Every day I hear of more despair, hardship and loss. In order to successfully navigate it, transformed rather than crushed, we need an example to follow. In Psalm 22, David unknowingly gives us just what we need. He acknowledges his despair with honest expression of feeling abandoned by God. He freely asks where God is …
Out of the Chaos
Inspiration for living outside of the chaos.
Loss. The topic for this week because it is everywhere. It isn’t just death, the loss of a loved one, but the hard things that visit us out of nowhere. Job changes, health crisis, family difficulty, unmet dreams … the challenges of life. Looking to the psalms and David’s writing in particular, we learn how …
I haven’t always grieved well. I don’t like sadness, loss, despair. Of course, it’s expected to grieve when someone dies, but what about when dreams die, goals go unmet, stages of life change, jobs disappear, hope wavers. Can I sit with the sadness then and truly grieve the loss? I am learning; learning to sit …
The current sermon series at our church is entitled Going Deeper: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality! The challenge to take care of my own stuff in order to enjoy life and all it brings is ever before me. This week we faced the challenge of hard things. Life is full of hard things. That’s the way Jesus …
Contronym — a word with multiple meanings where one meaning is the reverse of another. The fifth: buckle (v) Buckle: to fasten or secure with a buckle Buckle: to bend, warp, collapse under pressure 5Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. 6He alone is my rock and …
Contronym – a word with multiple meanings where one meaning is the reverse of the other. The third: screen (v) Screen: to protect of conceal Screen: to show or broadcast 20After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard. 21One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became …
Contronym — a word with multiple meanings where one meaning is the reverse of another. The second: overlook (v) Overlook. To monitor or inspect. Overlook. To fail to notice or choose not to emphasize On one hand, I overlook the progress of something, perhaps I keep a close eye on how something is developing. On …
I learned a new word last week. It was completely by accident while reading a beach novel with very few redeeming characteristics. But I learned a new word. Actually a word that categorizes many words. Contronym. Contronym is a word with multiple meanings where one meaning is the reverse of another. There are many examples …
32That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. 33The whole town gathered at the door to watch. 34So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons. But because the demons knew who he was, he did not allow them to speak. 35Before daybreak the …
David spent many hours as a young man in the fields tending sheep and listening to God. Evidence of knowing himself was displayed in his first interactions with King Saul when he volunteered to fight the giant, Goliath. Yesterday I highlighted his choice to forego the armor Saul offered because it wasn’t him. He knew …
Out of the Chaos 