after a beautiful gathering of four generations. We had a delicious meal and entirely too much dessert, and shared a fun evening of reminiscing and rejoicing, with so many reasons to give our thanks to God. He is so good, and His blessings are so abundant! 

Adding even more loveliness to our gathering was the pleasant fact that it was seasonably cool outside. This made it really feel like Thanksgiving, which is not at all a sure thing in East Texas, and it reminded me of something I wrote a couple of weeks ago...

Break out the best china and blow up the balloons, let the land rejoice with singing and shouting! For today in the great state of Texas, the first cold front of the season has arrived—glory, hallelujah! 

I just met our older daughter and her adorable brood of children for lunch, and you should have seen how cute those kids were when they stepped out of the van into the crisp air. If they had tails, they would have wagged them, and they frolicked just like our pups did when we went outside this morning. The kids laughed and shouted—in fact, we all laughed and shouted, for the long summer is finally over!

I have wondered what the weather would have been like if sin had never entered the picture, and we had never had to leave the Garden of Eden. Though I would be tempted to guess it would have been perfectly mild and balmy all the time, it’s impossible to say, as I know there are actually people who dearly love hot and humid weather and feel like they might freeze to death on a day like today. All I know is that I did a little shopping after lunch, and was truly amazed how happy everyone was everywhere I went. People around here are usually friendly, but today everyone was positively gracious after months of triple-digit temperature days, not to mention warm and sultry nights. We who endure so many months of extreme hot just come alive with rejoicing when the cool air finally breaks through. The weather change was our topic of conversation for at least the first ten minutes of our lunchtime together, and my daughter commented that she was not sure if those in a milder climate could appreciate a 60° day in quite the same way. 

​T​he Lord is very wise, and He must love new things since He is always making things new. The four seasons built into the ebb and flow of each year are such a vivid picture of HIs creativity, and remind us to see hope and beauty in every phase of life. I have always loved the way the changing seasons are so visible in the yearly growth cycle of the trees and plants in our garden. Right now the hardwood trees are so warm and colorful as they sing their autumn song, and the last pink blooms of our climbing rose share their sweet fragrance before a winter sleep. But there is so much to look forward to later! We have one tree that bursts into pink tulip-like blossoms each spring, bringing so much joy to our hearts, and even as it sheds its leaves this autumn, I can see the buds setting for next spring. The question is whether we could admire the new fresh growth of spring on the tree in quite the same way without first experiencing the cold and fruitless winter?

Along that same line of thought, it is so hard for most of us to appreciate normal life properly unless we for some reason have had an abnormal season of life. I attended a birthday party last weekend for a friend whose family has endured a terrible season of suffering in the last year. Unimaginable conflict and trouble emerged around a tragic life event, and this family suffered a horrific season of confusion and dismay. Time has passed, and the Lord is so good and so faithful to help and encourage us in times of need. So when this group gathered together to celebrate, the rejoicing was profound and moving. Much joy and laughter filled the home, and the gratitude of those present was something you could sense in the air. Everyone there was nourished by the delicious reality, newly understood: though the weeping may last through the night, the joy comes in the morning.

Suffering is not something that we enjoy in any capacity. We don’t like to experience it, and we don’t even like to talk about it. But once we start to read the Bible with the lens of suffering in place, we see it is a profound theme of life with Jesus. In God‘s kingdom, which is nothing at all like the kingdom of the world, suffering should never catch us off-guard. The Lord is good, and does not design awful circumstances for people to be a part of; but it turns out that we do quite well at walking into those awful circumstances ourselves, especially with the help of a broken world and an evil enemy. But God is amazing, and uses every last bit of suffering that a person might endure to strengthen and refine that person, and to conform them into the image of Christ. Just like the people in Texas are appreciating this first cold front because they just endured another long, hot summer, it is impossible to understand how amazing it is to feel well unless you have been sick. It is hard to understand how precious is the faithfulness and friendship of God unless you have been betrayed by someone close. It is difficult to understand how beautiful it is to be loved unless you have been alone.

Christ Jesus endured all of those things. He is so amazing and understands fully everything that we go through. He is the God who draws near to us; He left Glory to come down and walk among us through our pain and through our suffering, and He understands better than we know.

If they had feelings, I guess there wouldn't be a single lump of coal that would want to be smashed under a mountain of pressure for long enough to become a diamond. I don’t suppose there would be rock in the world that would want to be thrown into such a hot fire to be refined. But there is just no other way to become shining gold or a brilliant diamond.

Some of you reading this are walking through a difficult season right now, and I want to encourage you today. Lean into the strong arms of the Father who loves you, and let Him give you the strength and courage to run with perseverance the race marked out for you, fixing your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

I pray that you are able to look around and see a glimmer of life and hope today. Keep your mind on what you know is true, which is what the Lord has spoken in His word. Do not let your circumstances lie to you, and try to convince you that God is not good after all. He is good, and He is right there with you in your suffering. Let Him hold you and carry you through.

For those of you who have endured the long night of sorrow and are waking up to the joyful morning, I rejoice with you! I pray that this amazing awareness does not ever leave you. I pray that God gives you the words to explain your new understanding to the rest of us as you have opportunity, so that many will be strengthened along with you through your experience. I pray that your heart will be softened towards others, and that you will be filled with compassion and grace towards those around you, so that many will see and hear and put their trust in the Lord. 

As the year turns from autumn to winter, let's allow Emmanuel to give us a new perspective throughout this season. May His light shine brightly in our hearts, even moreso as the days grow shorter, and may the lessons of the dark encourage us in the brighter days to come.