Star-fish

     I'm currently in a Bible study at my church by Kelly Minter called, All Things New . It is a study of the book of Second Corinthians. On pg. 94 Minter is noting how as Christians we are unable to juggle the things of the world and the things of God together in our hands; one must be dropped to keep the other firmly in our control: “We’ve all longed for what this world has to offer while resisting the real life Jesus longs to give us. However, there is simply no unclean thing worth touching at the expense of holding the blessings the Father longs to give you.”       Here was a question Minter asked regarding this idea of being unequally yoked, not just referring to marriage, but also with the world. Do we have things/people in our lives that continually pull us away from God or that anchor us and tug at us so we can’t be fully engaged with Jesus’ mission for our lives? Her question was, “When it comes to your being separate from what the world...

     Today is my birthday. That sounds like something you'd hear a child say as they still love the idea of growing numbers, but this birthday didn't seem like something to celebrate. Aging isn't what it used to be...benchmarks of things to look forward to...double digits, teen years, driving, voting, and legal drinking. Now, on the other side of the mountain of life, the peak has been reached; it's all downhill from here or so it seems.      Aging on the other end of the cycle of life brings things like glasses, weight gain, aches, ailments, even memory and hair loss. Those are not the type of things most of us wish to celebrate. But God has other plans for us as we age. He expects that we'll be wise and share our wisdom through mentoring those younger in the faith and in life than us.      Purpose and passion are not limited to the young, but older people can limit purpose and passion by saying they are too old. Too old for what? What doe...

My husband called me a shopaholic after I told him about my dream last night. I didn't want to wake up this morning as I was in this cute little jewelry store and had picked out this gold necklace with diamonds on it and as I was heading to the clerk to check out, I woke up! I think if I was a true shopaholic, I would have at least purchased the necklace before my dream ended;) I must admit, I could happily be a personal shopper as finding the right gift or item at the best price is a bit of a thrill for me. But shopping can, in some cases, become an idol. By definition an idol is, "any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion" (Dictionary.com). So if I couldn't think about anything but shopping and was only happy when I was shopping, then by definition that could indicate idolatry. Anything we can't get enough of, can't stop thinking about, and takes the place of God in our lives, is an idol whether it's food, fame...