Soul Sister 3:16

Well – this morning as I was sitting at my computer, the phrase “Walk in the way of the Lord” popped into my head (as did the song Walk this Way by Aerosmith). So, I Googled “Bible Walk in the Way of the Lord” I think that it must be important, because what came back was a number of different verses from various books within the Bible. There was Psalm 81:13 – “Oh that my people would listen to me.  That Israel would walk in my ways!” (and also Psalm 119:3, and 121:8) And Zechariah 3:7 – “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘If you will walk in My ways and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and have charge of My courts, and I will grand you free access among these who are standing here.” Also Deuteronmy 19:9 – “If you carefully observe all this commandment which I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in His ways always – then you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three.” And Micah 4:2 – “Many nations w...

When things are tough, it is easy to get "tied" to our current situation, and think that things will never get better.  It is easy to feel as if God has turned his back. Such was the case with David when he wrote, "How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me?  How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?  How long will my enemy triumph over me?" - Psalm 13:1-2 And who can blame David for feeling this way?  After being anointed King, he spent the next few years as a harpist playing music for King Saul.  But when people in his kingdom started to praise David, Saul became jealous and started hunting David, trying to kill him. And then there was Naomi, who after her husband and sons died, felt sure that God had turned His back on her.  Returning to her home town, she abandoned the name Naomi (which means "pleasant" or "gentle") and said, "Don't call me Naomi, ...

Zephaniah was a prophet who lived in the time of King  Josiah, and Josiah was a child who inherited the throne after his father was assassinated.   At that time Judah was overrun with wickedness and Josiah attempted to bring about change by rebuilding the temple and throwing out all of the idols.  However, the Israelites didn't listen and continued to worship other gods.   Now even Josiah, who was considered a good king - wasn't above sin, and in the end, Josiah's pride led him to set his people on a collision course with Babylon. Zephaniah (a prophet) had seen all of this coming, and kept telling the Israelites that the day of the Lord was near.  He predicted the destruction of Jerusalem, and said an army would rise up - and when it did, temples would be destroyed, leaders would be destroyed, and the city would be destroyed.  He called on people to seek the Lord, and said those who did would be a faithful remnant. But Zephaniah's prediction of do...

  This past weekend I visited Chicago with friends I’ve known for over 30 years.    Chicago is a magnificent city with a rich history, and on Saturday we took one of their architectural tours.   On the tour we boarded a boat, and then as the boat went up and down the river, a docent talked about the various buildings. The buildings were spectacular.   Many were tall, but some were not.   There were ones that were regal, and others that were showy.   Some were made of steel and glass, some of brick and mortar, while some were made of stone - quarried from places unknown.   In some buildings architects sought to reflect the water, and in others the city itself.   Some of the buildings seemed to defy gravity, while some seemed heavily rooted to their space... Many of the buildings were ornamented with carvings or little aesthetic details.   But other buildings were more “industrial”, built with a specific purpose in mind.   There...

"Mountains" in life can represent challenges or opportunities. If they are challenges, then the verse I go to most often is Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen and help you; I will up hold you with my righteous right hand." But the mountains I want to talk about this morning are the ones of opportunity. Today, my husband Jim is in Nicaragua where he is beginning a mission trip.  This morning his group will board a bus and travel about an hour an a half until they reach the base of Cerro Negro - an active black volcano which the group will climb as sort of a "team building" event. I am happy for him - and a little envious. You see when I was in Nicaragua this summer I climbed that volcano every time I could... not so much because I liked it, more so because I could . I remember a time when Mom and Dad were planning a trip to Italy.  They were taking Italian lessons, reading guide books, ...

A few years ago I saw a movie in which one of the characters had a big tattoo across his neck that read, "NO RAGRETS"... If we live according to the commands and boundaries God gives us in his word - we will minimize our regret.   However, to be human is to have regrets, because making mistakes is a universal experience.  Thankfully, God gives us ways to deal with regret when we have it. First we must know there are different types of regret: regret over things we missed out on doing, or regret over things we've done.  This second type of regret can further be broken down into regret that comes from foolish decisions, or regret because of sin. The first type of regret - the one over things we missed out on doing, is usually one that comes after an opportunity has passed.  To avoid this type of regret we must be following Jesus, for he said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that the may have life, and have it to the full." (John 1...

  Yesterday as I was driving, I heard a man talking about whittling your life’s purpose down into one succinct “biblical mission statement”.   He suggested that for the apostle Paul it might have been, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14).   That seemed about right since Paul spent the latter part of his life traveling all over Asia Minor, Greece, Macedonia, Cyprus, Judea and Syria working to spread the gospel. For King David, the man felt this verse might have been appropriate, “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)   After all – David is the one who brought the ark of the covenant back into Jerusalem, and he is the one who sought to build a temple for the Lord...

Last night I stayed up to watch the first Republican debate, and then an hour or so of the commentary afterward.  When I finally went to bed it was after midnight and I watched as the sky was lit up over and over again by what I thought was "heat lightning."  But when I Googled it (as I often do after midnight when I want to know something), I found that the term heat lightning is "a misnomer used for the flashes of lightning on the horizon or other clouds from distant thunderstorms that do not appear to have accompanying sounds of thunder. " Well, I had a lot on my mind and didn't sleep well last night.  Much of the early morning was spent watching lightning flashing for hours and hours - with no rain, no wind, and no thunder.  But then, at 5:20 am - the storm arrived in force - t rees were swaying, rain was pummeling  the roof, thunder cracked, and the lightning lit the sky. I tell you all THAT to get to this:  I believe a "storm" is coming. Politic...

If you've spend any time in church, there is no doubt you've heard the story of Moses - and the plagues that God brought down upon Egypt as Moses was asking Pharaoh to "let my people go." In the first plague, God turned the water in Egypt into blood.  The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that no one could drink it.  "Blood was everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone." (Exodus 7:19) But Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go. Then, in Exodus 8 - God sent a plague of frogs.  The Bible says the Nile teemed with frogs and that they came up into the palace and into the Pharoah's bedroom, and onto his bed.  They were in the houses of his officials and on his people, and even in the ovens and kneading troughs. Can you imagine?! But when Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, "Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord." (Exodus 8:8)   Moses...

My husband sometimes says I remind him of "sweet Polly purebread"...in the best of ways. And certainly my upbringing was such that there are things a "good girl from West Michigan" might not do...f or example - raising my hands as I am singing in church.  After all - wouldn't that be embarrassing?  Wouldn't it call too much attention to myself? But this week I read the story in 2 Samuel that tells of the day King David went to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant and return it to his city.   Now the Ark held the pieces of the stone tablets on which God had written His commandments for Moses and the people of Israel.  The top of the Ark was called the Mercy Seat and the Ark represented a powerful sign of God's holiness, power and presence.   As it was entering his city David did not even try to hide his joy.  Samuel 2 6:14 says, "Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ar...

Genesis 11 tells the story of the Tower of Babel. It says, "Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.  As people moved eastward, they found a pain in Shinar and settled there.  They said to each other, 'Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They used brick instead of stone and tar for mortar. Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.'" Sermons about this will tell you different things. They'll say that the people were vain and self reliant and you can tell that because they used bricks rather than stone...man made instead of God made. They'll tell you that God objected to the fact that the people of Babel were "trying to make a name" for themselves. They'll say that in Genesis 9:7 God had commanded them to "be fruitful and multiply and to spr...

Yesterday I learned that my son Max recently got a speeding ticket.  One hundred and sixty-five dollars (and no points) later, he’s back on the road.  It’s a hit to his wallet - but little else. In my mind a speeding ticket is a low consequence warning that you’re going too fast.  A speeding ticket saves you the pain of a high speed accident, one that could potentially total your car - or worse, kill you or someone else.  A speeding ticket causes you to slow down, to pay a little more attention, to be a little more thoughtful… Maybe we should get speeding tickets in life! So many times I find myself rushing from one task to the next, from one event to the next, from one THING to the next…but what if I slowed down a little? Today is Sunday and the Bible tells us that this should be a day of rest - "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God." - Exodus 2:8-10...

Tomorrow will mark two weeks since my Dad passed away. It honestly doesn't seem real yet. Even though I watched him go.  Even though his obituary has been published in the newspaper.  Even though my mom has been told that his ashes are in a box, ready to be picked up  or put into an urn.   And, last night while I was with some friends - I realized there are only three possibilities here (maybe four if you're Catholic). Dad is in heaven Dad is in hell Dad is nothing more than a pile of ashes sitting in a box  As Christians - the Bible tells us that there IS a heaven and a hell - so possibility number 3 should really be off the table. However, Satan loves to whisper about it - because he knows that by doing so, he can unravel you (or me).  The key here is to stand firm in faith. So now, with option 3 gone - John 5:29 teaches, there are only two possibilities: "And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that ha...

Yesterday I needed to buy a tube of toothpaste and so I went to Target.  At the toothpaste aisle I was astounded by the number choices. There was paste, or gel. There was toothpaste that whitened, kinds that protected against cavities, and ones that promised to rebuild the enamel on my teeth.  There was natural toothpaste (made of charcoal?!?!), and stuff that was ADA approved.  There was toothpaste for sensitive teeth, toothpaste with flouride, and toothpaste made especially for children. There were different brands - Crest, Colgate, Aim, Pepsodent, Sensodyne, Oral-B, Tom's, Arm & Hammer, Ultra Brite and Proctor and Gamble. Did I say I was astounded - strike that, I was OVERWHELMED - I must have spent 10 minutes looking through the options before giving up, and just grabbing a tube of Crest. And that - dear friends, is the topic of today's post - Less, is often more.  As Americans we are blessed with so much.  But is it really a blessing?  Or is it a d...

This morning I saw a wooly bear caterpillar.  It was the first I'd seen in a long time, and definitely the first of the season.  Seeing it reminded me of a time long ago. We had been living on Maple Street in Kalamazoo, and my sister Mindy - who couldn't have been more than 5 at the time, found a whole bunch of fuzzy little caterpillars.  Since the tufts of hair made them look like tiny little stuffed animals, Mindy thought their fuzziness would be wonderful against her skin.  So, she proceeded to put them all under her shirt and into her pants.  Unfortunately, many breeds of fuzzy caterpillars actually have tiny poisonous sacs connected to those spike-like hairs, and when they touch your skin they can break off and cause a stinging rash.  What Mindy thought would be of comfort - turned out to cause discomfort instead. The caterpillar reminded me of so many people I know who are in need of comfort but who don't know God. Some try alcohol or drugs.  Som...

Okay - go with me here... I've known since sometime yesterday that I was going to write about Barney Rubble today... because it is what came to mind when I asked God about my topic.  However, I couldn't imagine how Barney Rubble and a Christian blog would have any connection.  Then, throughout the day and evening it became clearer. You see, Barney is a "background character".  His name was not the one on the TV series.  He didn't get the job, car, or house that we remember when we think about the show.  And even though Barney was in every episode I can remember - his role was simply to help the story along. There are characters in the Bible that are like that too...Aaron.  Mordecai. Silas.  They don't get the same recognition as their counterparts - Moses, Esther and Paul - but they were NEEDED to help each story along. There is a song by the band Casting Crowns called Only Jesus .  It talks about how, so often, we are concerned with doing the thi...

Plans are interesting things, aren't they? I mean - w e all have them. We plan our days.  We plan our years.  We plan our lives... But what happens when God's plans are different than the plans we have for ourselves? The Bible says, "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." - Proverbs 16:9 This thought is one that has kept me awake since 3am this morning, and it is one I want to explore with you today. Noah was an upright man living with his family in a community of people.  No doubt he planned to stay there for his entire life. Moses planned to stay out of Egypt and live as a sheep farmer, far away from the possible consequences of the murder he'd committed as a young man.  As a beloved queen, Esther was going to live in a palace surrounded by attendants. And the religious zealot Saul planned to hunt down every Christian he could find and make sure they were either imprisoned or put to death... But in each case - God's plans involv...

There is a stupid saying that people often like to toss out there when you are facing extreme difficulty.  It goes like this:  “God will never give you more than you can handle.” I think that’s a load of crap. I believe that God will OFTEN give you more than you can handle, so that the only real choice you have is to lean in.   Sure there are those who will still try to do it on their own - who still think they are enough.  Who believe that if they spend sleepless nights and worry filled days they can overcome the hurdle without ever asking God for help. But I’ve learned that when I finally surrender, when I finally realize I CAN’T handle it on my own, when I finally turn to Him - that's when God will step in. In those moments He'll sometimes step in by giving me the strength and fortitude to handle the task, other times He'll send people to help, and still other times He'll simply give me peace over the situation.  God wants us to know that He is holy, we are n...

Family. For different people that word has different connotations… And for me, family extends in a lot of different directions. There is the “family” I grew up in - Mom, Dad and Mindy.   There is the family I have now - Jim, Max, Katie and Annie.   There is the “Allen” family, which included Dad, his brothers John and Ron, their wives and daughters - Liz, Carole, Doon, Dana, and Kim…along with their husbands and children.  This family also includes the Dooleys - Gail and Tom, and their kids. There is also mom’s side which includes her twin sister, Marty, her husband Dave, my cousins Bob, Katherine and Mark, and their spouses and children. And then there is Jim’s family - one that includes Mom and Dad, brother and sister, step brothers and sisters a half brother, aunts, uncles and cousins - now all part of my family too. And there are the Bernards Then finally there is my faith family - the one that keeps getting bigger with every Bible study and mission trip.  I susp...

A   week ago Wednesday I started a fundraiser for Amigos for Christ.  After spending a large portion of my summer there working in the community of San Benito, I got the crazy idea that maybe with the help of friends, we could raise enough money to fund a well ($10k).  This would impact the lives of families for generations to come.  This would be good. And then last Wednesday I got a text from my sister who had gone to Kalamazoo with her youngest daughter.  She said, “I think you should come.” Dad was in the hospital and Mindy said he wasn’t doing well… Four days later - my Dad had passed. Now my Dad spent his entire life looking for ways to help others.  Where some people “see a need and fill a need,” Dad would always do one better by ANTICIPATING the need.  He would then work to fill the need before it caused stress or strife. Yesterday I decided to dedicate my fundraising efforts to my dad.  After all, if we could work together and fund a well...

I started my morning with nothing on paper and no thoughts on what the blog would be about today.     My “reserves” were empty - as there was no pre-written post that I could use, and  I was anxious about a topic. I had a lot of things rolling around in my head: the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), the Hope of Heaven, Faith…but nothing felt quite right. I kept thinking I should probably spend a little time reading my Bible.    It’s been a while since I spent any real or quality time there…So I picked up my phone and opened my You Version Bible app. and got one of the biggest God winks I’d had in a while.    The picture and words above were staring back at me. These words feel as if they were written just for me. I needed them.    My soul was craving them.    My life HAS changed, but He is constant. Psalm 1:1-3 reminds me rooting myself in scripture is the right course of action as well. “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step...