My husband and I watched a movie the other day about the life of John Newton.   Heard of him?  No, he wasn't the guy credited with discovering gravity because an apple fell on his head...that was Sir Isaac Newton. John Newton (born July 24, 1725, London England—died December 21, 1807) wrote the song, "Amazing Grace".   Now have we heard of him? We might figure that the man that wrote that famous hymn must have been raised in the church and grew-up steeped in Scripture.  But we would be figuring wrong.    John Newton had a fascinatingly hard li ..read more

All day long, God's Word rings true in our lives. All day long. I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us—yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.  ~Isaiah 63:7 I started my day with an exercise embodying these verses and I praised the Lord into my day.  A sister-in-Christ sent me a worship song and it woke up my spirit and my gratitude for God at 5:00 AM.  God invoked these verses i ..read more

Years ago, one morning as I began giving my daughter a bit of a back-rub in an attempt to rouse her for school, she rolled over and said matter-of-factly, "My tea cup's full.", and with that, she proceeded to step out-of-bed and into the bathroom. I had to laugh at her little-girl wit and wisdom, but her comment has stuck with me. What a great way to wake up to a new day--with our emotional and spiritual 'tea cup' full. That is my prayer for us today--that we might "wake up" to embrace God's word and promises today, and that we would allow Him to fill our "tea cup" with His light, His love, Hi ..read more

It's early Spring in Ohio, and so one of our activities is "open up" our camper.  We remove most everything from the inside of it over the winter, so as to avoid attracting bugs and mice, and (Thank You, Lord), we found no proof or remains of any winter-time vermin when we unlocked the door.  But what we did find (surprisingly) was four living wasps. Slow, and lethargic from winter hibernation, they were easy to scoop up and dispose of, and I did.  But, how did they get in there? I had been the one who had carefully cleaned up-and-out every crevice of that camper last ..read more

Who said it would be easy? No one who has ever accomplished anything of value ever said that.  They worked hard to be where they are at.   I see little neighborhood kids shooting hoops in their driveway with their mom and dad, and I know that those kids will be good at basketball...if they keep practicing.  They will play on a city rec. team, and then on a travel team, and then they will play for their school or college too: if they keep working hard.  The results will show, but no one said it will be easy. ~~~ I heard a great story about my niece, who wants to go ..read more

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ... (2) then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.  ~Philippians 2:1-2 Lord, thank you for the (Scriptural) reminder that everything you have given to us... You want us to pass on to others.  Amen. If we are encouraged by knowing You, by Your forgiveness of our sins, and by being united with Christ, then we are called by You to be like-minded and like-hearted to others.   We ARE encouraged by knowin ..read more

The sounds of my washing machine and clock-chimes were drowned-out by the (first) slow and (then) hurried and frantic cries of some red-tailed hawks in our backyard airspace this morning.   The screeches had drawn my audible attention, but my eyes provided the rest of the story.  There were a couple hawks prowling around the treetops and calling out, but one big guy had landed atop a squirrel's nest in the tallest tree, looking for someone to devour.   He was perched.   He was poised. He was about to snatch a squirrel's life. ...Not today, Mr. Redta ..read more

I don't know...we are all adults with good educations or a learned skill.  We have been around long enough to know what we're doing in life, and experience says that we should also know how to do it well.  I believe most of us do. But it's never a bad idea to review how to live life well. Sometimes I still sing the alphabetical "State Song" (Alabama and Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas...)...just to see if I still can.   Or--during weekly walks or runs, my husband reviews the 66 Books of the Bible and key chapters, verses, and themes from each...just to keep his mem ..read more

Ever seen a little kid waiting in excitement to open gifts beneath a Christmas tree?  They can not keep still. Ever had a neighbor or friend with a juicy piece of local gossip to share?  They cannot remain silent.  ~~~ Do we love God?  Do we love Jesus?  Are we affected by Their saving grace over our lives (and deaths!)? Then don't keep still about it today! ~~~ Do we yearn for a Heaven without pain/sin/callousness/and sorrow?  Do we yearn to have the heart of God for others?  Do we yearn for God's ways instead of man's ..read more

Sometimes when I am watching our kids play a soccer game, there will be a perfect pass down the field and toward our opponent's goal, but on occasion, our receiving player is too far ahead of the pass (and ball), and thus we lose possession (and the opportunity) of scoring because we got too far in front of the ball. I've also watched outfielders misjudge a fly ball and miss a catch because they got out a bit too far in front of it, and it dropped short of their glove. But professional athletes aren't the only ones who miss an opportunity or thwart a play because they have "gotten too far in f ..read more