I sat down this morning and cracked open my Bible. Lately, I’ve been reading in Luke. I’ve been jumping from parable to parable just to read the words of Jesus. Today though, I’m struggling with anxiety. It is something I’ve always had some issues with, but when things get stressful, it builds up even more.
Read MoreMy Uncle Tom did what most of us strive to do with our time on earth – he left his mark. In the lightning protection industry, he was a pillar, a giant. He devoted his life’s work to it. Not just in his day to day business, but he was active in so many lightning protection organizations it is easy to lose count.
Read MoreIf you read my last post, you know that I have found myself in a recent season of doubt and fear. When those feelings swam inside my head, they would often develop into wanting. It’s a logical next step. I was feeling self-conscious about writing so I would naturally want it to be better. To overcome the doubt.
Read MoreWe are God’s masterpiece. Not just another creation, not that clay pot you made in 6th grade that your parents said they loved but you knew was terrible, and not a shot that hit the target but missed the center. We are a masterpiece. A bullseye. Not just any bullseye either. We are God’s bullseye.
Read MoreWhen it comes to hope, I seem to put myself in a self-protective state. I don’t want to be let down again, so I hope for things that are either guarantees or things that simply don’t matter in the long run. Things that if they don’t happen, then I won’t be disappointed. But really, is that even hope?
Read MorePraise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ( 2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
That’s the trouble with reading scripture quickly. We can gloss over seemingly minor details and just take it for face value in the moment. I’m not saying that anything above isn’t true, I’m just saying I think there is a little more here. More from one word that is repeated in the scripture that can move it from being nice to being unsettling.
Read MoreHevel. It’s a word with multiple meanings that describes life so perfectly that I can dwell on it for hours. In English it means vapor or breath or smoke. It is also translated as meaningless or vanity. It’s an abstract concept, but the author of Ecclesiastes is trying to say that everything, absolutely everything, is like smoke or a cloud. It appears solid, but when touched, your hand slips right through it. It seems real, but it is really just an illusion. All we do, the reasons we do it, and life itself is as meaningless, temporary, and fleeting as a puff of smoke.
Read MoreEverything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. (Ecclesiastes 1:8 NLT)
This verse struck me recently. As I have been nearing the end of my busy season at work, the first line seemed so appropriate. I think just about everyone feels this from time to time. “Everything is wearisome” It reminds me of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. This mentality that every task I do carries a weight.
Read MorePresence. It’s been on my mind a lot recently. His presence in my life, every day. A constant walk, conversation, relationship. I desire it so much, but sometimes it seems elusive. I start to think that God feels far, and then I start figuring out what I need to do. What did I do wrong? How do I fix it?
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