August’s End

Bathed in sunlight  and surrounded  with a thickly  woven emerald  carpet and a singing chorus of flowers in rioting colors, summer’s glorious days draw down  to a few.  It’s beauty  though forever remains  ephemeral and  perpetual  at once.  Here I find  strength  in the hope  of You, Creator. Father. Friend. Confidant. Savior. Here I am …

A Second Book

This morning while picking up the house and getting ready for the day, it occurred to me with stunning, non-negotiable truth that this November I am turning 75! I did not wince at this serendipitous reminder. Pastor Olen Griffing, a very wise man, mentor, and friend told me once that it is only in your…

The Bars of Winter

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” Jeremiah 29:11 NAS. Whatever delays, disappointments, setbacks, or heartaches from your past that are chaffing your soul raw will not hold back the overwhelming blessings, prosperity, favor, and…

Firsts

My grandson, Emmett, wiggled and wiggled as I tried to put on his pajamas. His silly mood made us both giggle and fall on the bed with laughter. Then suddenly, Emmett grew quiet and still for a moment, and his eyes gleamed and grew as big as planets.  “Marmee, we saw Christmas lights tonight!”  “Yes, we…

Summing up 2024

And preparing for 2025! Poetical Christmas thoughts as I discern the times and transition into a new season. The Needless Loss I hear the whys within the questions And wait. I see the darkness within the night And grieve. I see the tears within the weeping And groan. I hear the cries within the screams…

The Right to be Understood

Still your rage and quiet your anger. Although the right to justice pumps in the veins of all humankind, the question remains when the Lord returns, will He find justice on the earth? For this He bled. Vengeance wholly belongs to a God that cares and measures proportionally and in perfect time.  At the end, we will…

Kneeling

I’ve spent a lifetime  bandaging my feet, partly from ill-fitting  shoes, traveling too  many miles in a day,  losing my way, making  a wrong turn, or  carrying too many  burdens. Also, there are the roads I’ve traveled  long just to gaze upon ancient stones, a rusted  filigree, or become dizzy with the scent of an …

Scottish Revival 1923

You can’t visit Scotland and not drink from the deep spiritual wells there, dug by stalwart Scottish Christians proclaiming salvation with changed lives. Right where I am standing here in Portsoy on the Banffshire coast, in front of the Shore Inn, a revival broke out in 1923. Here is an excerpt from, “Floods upon Dry…

Ineffable

Remember when we watched—mesmerized by majestic deer on the distant highlands, feeding at noon? And our friends exclaimed, “How intriguing for this time of day!” The ground shook; and the sun, moon, and stars broke to pause and peer for a lifetime of five seconds. It was the cry of the seagulls and arcs of…

Weeping Skies

While in Scotland, I wept the sound of rain in unison with the heavens’ downpour upon an ancient land. The first drops sparkled as they mingled with soil and salt and sand. Their song is eternal—a melody of old, known to fishermen and warriors, whose deepest joy is bound to Him. The world grows black,…