In the night my heart pondered, “Seek first the kingdom of God…” In the morning I’m pondering this statement in a podcast I listened to. It’s this and I’ll return to stories again another day. “…A guy named Stanley Hauerwas. And he says, too often, these characteristics of the blessings here have in Christian history…
Receiving God’s promises comes by faith. Hope is believing for something beyond our current situation. Our perception of God’s Love directs our choices. In other writings I’ve described wrestling with my weakness. I ask questions: When am I going to experience freedom? I can declare aloud, “I am free,” but at the same moment, I…
I battle to keep these crazy sheep from escaping their boundaries. Just two days ago, I’m stomping after my sheep that are outside of their boundary (twice in one week.) They know where they are supposed to be, but always keep testing their boundary. My act of love is to move them inside the electric…
Where does the power to transform our minds come from? Getting truth into our deepest being takes time and repetition. And the following parable is from watching a horse trainer on YouTube. For horses to become rideable, they are chosen, fed, and tamed. Can you then climb on them and tell them where to go?…
Our state of being with ourselves and others often points out flaws in our trust in the Lord. I can be a very calm person, unruffled and steady, yet either blow up internally or externally when a trigger above my tolerance level occurs. When anxiety occurs for me, I need to examine my triggers and…
When I was about 18 years old, I had this discussion in my Grandma’s kitchen. I had declared, “We are saints in Christ,” and she kept saying, “No, we are sinners.” It went back and forth a few times, and neither of us changed our minds. Several decades later, I’m having this discussion with myself….
Coming to grips with deep inner longing is a deep and intimate part of my journey these days. Oddly enough, being an Oregonian gave me a great appreciation for the green fir forests and wide expanses of Willamette Valley’s grass fields. Moments ago, tears came as I connected to the fact that living in this…
This week, I watched Olympic athletes and listened to their stories. In TV interviews, many talk about mental focus. All have experts in their lives with wisdom and knowledge, but if they lose focus, the training is for naught. Yesterday I learned that top-rated women gymnasts absolutely need to keep their eyes glued to exactly…
Wild thought for the day: Submitting to God is like submitting to an Olympic expert who trains the body and mind to excel in extraordinary ways. Horses in the Olympics are trained like gymnast Simone Biles has been trained. In Dressage, horses’ feet need to move in a symmetrical but difficult pattern. They dance. How…
Our posture toward God is meant to be receiving what is completed. Imagine eternal water flowing over us, signifying a waterfall of forgiveness; it is a state of righteousness given in the same manner he gave it to Abraham. When the sick man was lowered from the roof into Jesus’ presence, that man’s sins were…