Luke 9:3 And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece.” Jesus sent the twelve on an assignment but told them to take nothing with them. He gave them power and authority and asked them to…
Shake It Off
Luke 9:5 And as for those who do not receive you as you go out from that city to shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them. “Shake the dust off your feet.” Move on. Shake off and release the rejection. Remove the dust of the experience from your feet so you…
What if You Aren’t Re-Learning the Same Lesson Over and Over Again Until You “Get It”?
Have you ever heard someone say, “God keeps putting me in the same situation, I guess I haven’t learned my lesson yet.”? Maybe you’ve even said it yourself. I know I have, but it always sat a little off in my heart, and not only did I not know why, I never really asked Him…
We Need Each Other, Thoughts About Self-Soothing, Isolation, and Holding Space
I have a lot to say about this photo. Thought #1 Riley was scared because of the loud upstairs neighbor. She stood in the middle of the living room and I could see her considering her options. Fear short circuits the brain, it often doesn’t matter that we have a lot of options in a…
The Audacity of Youth
I’m a side-sleeper, sometimes back but not stomach. Nothing about sleeping on my stomach is comfortable for me. So, when nurses told me that I should try spending more time on my stomach than on my side or back, I said the “obvious” – “I can’t get comfortable on my stomach.” I was not outright…
Thinking About “Minor” Characters in the Bible
In the story of Jacob, how much thought have you given to Leah? I realized today that I have never given her much thought. My focus has always been on Rachel, after all, she was the one Jacob loved and worked so hard for. In reality, I considered Leah a rather minor player in the…
Make a Life, Not Excuses
In the hospital, the ICU bed was one that moved in different places randomly to increase blood flow since I spent most of my time in bed. Every time the bed moved, I thought it was Riley crawling into bed with me. Even with morphine and all the stuff attached, I instinctively reached for her….