“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 At the end of January I spent 4 days on a personal, spiritual retreat. I approached the week as a time of sabbath, because the meaning of sabbath is rest. It was a week alone with the Lord, my Bible, and some other books. I spent a week without telephone or internet access. What did I learn or experience from this sabbath? I was reminded that I am not indispensable. Life and ministry will go on without my direct involvement. Meetings will happen, people will make decisions and go through …
The snow has gotten deep in the last couple of weeks. But Spring is coming!In the warm sun, just over 2 weeks ago, the daffodils were peeking up out of the ground. Now they are nowhere to be seen. But Spring is coming!The green grass is covered. The winter chill is in the air. But Spring is coming!The sadness, discouragement and pain that is so much a part of our lives and of our world is sometimes described as the winter of our souls. But we also know the resurrection victory of Jesus! There is new life. Hope. Victory.This was …
Tears are part of life. They are nothing to be ashamed of. We need not apologize for our tears. There are different reasons for our tears. There are tears of confession, admitting heartfelt sorrow, sadness over wrong. There may be tears when we receive the amazing blessing of forgiveness and restoration. After denying Jesus, Peter went outside and wept bitterly (Matthew 26:74,75). The apostle James writes: “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to …
