Have you ever tried feeding a child who isn’t hungry or wouldn’t eat because the food didn’t have enough sugar on it? You may have soon discovered that if they aren’t hungry, they won’t eat. They clamp their mouth shut so tight, that even a drop of water couldn’t seep through. Parents may even try to coerce them to eat by telling them if they don’t eat they won’t grow big and strong.
Read MoreWhen you were a kid, did you ever try walking around the house in a pair of your parent’s shoes? With every step you took there was an awkward clunk, and after tripping a few times you decided you couldn’t walk in them and put your shoes on and ran outside to play. You discovered that nothing fits as good as what is made just for you.
Read MoreA barley plant is ripe for harvest when it’s seed head droops low, and bows forward. The bow is also foundational in some cultures, symbolizing respect and honor. We can posture our hearts, like the barley plant, and show respect to others. To respect is “to have due regard, proper care, and concern, for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others.”
Read MoreAs we approach Pentecost Sunday, I’m reminded of Luke 24:49 “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Have you ever stayed home all day because you were expecting a package in the mail and you didn’t want to miss the delivery driver when he arrived? Similarly, Jesus was getting ready to send a gift the Father promised to the disciples, and they needed to stay put in Jerusalem to receive it.
Read MoreHave you ever been in a situation where you conformed to something by going along with the crowd? Kind of like when a strong wind comes and trees sway as they conform to the pattern of the wind. As things sway around us from the current of the world, do we conform to it, or lean in a different direction? In our walk with God, there will be times when a gust of wind comes along and tries to sway us, pulling us into thought patterns away from the place of peace.
Read MoreHave you ever skipped a stone across the surface of a lake and watched in amazement as it defied the law of gravity as it skimmed across the water? In the same sense, can you imagine the disciples in Matthew 14:29-31 watching in amazement as Peter and Jesus walked on water, also defying the law of gravity?
Read MoreStaying connected is a common theme that could be woven throughout all churches, businesses, families, and individuals. As corporate settings were recently jolted into individualism with no goodbyes, groups found a way to reconfigure and they slowly emerged above the water’s surface and connected their floating life tubes together for the journey down the river.
Read MoreCan you imagine being on an ark with Noah and all of the animals for 365 days? The smells, the sounds, the boredom. Although we aren’t on an ark, we can glean a few things from the story of Noah as we are weathering the Covid-19 storm.
Read MoreDuring this season of being shut-in during the COVID-19 pandemic, I can’t help but think about the movie “Cast Away” starring Tom Hanks and Wilson the Soccer Ball. Recently, life as we knew it came to an abrupt stop and abandoned us on a deserted island. The only way to track time is to mark each passing day on the wall of our caves. As we wait for our communities to reopen and “rescue us”, it is challenging to not be weary.
Read MoreEphesians 1:3 tells us that the Father has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. As rich as our inheritance is, it wouldn’t benefit us if we didn’t know what we inherited or how to access it. If you inherited something from a relative, you would go to an attorney’s office to hear the Will read. In the same sense, you go to your Heavenly Father to understand what He gave you.
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