Death and mourning. Sadness and despair.
It seemed the story was over. Christ had died and his body lay in a tomb. It was the end of an era as far as anyone could tell.
There was weeping, mourning, uncertainty, and confusion.
What next?
Mary Magdalene stood at the empty grave…certainly, there must be some explanation. Her heart gave [...]
Category Archive for 'Hope'
how to transition well in a season of chaos #3
Posted in 2023, Africa, Faith, Grace, Gratitude, Hope, Life, Marriage, Ministry, Motherhood, Peace, Spirit-Filled Life, missions on Feb 21st, 2023
Self-care in a season of chaos.
When we moved to South Africa, I had come out of a very challenging season in Malawi. It was hard on all fronts – from helping our children transition, to navigating life in a foreign country, the ever-precarious visa process, the insurgence of Covid-19, to understanding a new organization [...]
The activity of Jesus, from the location of where he was teaching to the content he was teaching, to the miracles he performed, was always intentional and multidimensional.
On the Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues…
Luke 13:10
Jesus was teaching on the Sabbath, which hardly seems out of the ordinary, but it is [...]
ordinary
Posted in 2023, Faith, Grace, Gratitude, Hope, Ministry, Peace, Trust, missions on Feb 2nd, 2023
Ordinary is highly under-rated.
It seems the sincere longing for significance has pushed past contentment in doing a job well done, to that of being a world changer…influencer…and platform-creator. It is not enough, anymore, to do the hard and consistent daily work of investing our lives into meaningful, yet oftentimes, ordinary endeavors. Today, we are driven [...]
miracles
Posted in 2023, Faith, Grace, Hope, Joy, Ministry, Peace, Spirit-Filled Life, Trust, missions on Jan 12th, 2023
As I watched the clock strike midnight, its hand leaving 2021 and tick-tock-ticking its way into 2022, I felt a wave of relief. Covid and transition left me feeling kind of empty. Rather than enter the new year with a bang, I mostly coasted in on fumes.
I came down with a fever on Christmas Day [...]
Immanuel – Christmas Day 2022
Posted in 2022, Advent, Christmas, Faith, Grace, Hope, Joy, Love, Peace, Trust, missions on Dec 24th, 2022
Immanuel
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
Christmas is here, and [...]
so loved – advent 2022
Posted in 2022, Advent, Anticipation, Christmas, Faith, Grace, Hope, Joy, Love, Ministry, Peace, Preparation on Dec 17th, 2022
Love.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
For God so loved…
The word “so”, when used as an adverb, can have a few different meanings. It can express the degree or extent of something, or it [...]
joy complete – advent 2022
Posted in 2022, Advent, Anticipation, Christmas, Faith, Hope, Joy, Peace, Preparation on Dec 10th, 2022
Joy
The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come. Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Troubled souls.
I can be included in that category. Troubled. Imperfect. Poor in spirit. In need of a Savior.
Hope and peace turn our hearts [...]
Hope
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12
Waiting and hoping.
Longing is defined by Merriam Webster as “a strong desire especially for something unattainable”.
Have you ever longed for something important…something significant…something that your heart has been set on for a long time, only to keep on waiting [...]
home
Posted in 2022, Current Events, Faith, Grace, Gratitude, Hope, Ministry, Motherhood, Trust, missions on Nov 22nd, 2022
One of my favorite Christmas songs is “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”. One variation of this song begins with this line: “I’m dreaming tonight of a place I love even more than I usually do…”. Every time I hear this, my thoughts are instantly transported to my grandparents’ old farmhouse in Wellston, Ohio at Christmastime. [...]