Latest Posts

The Loveliest

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. 1 Peter 3:15 We returned from our honeymoon to the little four-room apartment as the sun set, casting its warm light over the cracked vinyl couch, green shag carpet, and homemade curtains. Our first home together was the loveliest sight I had ever seen. Wedding gifts were piled high in the living room, welcoming us like happy hosts. As a new bride, I was dazzled by… Read More

Planted

...for my Mother-in-Love. Thank you. The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,      they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord,      they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age,      they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;      he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”… Read More

The Sound of Feet Running (Or, How to Resist the Devil)

For our grown-up warrior, who helped us hear the sound of feet running.  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  James 4:7-8 Some said we were living near the very gates of the enemy. Deep in the heart of the ancient walled city was an old mosque, made famous over the centuries by the pilgrims who journeyed… Read More

What Grows Among the Rubbish

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.  1 Peter 4:8 The cluster of purple wild asters greeted me like a bouquet held out in the hands of a child. I paused my walk home and crouched down to take a closer look. Perfectly formed, delicate petals opened to reveal small yellow centers. They were a work of art. A pleasant focus at the end of a long, sweltering… Read More

The Tale of the Storm Thrush (or, How to Rebuild a Ruined Nest)

Afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and I will lay your foundations with sapphires. Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies, and your gates of crystal, and your entire wall of precious stones.  Isaiah 54:11-12 There is a fat-bellied bird in Britain who has two names. Ornithologists call him a Mistle Thrush, but in the countryside where he is often seen, he is known as the… Read More

Outside

For R and C, and all who feel outside. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.  Hebrews 13:12 He spoke quietly, gently.  We were always taught that the mzungu (white man) knew best. That his way was always better. So I felt shame when asked to lead. I remained quiet, afraid my opinions would not matter. Centuries of colonization left their indelible mark on his… Read More

Your Gentleness Made Me Great

Your gentleness made me great. 2 Samuel 22:36   Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 Great: of an extent, amount, or intensity considerably above the normal or average.… Read More

Run with Endurance

for happy feet Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the… Read More

He Sees You, Little Sparrow

  His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. -Civilla Martin, 1904   Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31 God will go to amazing lengths to reveal His love to us.… Read More

The Woven

If you missed Part One in this series of Stories of the Redeemed, click here. Last week you heard Cecilia Sakatira’s story of how the Master Weaver gave her a new vision and purpose out of a time of darkness and suffering. She is the founder and director of Creative Hands, a ministry that empowers women on the refugee highway in Greece to find gainful employment and learn about the Messiah. This week, read with… Read More