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Devoted to Good Works
This week’s article will be shorter than most, because it is quite the week for me and for our family. My mom’s birthday, my sister’s high school graduation, and my high school best friend’s wedding are all taking place within 4 days of each other, and I’m here in Tennessee to celebrate all three. Two thoughts have dominated my mind in preparation for this week: the thought of how blessed I am, and the thought of how busy I’m about to be. Recently, I came across this statement from Jesus in my personal study: “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to…
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One Man’s Idea about the Message of the Bible
During my lifetime, I have had some conversations which are difficult to forget. There are some which I would like to forget, but have difficulty in accomplishing that. At other times, there are conversations which I hope I never forget. There are at least a couple of reasons why a conversation can find its way into that second and much more positive category. The reason could be that the person with whom the conversation took place is one of those unforgettable people in my life. At other times, it was just the fact that something was said which made a major impact on me and/or caused me to do some…
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Into the Heart of the Bible Episode 016: “The Period of Restoration”
This week, Leah finishes the Old Testament narrative with a great overview of the Period of Restoration. Watch below or click this link.
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Long Shadows
I have been spending a lot of time lately watching the results of past actions, decisions, and events. When your baby baby (the youngest), approaches high school graduation, there is a lot of time spent reflecting on all of her accomplishments and shenanigans. Pictures are unearthed that you may not have seen for years to prepare for a slideshow. Those pictures evoke memories of all sorts of emotions and, with the benefit of hindsight, you can see how they helped shape the person your child has become. Some of the foreshadowing is not surprising. Having always been bright and bubbly with a flair for the dramatic, it is no surprise…
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She Has Done Well
Forgive me for being very personal today, but the Bible teaches that we are to give honor to whom it is due, and that honor is certainly due to Leah. In just a couple of days, she will no longer be “homeschooling mom Leah.” With Turner graduating on Friday, Leah has now finished that chapter of her life and, as the title of this post says, she has done well. Now, she doesn’t believe she has done well. She sees the things she didn’t do. She sees where our kids still fall short at times. She sees holes in their education or blunders they have made and she takes that…
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Keeping the Faith
My friend Charlie turned 91 yesterday (as I’m writing this). If you’ve ever been to West Side, or to Salem, or quite possibly to the state of Virginia, you’ve met Charlie. There’s a running joke that Charlie knows everyone, and the joke lands because it’s not that far from the truth. You wouldn’t know Charlie is 91 if you met him – he has an energy about him that a lot of young people I know envy. He is an incredible blessing to many, and I am thankful to call him a friend and mentor of mine. This week has been our Gospel meeting week at West Side, which has…
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Much More Than a Cup of Coffee
I have discovered that I can learn a lot by just listening. I have also learned that I can learn valuable things in unusual circumstances and from all kinds of people. All of that (and more) came together during a recent trip. Donna and I were returning from a lectureship. We had heard some wonderful lessons and had some great conversations with some of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. During the same trip, we also got to spend some time with a part of our family. We enjoyed all of that a great deal. On the “home stretch” of our trip, I decided to make a stop at a…
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Peace, Perfect Peace
If you’re like me, sometimes peace is hard to find. You would think that as a retired woman I would have plenty of time, fewer worries, less deadlines to meet, and be able to just do what I want to do resulting in peace in my life. You couldn’t be more wrong. I still have a lot of activities in my life. Along with the usual daily chores – doing laundry, cleaning house, buying groceries, cooking meals, organizing closets, etc. – I seem to be busy with lots of other things like writing, studying, praying, teaching Bible classes, mentoring young women, hosting guests in our home, counseling those who are…
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Death by Caveat
I was at a preachers’ retreat a few years ago and taking part in a group discussion. We were simply supposed to answer a few questions then share our answers with the full group. One of the questions was something like this: “What is one of the biggest challenges to preaching the truth publicly?” While there were a few thoughts in our group, my favorite was given by a preaching friend from Arkansas who said, “Caveats.” The longer I preach, the more I agree with that statement. Caveats are those statements where you have to explain what you don’t mean or why you are not doing something. Certainly, there can…
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All Things are Ready
[The following was written over a year ago now and has been revised only slightly. I know I’m the author, but in my estimation, it is just as necessary today as it was at the first, at least for me.] It’s been a long time since I read the Bible and was genuinely afraid. It happened today. In Luke 14, Jesus was at a dinner party with the Pharisees. To careful readers of Luke’s Gospel, this should come as a bit of a shock; the narrative all the way back into Luke 11 has been marked by hostility towards Jesus on the part of the Pharisees and stern but truthful…
