The Meandering Mind of a Christian Woman

James 1: 2-4:   2  Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.             The word perseverance really jumped out at me as I read these verses. Inside the word we find another word; severe, which never conjures up positive images. We face severe circumstances in life and we are supposed to consider it joy? Not just joy but pure joy? How do we do that?             I must admit I feel that I have been living through an extended period of testing and persevering has become more challenging. I feel fortunate to just get through some days; so this mandate of joy on top of it seems impossible. The definition of persevere is “ Continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no indication of success.” Those last few words put the nail in

This time of year is sentimental for me. It marks a few anniversaries of different events in my life that have impacted me greatly. When I get sentimental I think about the “good old days” when life was very different than it is today. I crave those simpler times although at the time I had no idea how good it was. It is a lot like realizing you were in good physical shape at a time when you thought you were fat (women understand this). Today, we consider ourselves pretty high tech and advanced; yet, I would hazard a guess that in 20 years we will look back and laugh at ourselves for thinking this way. All my speculation about the past and future reminds that we must appreciate the here and now. I’m sure I’ve written about this before but it is a lesson that requires relearning (for me anyway) on a regular basis. I get caught up in memories or dreams of what is coming when I have so many moments right here, right now that I need to live. The young look to the future, the old look

            I have read the statement; “I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn’t, than to live as if there isn’t and find out there is.” While I understand the gist of what is being said, it troubles me because it implies that faith is safety net rather than a heartfelt belief. Is this the life of a “lukewarm Christian’?   Revelation 3:16 “So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”             If one is not growing in faith, one is shrinking. We must continually focus and refocus our eyes on God and the love of our Savior Jesus Christ. We must also apply it to our living. There is no time for stagnancy. It happens all too easy though as the world pulls and tugs us away from what is important, eternally important.             Jason Gray has a song, “ More Like Falling in Love ” that describes so well how I desire to feel about my faith. The chorus goes like this:              “To sweep m

            I’m a big fan of words, sort of an obvious statement since I like to write. I remember when I was still pretty little, frequently asking my mother what different words meant. Learning vocabulary in school was a favorite subject too. Unfortunately, this love of words also leads me some sinful behavior, when I see misspelled or improperly used words I become a little judgmental. Now, that doesn’t mean I say anything but I do have very brief thoughts of feeling somehow superior.             I give great thought to my choice of words, spoken or written. My goal is to be positive and uplifting as often as possible. Proverbs 25:11 “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” Our word choices (and thought choices) have the wonderful ability to create great beauty in the world around us, in the people around us. I am not speaking of falsely inflating an ego just simply recognizing a positive feature or behavior. Expressing appreciation for small favo

I’m a big fan of cruises. I enjoy the pampered feeling and living “high on the hog” for a few days. My favorite part though is having a stateroom with a balcony, yes it costs more but it is worth it to me. When the ship is at sea and the pool decks are packed with oiled and sweaty bodies, I can retreat to my own private area to enjoy the breeze and the ocean view. When I look at the vast expanse of water and sky I am reminded and awed by the vastness of God. Because as infinite as that view is, I know that God is even bigger. He is bigger than my corner of the world, bigger than the ocean and sky and bigger than any problem (real or perceived) that is in my path. On top of all that, he knows me by name and has called me to be his! Knowing that God is more than able to do more than I can fathom is such an encouragement in good times and bad.   When I forget how capable he is I imagine that endless ocean view and am reminded that I serve a great God. Jesus slept in the boat when i

Psalm 139: 7-12 “Where can I go from your Spirit?   Where can I flee from your presence? 8  If I go up to the heavens, you are there;   if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10  even there your hand will guide me,   your right hand will hold me fast. 11  If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me   and the light become night around me,” 12  even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”             I have been playing hide and seek with God, I have been hiding and waiting for him to find me. (I am not proud of this.) Just as a little child thinks she may be pulling off the best hiding place ever, yet her parent knows exactly where she is. God doesn’t need to “find” me, he knows exactly where I am, what I am doing or not doing.             Life has not been easy the last several weeks and darkness has permeated my day