11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young Isaiah 40:11 NKJV As a shepherd and especially during lambing season every cell in my body feels the optimism of this verse. To the Israelites under Babylonian captivity,…
I have been thinking often about the invisible struggles of others. It is difficult to forge a deep meaningful connection with every human that crosses our paths. We have all felt the sting of heartbreak, the grief of loss, and the crushing weight of the world on our shoulders. Believers or not, we are all the beloved children of God.
Maybe an hour, day, week, or month got away from you? When you emerged from the clutter of life, and felt like you could finally catch your breath there before you loomed another hill to climb? I think of the song from Finding Nemo that Dory sings to calm herself. Remember it? “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming what do we do? We swim, swim, swim…”
I started reading a book called Grace, the power to change by Dr. James Richards and as I was reading before bed last night a sentence jumped off the page and landed in my heart. We think we are supposed to be strong for the Lord instead of strong in the Lord. Grace, the power to change by Dr….
A tragedy struck my small rural community. The announcement of the death of an 8-year-old little girl, her grandmother, and her guardian arrested on first-degree murder yesterday. I did not personally know this family, but I have felt the violent bite of murder too close to home before, the sting of finding out someone you…
My children and I discuss the Fruit of the Spirit often, they have a favorite song about the Fruit of the Spirit. If you have heard the song, you know why randomly yelling “banana” makes my children burst into fits of giggles and respond with “cherries” or “coconut.” You just must be there, but it…
When you feel a little unrooted in the world, root into scripture. Grow deep strong roots that tap into eternal life through Jesus Christ. Feast on the peace that can only be gained through Jesus. For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His…
We lost a farm icon over the weekend Doughball our 13-year-old dairy goat. She has been on the decline for several years and it was clear to me on Friday that our time was short. I lavished her with attention, spoiled her with an apple she voraciously devoured slice by slice and a handful of…
In a society that revels in selfies, filters, and ego it is easy to get lost in the highlight reel of other people. To become focused on self-serving, ego-driven behavior. We are a society of “likes” and “shares” as a form of acceptance. The more “likes” the more worthy. It is an easy trap, social…
Have you ever found yourself admiring a fellow Christian who has it all together? Let us get real, I mean comparing yourself. Guilty! When left to our device we can start to imagine saints and members of God’s family as an elite crew. There is “us” and then there is “them” you know “them” the…