So recently again I came across an article that decried Christian conservatives and their hateful attitudes. It seems like everywhere you traverse the internet, biblical values are under attack.  Not that Christians and churches shouldn’t be called out. As painful as it is, we need to be held accountable. And rigorously so. But according to God’s standards, not according to society’s latest moral fad.  NEW ERA Have you, like me, been disoriented by ungodly shifts in our culture and even the church? It’s not like the Lord isn’t at work, I don’t mean that. I do see evidence of good fru ..read more

Dear TwoThousandTwentyFour I stare hard at your door and wonder What will you be like? Maybe tonight I’m on edge more than in the past because I remember the last presidential election. Would it be okay to play ostrich for a year? Not see or hear news? Or how about you let me sleep oblivious to peep or tweet to red or blue and things untrue to leaders shirking and things not working? Do you suppose it would be fine to just attend to what is mine? I know, I know You’ll probably tell me it’s a fact well known If I want peace, turn off my phone! A word of advice, a little insight conside ..read more

When Simeon encountered the eight-day-old Jesus in the temple, he prophesied that “the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35). From the very beginning, the Christ child exposed a moral divide. Some believed right away, like Mary when Gabriel visited her. Others doubted, some felt threatened, some seemed to slip into indifference. Where do you find your heart this Christmas? A DOUBTING BELIEVER’S HEART Think about this. Even though Zechariah failed to believe Gabriel’s good news predicting the birth of John the Baptist, God did not yank the blessing. He gave the promised gift ..read more

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). I struggle to trust God with my prodigal children. Lately, however, the Holy Spirit has been strengthening my faith. For example, he highlighted Luke 18:1. “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and never give up.” Now when I enter the throne room I have a new confidence, “Lord, I remind you of scripture—YOU said to not give up!” Sometimes, though, the fear for my children’s eternal de ..read more

I have written before about having inherited the absent-minded-professor gene. I’m not the only one in our extended family. Among other mishaps, my nephew lost his wedding ring two months after the wedding and locked himself out of his car the day of his white coat ceremony at medical school. We blame my dad for passing on this unfortunate DNA. Opa, as he became affectionately known, notoriously lived with his head in the upper stratospheres. For example, after my mother’s gall bladder surgery, he wanted to do something special for her. He arrived at the hospital with a bouquet of flowers and ..read more

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Reflect: I can never read Isaiah 9:6 without hearing Handel’s Messiah,” movement 12, in my head. “For Unto us a Child is Born” begins with sparse instrumentation, and then the chorus breaks out with such joy and warmth it brings tears to my eyes: “Wonderful . . .” That word moves me every time. Of all the names, “Wonderful Counselor” tends to stand out most to me perhaps because I am a therapist a ..read more

. . your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! (Matthew 6:8) When Mom asked me to take her to a dear friend’s memorial service (I’ll call her Janie), I groaned inwardly. Spending time with people I didn’t know and would never meet again was not my idea of how to spend a glorious summer afternoon. Of course that was selfish of me, and I said yes because I knew it would mean a lot to Mom. Little did I know that the Lord had something he wanted to show me as well. As I questioned Mom on details of “where” and “when,” I quickly discovered that she was uncertain about some o ..read more

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:8-9) Do you ever find yourself hiding from God? I’ve noticed this in myself. It’s like a reflex. And I’ve been struck by my reasons for staying “among the trees” instead of stepping out into the light when God calls. Because, well, it’s a terrifying thing to stand naked before him, stripped of every flimsy fig lea ..read more

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him (II Corinthians 2:14). The drooping cream-colored rose with the magenta edges that sat on my windowsill astonished me. How could it still smell so good when it looked so bad? This got me thinking about how I’m in a wilting process too. Aging. Certainly not looking as fresh.   Inevitably, suffering accompanies this process of getting old. Perhaps the most difficult challenge in this season has been the way chronic pain has impacted my husb ..read more

“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Hebrews 13:16). Reflect: I’ll never forget the time an acquaintance of mine approached after church bearing a small present for me. The gift was “just because,” she said, as I was not having a birthday nor was there any other occasion. She just wanted to brighten my day. I was deeply touched by her kindness. Someone went out of their way to love me! It’s amazing the impact seemingly small acts can have. Sometimes we think we need to enlist in Mother-Teresa-sized projects, but just being watchful o ..read more