Soul Sister 3:16

This morning God has me thinking about money.   And, as I am thinking, I am recalling a few different stories.   The first one is about Sampson and Delilah.  This couple, whom you can read about in the book of Judges, lived about 1,000 years before Jesus.  Sampson was strong and powerful and before he was even born God told his mother that Sampson would take the lead in delivering Israel from the Philistines.  He told her the boy was to be a Nazirite and that a razor should never touch his head, for that was the source of his strength. As Sampson grew he became a strong leader and made many moves against the Philistines.  But when he was older he fell in love with a woman named Delilah.  The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, "See if you can lure him into show him the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him.  Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver."...

  This afternoon I am enjoying a glass of wine at a little wine shop in Northville.  An eight-ounce glass costs anywhere from $11 to $30, and, as I sip my $12 Sauvignon Blanc, I am reminded of the story of Jesus and the wedding in Cana. Back then, weddings lasted several days, and for this one – Jesus, his mom, and some of his first disciples had been invited as guests.   I am certain that when the bridegroom initially bought the wine for the celebration, he hoped it would be enough.   Good enough to satisfy his friends and relatives, and plentiful enough to last as long as necessary.   However, after the guests had been drinking for a little while, the wine casks were empty!   There was nothing left… Jesus’ mother asked Him to intervene, and so Jesus told the servants to fill six stone water jugs (think really big jugs, each holding over 20 gallons) with water.   When they had been filled Jesus told the servants to take a sample to the leader of...

  To write a daily devotional blog, you have to have a lot of things to talk about.   I don’t…but the idea for the blog didn’t come from me, and in truth, neither do the postings.   Sometimes I get anxious when I don’t have at least a few ideas jotted down ready to be "fleshed out" and published.   But, just like the manna which God provided to the Israelites in the desert in order to feed them each day, each day He gives me an idea, and helps me to write it to completion. When I get worried about not having any inspiration, I think God wants me to remember the story of the manna, and to believe that He can provide it for me daily. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you.   The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day.   In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.” – Exodus 16:4 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Jes...

A Conversation with God Human:   I want to do “X” God:   You’re free to do it. Human:   But you say “X” is wrong. God:   Yes. Human:   Because you want to control me! God:   No.   You’re free to do whatever you wish. Human:   But you say “X” is wrong. God:   Yes, but only because I want what is best for you. Human:   But I want to do “X” God:   You’re free to do it. Human:   But I want you to say “X” is good. God:   I can’t say that. Human:   Why are you so hateful and intolerant?! --- We have been told in 1 Corinthians 10:23 (CSB) that “Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial”. Right now, I think a lot of what we’re seeing in our world has to do with the reality that God lets us choose our own paths, and then He lets us live with the consequences of those choices.   The Bible tells us we must “speak the truth in love.”   However, In the U.S., we have a c...

Today I am prompted to talk about Jello-mold Jesus.  Do you know Him?  He's the one we want to fit into the mold we've created for Him. The one WE think means that He loves and cares about us, and has our best interests in mind. Jello-mold Jesus is the loving Jesus we've fashioned in our mind as our ideal Jesus, and when He doesn't fit our mold, or do the things we want Him to do - we get upset.  We wonder "How could a loving God allow X?, How can I be expected to TRUST a God who has disappointed me so?" But that's when we must have BIG FAITH.  You see, God didn't promise that when we walked with Him our lives would always be easy, or that we'd get everything we wanted becauses we were Christ-followers.  Sometimes, the jello we've poured into our mold doesn't set the way we think it should. Isaiah 43:2 is one of my favorite verses to turn to when things aren't going as I planned.  It says, "When you pass through the waters, I will ...

  There is a book called Secrets of the Vine , that was written by a man named Bruce Wilkinson.   Long before Jim and I started dating he gave me a copy. The book starts with Jesus on the night he is betrayed.   Crowds have come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and the city has an electric “buzz” because many have come with hopes of seeing Jesus - this man they’ve heard can heal the lame, restore sight to the blind, feed a multitude with very meager supplies, and who raised Lazarus from the dead. At this point, His disciples have spent three years learning from Jesus, and they believe Him to be the Messiah, the one who will deliver them from Roman rule.   However, during the Passover meal Jesus predicts that one of his followers will betray Him.   And instead of the usual Passover blessing, when He breaks the bread and passes the cup, He says it is His body that will be broken and His blood that will be shed. Throughout the prior three years, Jesus...

Have you ever done something that hurt someone without intending to do so?  Such was the case last week when I did something I thought was perfectly “fine,” but which ended up being something that hurt my friends. As humans we are flawed.   Our actions and words sometimes cause unintentional hurts, and while most people don’t go through life TRYING to hurt others, when we do and it is brought to our attention, there are things we must do in response: 1.  Stop Everything and Apologize – Matthew 5:23-24 says, “Therefore, if you bring a gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering and go; first be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your offering.”    Remember - there are three parts to a good apology: a.        Say you’re sorry b.        Admit your fault in the situation c.        Ask what...

Chinese philosopher, Lao Tsu, once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step…”   I always loved that quote, and even wore it on my shirts when I used to walk in the Komen 60-mile 3 Day.  Today, I thought about how that quote applies to my relationship with God. When I first turned my life over to Him, it was a quiet, and very personal surrender.   In fact, I remember actively avoiding talking to people about my faith, because I didn’t want to be judged.   A little later I remember thinking about the Christian martyrs I'd read about in the Bible, and the current-day martyrs in other countries; and feeling like, “as long as no one was threatening to cut off body parts, I could probably be strong in my faith, but as soon as that started happening, it'd be a whole different story!!!". But I’ve said it before, and the longer I go in my walk with Him, the more convinced I am that it’s true – God plays the long game . Initially, He just wants...

  I have had three miscarriages in my life. The first, was after I had been married for about two years.   My husband and I were in North Carolina, and I was working at the Onslow County Health Department.   I knew right away that I was pregnant, and we were excited to welcome a baby into our lives.   We started making plans and thinking about how our lives would change.   But sadly, on an appointment I went to on St. Patrick’s Day in 1992, the doctor said the baby had stopped growing at about 10 weeks.   He asked whether I wanted to have a D&C or abort naturally.   Refusing to believe our baby was dead, I said I’d wait it out.   It didn’t take long before my body expelled what my husband and I had been hoping for, and we named the lost child Faith. My second miscarriage happened about five years later.   I had taken rounds of Clomid, gone to fertility specialists, had pieces of my cervix cut out and examined, and been given nightly s...

  Two nights ago, I was hanging out with some friends.  At one point we got onto the subject of religion. One friend said she believes we are all products of our environment.   She said where we were born and how we were parented has a lot to do with our own belief systems, and that it is most likely that if I had been born in Saudi Arabia, I’d be Muslim. Maybe. Yesterday we continued the conversation via text, and at one point she wrote, “I’m disturbed by the thought that you think I’m going to hell.   What about our families? My short answer is, “I’m very concerned.” Though I recognize I am not as well-spoken on the subject as I’d like to be, and that in many cases, my behavior AS a Christian is not always Christ-like, and therefore may be off-putting, I KNOW I believe the Bible. Historically, the Bible has been proven to be accurate. Prophesies recorded in the Bible have come true. There is internal consistency and coherence even though the books of th...

I’ve been fortunate enough in my life to have been to Italy and seen Michelangelo’s statue of David.    It is truly magnificent.   Standing at 17’ and on top of a tall platform, David towers above the crowds that have come to see him.    And, as you look at his sinewy arms, his muscular chest, and even the small mole on his back, it is hard to believe he was chiseled out of a single piece of marble.    But the story of the statue is an interesting one.     You see apparently the original idea was to use David as one of many statues on top of Florence’s cathedral.    The job was given to Agostino Di Duccio in 1464, and a huge slab of marble was extracted from the quarry.    However, after starting to chisel out shapes that would eventually become legs, Antonio abandoned the project.     Twelve years later another sculptor was given the job, but he backed out almost immediately, citing the p...

  Love is hard. This is a truth I didn’t always know.   In fact, there was a time in my not so recent past that felt that if love was too hard, it must not be “real.”   When I first reconnected with Jim, we did a lot of talking about the Bible.    I remember being particularly annoyed when we discussed 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.    It is a passage used at many weddings, but in my experience, I didn’t feel it had been true.    I told Jim I thought it set people up to fail.   The words are fairly simple -   “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.    Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.    It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”    But putting them into practice every day is hard...

  Years ago, there was a fantastic fine dining restaurant in Northville. The place was called Emily’s and it resided in the building that is now Red Dot coffee. Each month, their chef (Rick Halberg) would host an AMAZING wine dinner, pairing wines from one of his favorite vintners, with a five-course meal that was always exceptional. At the first dinner I ever attended I met a WONDERFUL woman named Dorothy Mueller.   Dorothy was an 80+ year old red-haired spitfire who loved great meals, gardening, and her sons Andrew and Eric. I remember one time we were talking about politics (a no-no at most dinner parties but I already said she was a spitfire), and someone at the table said they weren’t sure how they felt about one of the issues being discussed.   Without so much as a beat, Dorothy said, “there’s a special sort of Hell for fence sitters!” God agrees. The book of Revelation was written by the apostle John after he was exiled to the island of Patmos.   (...

  There is a book written by a pastor/author    named Kyle Edelman, called “The End of Me.”     The book starts with a letter to himself.    I’ve edited it down a little for space but this is the gist: “Dear Me,      I’ve known you as long as I can remember, and yes, we have quite an attachment. Looking back, it’s fair to say I’ve treated you pretty well.    As a matter of fact, more times than I can count I’ve put you ahead of anything and everything else, agreed?      it was easier to keep you happy when you were a little tyke - a simple temper tantrum would get the job done.    But as we grew older I had to be more discreet.    Making sure you kept winning and getting your way - all the while looking humble and unassuming.    That gets tricky!    Not to mention tiring.      I love you Me, but I can’t keep living for you.     I...

  For those who have been reading this blog, you already know my father cultivated a love of fantasy and sci-fi by watching shows like Batman, Lost In Space, and Star Trek with me. I always thought it was cool when Captain Kirk narrowly escaped some harrowing danger by opening his tricorder and saying those famous words, “Beam Me Up, Scotty”. These days, I’m wishing I could say the same to God. I am (gosh – how many adjectives should I use right now): Terrified Horrified Saddened Disgusted    ….(yes there are lots more) with what is going on in the world, and maybe you’re feeling the same way. But that’s because it wasn’t supposed to be like this. When God created the universe, Earth was beautiful, wonderful, and amazing.   He provided Adam and Eve with everything they needed, and gave them the ability to do whatever they wanted.   But He asked for their trust.   And when – instead of trusting God, they listened to the serpent and deci...