-
Community, Anniversaries, and Absence: Where are all the young people?
My husband and I had the great opportunity to celebrate the 25th wedding anniversary of our Pastor and his wife this past weekend. The celebration was a laid-back affair with cake and coffee, some fun guessing games, and a dance. My husband and I did get at least one dance in, something we rarely ever do. The following day I was thinking about the event and realized that my husband and I were one of only a few younger couples. The majority of the attendees were older, near retirement, or retired individuals and couples, particularly the attendees that weren’t family members. The realization had me wondering where were all the…
-
Sprinter or Long-Distance Runner? Running the race God has set before us.
On Sunday, I had the pleasure of hearing a sermon preached by a former pastor. Pastor John will be 86 this fall. On the day of the service, he got up and drove 3.5 hours to preach at 9:30 am and had plans to eat and drive home later that day. Ironically enough, his sermon text focused on Hebrews 12:1-3 and highlighted how we are to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (NIV). In Pastor John’s sermon, he mentioned a former classmate of his that ran long-distance track events. The young man would always burst out in front at the start of the race, sprinting as fast…
-
Earthly Relationships as a Reflection of Our Relationship with God
I recently read in my daily devotional that our earthly relationships reflect the state of our relationship with God (Welch, 2021). When I first read it, I thought, ‘Sure, that makes sense.’ Then I stopped, ‘Wait, what does that mean?’ The devotional discussed the impact of shame on our relationships, particularly when we disappoint others. I thought back to times as a child when I knew my parents would be disappointed when they found out about something I did or did not do—that speeding ticket, a lost class assignment, the garbage still sitting by the back door. Sometimes, okay often, when I knew disappointment would be the reaction, I would…
-
Lessons from a River Turtle: Live by Faith, Not By Sight
If you have been following our blog for some time, you may remember that I frequently write about my two black labs, Blue and Tex. As all good labs, Blue and Tex possess an energy level that requires active play each and every day. Every morning I load them up and take them to a wooded area by the river about a mile from our house to let them sniff and explore followed by a few dozen retrieves. Earlier this spring the dogs sniffed out a river turtle laying eggs on the shore. It is not unusual to see snapping turtles on the river. A few weeks ago, when I…
-
Learning how to SIT with Jesus.
I’ve done daily devotionals for years, but I need to confess something about my efforts. I go through streaks of inconsistency. Sometimes I miss a day here and there. Other times, I miss weeks at a time. Sometimes I start a study and then my interest dwindles and I tuck it away in a cupboard. Even when I am being diligent, sometimes I’m just going through the motions. I read and say, “Yes, Lord. Good to know. I should work on that.” I used to think that my lackluster performance was due to the demands of life, the ebbs and flows of energy, and a lack of diligence on my…
