Sunday, December 03, 2017

Advent 2017

I usually light a candle on the 4 Sundays of Advent, but this year I'm not.  Besides, some of my tapers are burned down to nubs.
I have been reading a few Advent/Christmas devotions... two on-line and the book Advent in Narnia by Heidi Haverkamp.  There are *so* many resources on-line and the app I use for my daily devotion (YouVersion) has a lot of Advent/Christmas devotions to choose from.

May your holiday season be blessed with Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love!







Wednesday, November 01, 2017

Friends of any age ๐Ÿ‘ฑ๐Ÿป‍♀️๐Ÿ‘ต๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‘ง๐Ÿฟ

I recently "met" a young lady on-line.  At first, it was only our love for Christ Jesus that we had in common.  Then we discovered a shared love of reading, animals, fantasy, music... something new pops up almost every week!  But because we don't live near each other, I'm exploring the extent of "social media" in getting to know each other long-distance.  We have so many more options than I did when I was younger!  Then, I wrote a lot of "snail" mail ๐Ÿ“ฌ, but wasn't fond of phones ☎️.
Now there's e-mail, text, "the ๐Ÿ˜ณWorld Wide Web ๐Ÿ˜ฎ", instant message, FaceBook, Skype/FaceTime, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, ... shall I go on?
I'm excited to get to know this girl, "๐ŸŽปB.๐Ÿ“š", as she is younger than I and her experiences stir my memories of that time in my life!  I pray that I can be a good example to her: of a Christian wife, a sister, a daughter, and a caring & entertaining friend!  She is my sister in Christ and that is a treasure to have!




Friday, October 06, 2017

Trace the scars...

     Life is never simple.  Never completely in control.  Pain is a part of life.  Learn to seek value in suffering.  Look for where it hurts and run your mind, like gentle fingers, over the wounds.  Feel the healing "pins and needles."  Watch as scar tissue replaces the gaping wound, soothing the shock, covering the intensity, muffling the ache.
     The creation of a scar hurts.  But it is "good" pain... it means the awful, sudden, immediate jolt of HURT is over.  Healing begins.
     Scars cover the "hurt" so the bleeding can stop and rebuilding can begin.
     In time, go back and trace the scars... and they will show you how much you've grown.  Through pain.  Because of pain.  Despite pain.