Seeing is Relieving
But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. (Philippians 2:25-28 NASB) The above section of Paul’s letter...
Read MoreLiving the Mission of God (A Response)
Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:1-4...
Read MoreWorry Factory on Holiday
[Rabshakeh] sent messengers again to Hezekiah [king of Judah] saying, “…Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you saying, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’” … Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.” (2 Kings 19:9b-10, 14-15 NASB) On the...
Read MoreDirect My Steps
I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you. (Psalm 32:8-9 NASB) In my early days as a Christian, in the late ’70s, I wanted to do God’s will in everything. Big things, little things, in everything I wanted to do what God wanted. I may have been a bit obsessive about it, which I attribute to the fact that I was/am both a pleaser and indecisive. Seeking God’s will...
Read MoreThe Lonely Boat
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 NASB) Recently there’s been a slide up on the screen during Creekside worship that shows a rowboat alone in a colorful sea. I don’t know the purpose of that slide, but it starts a whole thread of thinking in me. In the early ’80s, when Kent and I moved from California to Washington, we left long-established friends, church and family behind. We had an 8-month-old son and a...
Read MoreGenuine Joy
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 NASB) I’ve been asking this question for a long time: What is joy, and can it always be present? Many people dear to me have been hurting or even dying in the last twelve months, so grief and sadness have been our companions. Paul says, “weep with those who weep, rejoice with those who rejoice” (Romans 12:15), so I wonder if sadness and grief should get as much air time as joy. Kent and I have been going through some hard times lately. Pastor Mark visited recently, and asked, “What do you need?” Among other things, I...
Read MoreHosanna
Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Mark 11:9 NASB) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7 NASB) When someone entrusts a 22-month-old child to you for a weekend, you’d really like to hand the child back in the same condition you received him. I was babysitting my grandsons on the weekend of Palm Sunday. At church, the boys enjoyed marching around with palm fronds and seeing...
Read MoreBeing Greta
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32 NASB) I’ve heard it said that we are most critical of the faults in others that we see in ourselves. My daughter’s dog, Greta, is a petite white labradoodle. When Kent and I arrive at her house, Greta goes nuts. While we’re trying to get through the front door, Greta is barking excitedly, circling around and jumping up to lick our hands. Frantic barking gives way to anguished yipping and grunting as we navigate the stairs to the playroom with bags of toys, lunch, reading...
Read MoreParadise Unleashed
The husband of a dear friend passed away recently. On that day, and surrounding that day, there were many “letters from heaven,” as she put it. These letters are messages from God, often borne by trivial events, but speaking profoundly and marvelously from the heart of God. This is an account of one of these letters from heaven. I was visiting my friend soon after her husband’s death, sitting in the circle of family and friends, feeling dazed and muted and raw but also full of wonder. There was sharing of communications to and through friends and family, and talk about the psalms and how...
Read MoreFamiliarity Breeds Wonder
What is the outcome, then brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. (1 Corinthians 14:26 NASB) Kent and I are joining an Immerse group on Education Hill in Redmond, reading the New Testament through in 16 weeks. This is the first Bible-oriented group we’ve been in together since 2006 in Azerbaijan. I’m excited about it for that reason alone. Kent has a gift for going to the heart of the matter and framing great discussion questions. We still have his handwritten notes from...
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