April 22 is officially Earth Day/Arbor Day. It also happens to be “Trails Day” in my small town. So, what a perfect excuse to get outside and enjoy a long hike, one of my favorite things. I got up, prepared what I felt I needed for an hour or two,…
Luke 15:11-32 tells us of a father and his two sons. The sons grew up in the father’s house and were given all they needed daily. But the youngest felt restricted and limited by the rules his father had placed on him. As a young man, he didn’t want to…
As I watch her excitedly climb the ladder to slide down the other side, I’m gripped with the knowledge that this is a fleeting moment. I see the joy in her upturned face as she talks to the trees, the birds, the flowers, asking them to play. Once again, I…
I have a recurring dream. I am in a familiar house, not my current home, but I feel I belong there. Walking through the hallways, I notice a few rooms I don’t remember seeing before. I am so excited; I can really use the extra space! Looking around, I notice…
Yesterday, we looked at “The Widow’s Oil,” the first of two women mentioned in II Kings Chapter 4. Today, we will look at the testimony of the Shunammite woman. In II Kings 4:8-37, we again read about the prophet, Elisha. But this time, he was not ministering to a poor…
II Kings 4:1-7 introduces us to a widow who came with a need to the prophet Elisha. She had already been through so much. Her husband’s death was unexpected and sudden. The life they had created together was now a thing of the past. She was so thankful that she…
Condemnation versus conviction. Many of us may have experienced both at some point in our walk with God. One of Satan’s biggest weapons against the children of God is condemnation. To condemn means “to pronounce to be guilty, to sentence to punishment, or to pass judgment against.” Condemnation is especially…
The walls of Jericho seemed indestructible. God gave them instructions as the Israelites stared up at those fortified walls. He didn’t tell them to go up and storm the city; that would have been a suicide mission. Instead, they were directed to walk daily around the city for seven days.…
Growing up going to Sunday School, I remember being taught that the shortest verse in the Bible was found in John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” When called upon to recite Scripture, I always had that one in my memory bank! But there is so much meaning and depth in those two…