Some students of the Bible, including children, are able to name the twelve men whom our Lord chose to be His apostles. Some are also able to name the man who was chosen to be an apostle after the defection and death of Judas. That man’s name, of course, was Matthias. Do you remember that Matthias was one of two men suggested? Whatever happened to the other man?   Here is what we know about him from scripture. His name was Barsabbas.  He was one of two men considered to join with the other eleven apostles after the death of Judas. When the selection was made, he was the one not selected.  That’s it. As far as…

Sometime recently, I heard a new twist on a well-known passage that I believe provides some food for thought. Most of the time, Matthew 6:25-30 is used as a very comforting scripture. After all, it starts with the words, “Do not be anxious about your life…” It goes on to remind us of God’s persistent care of things in nature, from the birds of the air, to beautiful lilies, to grass that is only good for a short time. Throughout is the concept that, if God cares so well for those things, won’t He care much more for us? We love this passage as humans and we should! We should…

When we go through times of great struggle, one of the most difficult things to keep in mind can be the presence of God. For many, they wonder where He is when they are going through a valley of grief or pain or heartbreak. Oh, they know that He’s there. They’ve read the 23rd Psalm. They know the promise that He “will never leave you nor forsake you.” They get all that. But, in the moment, it can sometimes be difficult to really get it into our mind and truly understand. Today, can I give you a simple thought that might help you the next time you are in a…

I have no idea where the thought came from. All I know is that, when I looked in the mirror at that seventy-two year old face I was shaving, it occurred to me that it is a little too late for me to blame any dumb things I do on any sort of “midlife crisis.” I really doubt that I will live long enough to celebrate birthday number 144. I’m also thinking that senility has not totally “kicked in.” After all, my brain did work well enough to have that thought and both it and my fingers are working well enough for me to type these words. I forget a few things, make…

Grief is a fickle subject. No two people grieve the same way, either in length or intensity. Some are more quiet than others. Some want to be more alone while others need almost constant companionship. Some are confused when they grieve the loss of a job or pet more than the loss of a family member. There is just no way to know how someone else is grieving. But this post is for those who are grieving–or will sometime in their life, which is all of us. We will all face a loss–to death, of a job, of a marriage, through a major surgery, from an illness, or in other…

Erma Bombeck was one of my all-time favorite writers. She had a real way with words and could turn any event in life into a humorous story. One of my favorite short writings from her had to do with a Monday morning dieter who began her diet with small portions of healthy food, but as the day progressed (and hunger started to get to her), she began to alter what she ate. When her husband called to tell her he would be late for dinner, she started to falter. When her children asked her what she was doing with the fruit, she told them she was putting it under some crust where…