Advent Day 9: Read: Luke 9 I want to draw your attention to verses 23-25 in this chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus says in order to be his follower we must turn away from our selfish ways. There is no benefit to gain the whole world and yet lose our soul. Henri Nouwen …
But in that day, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious; Isaiah 4:2a Advent – Day 3: Read: Luke 3 As I read this chapter, it seems to me it can be summarized in one word: preparation. John the Baptist is preparing the way for the Messiah preaching repentance from sins and baptizing with …
Read: Romans 12:2-3 Today we had the awesome privilege of spending the afternoon at a friend’s pool. The pool deck is surrounded by beautiful plantings of both perennials and annuals. Her flower pots overflowed with geraniums, petunias and sweet potato vines of various colors inviting a person to lay back and relax! Another friend and …
You don’t know what you don’t know. I think that’s the reason we become parents. Seriously! If we knew how hard it would be, we might take a second thought. But I know why I had children in spite of how difficult it was at times. Because I believed that, in the end, it would …
Camping with children is hard work, but rewarding. Bikes are a necessity especially if the campground has adequate trails/roads that are safe for the kids on bikes. For many years, we camped with our children at a local campground. Always going with several other families, our children spent hours riding bikes up and down the …
Read: Philippians 4:18-20 It was Labor Day weekend and we had packed into our campers and set out for Spotted Bear, a remote campground in northwest Montana about 50 miles up a gravelly mountain road. Mom diligently checked and rechecked our supplies, making sure we had everything we needed for four days of outdoor living. …
Read: John 7:3-5 I wonder what the expectation for the oldest child was in a Jewish family. In one resource it said, “Sons, especially the firstborn, were the guarantee of lineage and the promise of maintaining family holdings.”* Jesus’ announcement to his family that he was leaving the business and going into ministry was likely …
Change. We pray for change. We dread change. We desire change. Change happens when we seek it and when we avoid it. It’s a part of life. Some change is desired; other change is avoided. This change in our lives is celebrated! Our youngest daughter is getting married in September. We couldn’t be happier about …
The strategic planning exercise we participated in at Ashland University challenged me. I had done the same type of activities in other settings, but our instructor simplified it for us. He suggested the process to get from where we are to where we want to be includes three elements: Daily Diversion: We were challenged to …
The focus at our house the last week has been the landscaping. Memorial Day means different things to different people. For some it is graduation, for others a wedding, for others remembering a fallen comrade. For me, it is my deadline to have the landscaping cleaned up and mulched. This spring has been slow in …