Monthly Archives: April 2022
One of the best privileges of Christianity is that we show compassion and love for one another by praying for those who have needs, for the church which is Christ’s body and the implementer of His teachings, and for God’s will to be done on earth.
There is no shortage of prayer needs right now. It seems there is…..
Spring is traditionally a time of expectations, isn’t it? In the north, I couldn’t wait for April so I could walk around my gardens looking for any hint that green shoots would appear, the hope of things to come. There’s that special spring green which lasts only a few days as tender leaves unfurl and buds push through the contrasting dark soil.
And spring is when graduations happen. These last few weeks of school are filled with expectations (and deadlines…..
Today is Shakespeare’s birth and death date. Some, may quibble and say he was born on the 23rd, but who cares? He was a writer who learned from life, condensed stories of pride (hubris), intrigue, power, humor, and man’s inhumanity to man, and created characters representative of all aspects of man and the troubles he can cause. Our leaders today should read Hamlet and Macbeth and Lear and gain insight into how to govern, and the pitfalls of getting it…..
My mother used to call them “temporary arrangements.” These were the “honey-do” projects she wanted Dad to tackle, and they were never done to her satisfaction. She always longed for a new house with a new kitchen, enough storage, and something less ravaged by four kids and a dog.
That’s what I thought about when I read 2nd Corinthians: 4:18 this morning. That and the war in Ukraine, and the administration which is undermining, in my opinion, democracy and even…..
The Ukrainians celebrate Easter this weekend. I have been doing research for a story I’m writing, and have been studying their traditions, their Pysanky eggs, their Paska bread, and their traditions. I grieve that so many are mourning theirs lost customs, their fright, their deprivation, and worst of all, their dead and displaced people. For a celebratory holiday like the resurrection of Christ, the gathering of family, the hope of spring and new growth will be replaced this year for…..
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:7-8 these words, my theme for today– “Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.”
Yesterday was quite a day for me. Right after I posted my blog, I received a Facebook message that I had violated…..
So, we’ve sung “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today!”, we’ve eaten the festal feast of ham and scalloped potatoes, had our fill of egg salad from all the colored Easter eggs, and consumed more chocolate than at any other time of the year. So, how, besides the calories and the memories, do we apply Easter so that it changes our…..
The story of Jesus is one of redemption. The message of Easter and beyond is that it is our turn to tell it to the world. May this poem, My Psalm 166 capture the story so we can tell it over and over throughout all generations to all parts of the earth. Jesus has risen. He has risen, indeed. Alleluia!
My Psalm 166
Predicted Messiah,
Son of God, Son of Man,
Prince of Peace, Lord of Lords
From Paradise came.
…..
We know Jesus was buried in a garden tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea..Joseph was a secret follower of Jesus, but also a member of the Sandhedrin which had sentenced Jesus to die. He and his Pharisee friend, Nicodemus, requested the body of Jesus. Since it was the day of preparation for the Sabbath, they hurriedly buried Jesus in Joseph’s own tomb in a nearby garden. This “fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy spoken hundreds of years before Jesus’ death: “He was assigned…..
That fateful Thursday night, Jesus was betrayed as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed earnestly, so earnestly, that it is said His sweat was as drops of blood. First, He knew what awaited Him. He asked that that cup pass from Him, but as He continued to pray, He changed to one of complete submission to God,…..