The account of Daniel in the lions’ den is chapter six in the book of his namesake. It tells of how Daniel is saved from lions by the God of Israel after being thrown into the den by order of the king. What a terrible punishment for not agreeing with a government leader’s edict. Daniel…

When it rains, the drops splash and make the water beneath beautiful. When you drop or skip a rock the still-water visibly responds. Something has happened. If you have traveled in a small boat you know to prepare for the passing of a larger vessel. You see the wake. That is how I want to…

You don’t really know what lurks in the mind of another. That is why serial killers go undiscovered for years. If we could read minds it would prevent many marriages that end in divorce. Being created in God’s image suggests that one cannot read God’s thoughts either. I worry about martyrs. What difference should it…

I’m thinking about salt and light. I ask the Lord to help me be that every day. I hardly salt my food but the doctor said, with such low blood pressure, I should eat pretzels. Interesting. I do like potato chips but they are empty calories. I don’t want to be empty calories but I…

There are so many happy things in life and some hard things too. We like to avoid the hard but I wonder if dying is the worst thing. Let’s go to God’s word with John 12:25-26 and John 3:16-17 and Jesus says, “He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life…

“After the war God said come follow me”. That is spoken by a nun in France after one of the world wars. She knew she was a sinner but chose to give up hating and killing the enemy because she listened to God’s call. Reading the beginning of Jeremiah’s book, “Before I formed you in…

NEEDS NOT GREEDS This is for me. I shop bargains – so I will purchase something wonderful because I can get it for less than I perceive the market value. It  – the item – is not on my shopping list and I have not seen it before. Seeing it made me want it. Then the…

JESUS Jesus is God’s love on display. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Incarnation. Trinity. Mystery. The Apostle Paul refers to the mystery of the gospel in Ephesians 3:3-6, “The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you…

MY CALLING I wonder if dad’s feel the same? My calling has been my two children. I have worked harder and been happier about them than anything else. Yes, busy, but even the picture of Christ and His Bride, the church, is family – God’s plan. That is what challenges me most about same-sex marriage….

TAKING NOTES I jot down notes all of the time. Later, I assemble sticky notes, toss the ones that don’t make sense, and see if anything might be useful to encourage you and me. I wrote, ‘Life is a sailboat – not a speedboat.’ Today it may not feel true as I plan on what…