I was cleaning out my office recently and came across a printed copy of a Mother’s Day sermon I had preached fifteen plus years ago. It was on the story of Hannah and her desperate prayer for a son. A Close Up of Hannah When you look closely at the
It was one of those mornings when the weather was freakishly cold for June. Even with the heat from my firepit, I knew it was too chilly to have my quiet time outside. So, I chose to pour my cup of coffee and plant myself in the front room where
Summer is truly here! Students are free of the classroom, and teachers have cleaned out their desks. Since I work retail, I meet all sorts of people who are purchasing necessary vacation items. On the home front, we’ve opened the doors and windows and we’ve turned on ceiling fans, attempting
I sat outside on my deck with the firepit warming my skin and my attitude. I opened my Bible to read the assigned scripture for the day, Luke 3:1-18. The title of the section in my She Reads Truth Bible is “The Messiah’s Herald.” I wrote that in my journal
Desperation is an interesting motivator. For example, my body has recently been reacting to something I’m not yet aware of, that has given me itchy pimple-like spots. They come and go, they move around, and they are annoying. Lately, it’s morphed into full rash mode down my leg. I’m desperate
I’ve been reading Jennie Allen’s latest book “Find Your People.” I’m preparing to lead a small group discussion of the book over the summer. When I attended a discipleship retreat a weekend or two ago, I experienced several of the community aspects Allen discusses in her book. Community I knew
I work part-time at an off-price department store. I’m scheduled approximately 15 hours a week and I typically work in the morning. I have shifts when I work into the afternoon, but I haven’t worked evenings for more than 18 months. Until recently. I checked my upcoming schedule the other
Note: Today’s blog is based on this year’s Mother’s Day sermon. You can access the sermon here https://www.ontariofirst.org/archived-worship-services When your children are infants and toddlers, life is physically exhausting. You are up in the middle of the night, and there isn’t much of a break in the middle of the
Are you ever drawn to a particular Psalm? I’m not sure what instigated my reading of Psalm 104, but the imagery in the psalm captivated me. The picture of God that the Psalmist portrays is breath-taking: His power, His majesty, His beyond-what-I-can-fathom-ness. I was especially intrigued with verses 33 and
Grandpa lives with us; Grandpa Sam, our dog, that is. Sam is our thirteen-year-old border collie. Three summers ago, while hiking on vacation, a passerby called our sweet Sam “Grandpa,” and the name stuck. Grandpa has two bad back legs. His sniffer is weak and he’s mostly deaf. It’s necessary
