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Broken: Fall Beach Lesson 2021
A day or so after arriving at our favorite beach spot, I got up really early to hunt shells. (Read Beach Lesson #2 from our July beach trip to see why I was encouraged to get up earlier than I like to, just to find shells!) As I walked a distance I was passing up lots of large broken shells, looking for that one that was whole. Then I came across this one…palm sized, and brightly colored, yet broken. So I picked it up and added it to the other whole and unusual shells I had collected. I also began thinking about how many other broken shells I had left…
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Hearing Voices
How many voices a day do you listen to? I guess that would depend on who you live with, or work with, go to school with, or serve in ministry with. It would depend on who your neighbors are and whether or not you converse with them. Perhaps you have a co-dependent dog who doesn’t know he’s a dog (that would be our almost blind #MoDawg). If you do have a dog, you tend to listen to their barks, whines, or growls as they try to talk to you. The last 2 week’s posts, He Speaks and I Listen and When It Just Won’t End, would be a great place…
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When It Just Won’t End!
What else? How long? Have you asked that once or twice in the last couple of years, the last couple of weeks, as I have? Jut about the time things seem to be healing or changing, a variant COVID pops up. Then world events just take our breath away. Add to that personal crises, several friends who are in a health fight for their lives, on and on. Seriously? What’s next?…I guess the same thing that I wrote about so recently in He Speaks, before the last couple of “issues” mentioned above popped up. So this is how that morning a couple of days ago played out as I did…
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He Speaks…Do I Ask and Listen?
A few weeks ago, I wrote, Whispers and Shouts and How Does God Whisper to You? Feel free to read these first if you missed them. Today I have a life example of listening and hearing from the Lord when I asked from the heart. As I started my “deck time with the Lord”, I sat quietly for a few minutes. I was reminded of Psalm 5:3, “In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you and watch expectantly.” Today, I was especially expectant and I ASK! Then as I often do, I played a worship song. this particular one has a…
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Beach Lesson on Mentoring
This summer we took our first ever “adult only parents/twin daughters and their hubbys” beach trip. We were celebrating our 50th anniversary and their birthday. We had an amazing week and some great weather. But, not a lot of shells. If you’ve read earlier “beach lessons” blog posts, you may remember my love for shell hunting! One morning our daughter Amanda (who set up the Ninja tent each morning bright and early to get a great spot) was gone about an hour longer than it takes to set up the tent so we began to get a little worried. Then she walked in with a handful of the most beautiful…
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More Great Reading
1 One of my favorite bloggers has written lots about trends and the future of our churches. Here’s a great post Carey Nieuwhof recently wrote: The Coming Church Split (It’s Not what You Think) 2 And for those just leaving college, this is a helpful post from LifeWay Voices, Keeping Summers Meaningful After College Banner photo by Maarten van den Heuvel on Unsplash
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Time for Blog Sharing
Here are a few great posts I wanted to share this week to encourage you to read lots of bloggers’ material. Enjoy! 1. Although I feel all Christians are called to ministry, full time even, I do believe some are called to serve in vocational ministry as a career. Either way, this is a list for all to consider, from LifeWay Voices. Am I Called to Ministry? A Checklist to Consider by Dr. Jason Allen 2. Church is changing at such a fast pace. I love reading Carey’s posts that alert leaders about trends to consider for discovering how God wants our church to reach people in today’s world. 11…
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It’s All His Anyway
How do you feel when your pastor talks about tithing, or giving above the tithe? Once, many years ago, I cringed each time our pastor talked about this “sensitive” subject. Today, I feel so different about it. It’s such a joy to give. I’ve seen what a corporate body of Christ can to do together as we give to further the Kingdom and minister to others. Recently I blogged for LifeWay Women on this very subject. So, today I encourage you to bounce over to this link to read this post under the heading of The Reference Desk: Why We Tithe. I pray it encourages you wherever you are about…
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Whispers and Shouts
What gets your attention more: whispers or shouts? We have a beloved Yorkie which is why I chose this banner photo of this breed of dog standing at full attention to whatever He is hearing! (Isn’t he cute??) Of course, a shout can be heard better, but often it’s a whisper that gets our attention, draws us in. We have to lean in to hear a whisper while, often, shouting makes us want to back away from the shout-er! Recently we took our 10 year old Yorkie Mo (lovingly knowing as #MoDawg on social media!) on our first real walk of the season. He went blind in the last year…
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Unseen Progress
Remember when you were a kid and you planted a seed in a pot and watched it eventually pop through the soil? It seemed like a long time before seeing any progress, but what you didn’t see was happening below the surface of the dirt. If you watered well and provided a sunny spot to grow, you probably got to see it produce whatever fruit it was…a plant or a flower. It took time, and it took the right environment. The Bible talks quite a lot about seeds and growing plants as related to spiritual growth. The parable of the sower and the seed in Matthew 13, for instance. Luke…
