The “S” Word
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 The time out chair sits in our front room: an old and tacked-leather wingback from one of the Nordstrom shoe departments my husband’s father managed years ago. Strong and water proof (very important during the potty training years), it won’t buckle or tip because a screaming toddle decides to jump up and down on it in defiance.…
The J Monster
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24 I am always surprised when the J monster slithers under the back door of my heart. One moment I am enjoying a friendship, and the next my heart tightens and races as if it has been poisoned. I feel the beast climbing up my throat, threatening to choke out our conversation. I shake my head, trying to shake loose of its grip. I leave the moment in a fog, asking myself, Where did that come from? But once…
Caleb’s Different Spirit
But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. Numbers 14:24 Please read Numbers 13 & 14 I can’t help but dedicate this to our Caleb, who is already staking his claim in the hills of heaven. I couldn’t be more proud to be your Mama, sweetheart. Godspeed. If you will look back with me over the past several weeks, the lesson to be learned in the wilderness was simple enough: trust God, obey God. The reason that the Israelites spent forty years in the wilderness is because they refused…
Stocking Up in the Land of Plenty
Manna, Quail, and Breast Milk Part 2 Please read Exodus 16 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. Deuteronomy 8:3-5 At first glance, God’s provision for the Israelites in the wilderness is astonishing, miraculous. Imagine not needing to…
Mother of 3
Yet they say, “My Lord deserted us; he has forgotten us.” Never! Can a mother forget her little child and not have love for her own son? Yet even if that should be, I will not forget you. See, I have tattooed your name upon my palm, and ever before me is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins. Soon your rebuilders shall come and chase away all those destroying you. Look and see, for the Lord has vowed that all your enemies shall come and be your slaves. They will be as jewels to display, as bridal ornaments. Even the most desolate parts of your abandoned land shall soon…
