See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19 Isaiah 43:19 is my favorite New Year’s verse. I think of it every year and ponder what it might mean for me in the new year. It was written to Israel during a particularly bleak time in the nation’s history. Because of their disobedience, the northern Kingdom had been…
Every Christmas, it seems I get at least one extraordinary, thoughtful, and completely unexpected gift that totally astounds me and even brings tears to my eyes. Usually it’s not the most expensive gift or even something that I’ve asked for or been wanting…but something small that takes me by surprise in all that it represents. A couple of years ago, I made a casual reference in a sermon to my affection for Reeses Pieces. Many months later at Christmas time,…
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:2 November is National Adoption Month, and coincidentally, it’s also the month of our daughter Katelyn’s birthday. So this time of year, Steve and I often reflect on the amazing journey that brought Katelyn to our home. Back in 2005, God used a traumatic experience ministering in a Jamaican orphanage to break our hearts for the needs of the orphans. The adoption process was long and…
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (2 Corinthians 9:6) Last March, on our annual GLCC ministry trip, several members of our team were in a small Jamaican hardware store to pick up some project supplies for the next day. While they were shopping, I wandered into the little garden section and saw a packet of callaloo seeds. Now, callaloo is kind of like a Caribbean tropical spinach…a broad deep…
Parenting Yesterday Pam and I moved our oldest daughter, Amanda into her third-floor dorm room at UVA to begin her first year in the nursing program. Three floors of stairs, no elevator, no air conditioning, just me, a pile of boxes and suitcases, and my own thoughts. If you’ve ever dropped a child off at university, you know the mixture of emotions as you trudge up and down the stairs. Where did the years go? Wasn’t it just yesterday she…
An amazing story has unfolded on our church Facebook prayer chain today. But I know many of you haven’t seen it. God has been so faithful and the answers to prayer have been SO incredible and God’s people have been SO generous, that I must share this with the whole church and all of my Facebook friends… For several years, I’ve been praying about having our GLCC Missionary Eric Simpson join us for our annual ministry trip to Jamaica. Both…
“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day! An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which apparently, contradictory terms appear side by side. “Jumbo shrimp”, “controlled chaos”, or an “open secret” are some obvious ones. We often joke in oxymoron’s to make…
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…” James 1:2 “I have so much to be thankful for! The Lord is so good…so faithful…so good.” His voice trailed off in contemplation and prayer. Alva lives in Jamaica. He is 82 years old and blind. He lives in a shack about a half…
“In every prayer for all of you, I always pray with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:4-6) This week, I am pausing to reflect over my life and my years of ministry…and I am absolutely amazed at the rich partnerships God has blessed me…
“For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 God called a drunken vineyard dresser to collect 2 of each animal, build a giant boat, and thus save humanity from a world-wide flood…that was NOAH. God called a lying, Canaanite prostitute to pave the way for Israel to conquer the land God promised…that was RAHAB. God called a moon worshiping, childless pagan couple to…