Star-fish

      There seems to be plenty to be afraid of lately i.e. COVID, violence, political unrest, and financial loss. As Christians, do we give in to our fears? David in Psalms has been captured by the Philistines, known for their brutality, yet he writes in Psalm 56:3-4, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise--in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"      I admire David's bravery, but I can think of a lot of things mere mortals can do to me! Many don't even involve violence, yet it can be  devastating all the same. In her book, Intimacy with God , Cynthia Heald, on page 33, quotes Charles H. Spurgeon's response to Psalm 56:3-4: It is blessed fear which drives us to trust. Unregenerate fear drives from God, gracious fear drives to Him. If I fear man I have only to trust God, and I have the best antidote. To trust when there is no cause for fear, is but the name of faith, but to be reliant upon God wh...

      We have been looking for a new church, since we moved to a new state, just before COVID broke out. Finding a place to worship is harder than it would seem. The factors of the pastor, music, location, and of course church doctrine are hard to get just right for us, as my husband and I have different views on what makes a good match. But I think we have landed in a place that is a fit for us both.  Hallelujah!        All that is to say, I started going to the women's Bible study group and they are reading, Intimacy with God , by Cynthia Heald. It's a study of the Psalms. Heald asks on page 32, "How do we know that if we give Him [God] our lives and reveal to Him our deepest desires, some tragedy will not befall us?" She notes that in Psalm 84:11 we read, "No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly." Then she quotes on the same page Sir Richard Baker, a 16th century religious writer in Charles H. Spurgeon's...

       As a Christian, one thing I wanted to share with you today is how to know you’ll go to heaven one day. I would love to be reunited with all my friends, family, and fellow believers in eternity and if we all go to heaven that will be possible. I wasn’t a believer in Jesus Christ much of my life, but once convicted at 25 years old, He made all the difference in my life.       If you decide you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior and Lord and be ensured of having your name written in the Book of Life for eternity, you can simply pray/say the following:   Lord Jesus Christ, I believe you are the Son of God, I believe you died on the cross and rose again, taking the sins of the world and my sins to the cross with you. Thank you for dying in my place as a living sacrifice and I ask you to come into my life, forgive me of my sins, and be my Lord and Savior. Amen.  If you believe and declare that statement, you will ...

    Recently, due to a stomach flair up, I had to take this yucky medicine for a follow up CT scan. The medicine was thick and cloyingly sweet, plus I had to drink a quart of it. I told my husband, "I don't want to!" I knew I sounded like a spoiled child. I wanted the results without the necessary steps to get them.        I prayed, "Lord, help me do this, as I just don't want to," and he did. I eventually got it down with only a few shuddering moments. Lately, many times, I just want to throw up my hands and say, "I don't want to!" Is this a lack of patience, momentum, perseverance, maturity or "the last straw"?      On the news and social media, I read about people "losing it" on planes and in stores, and frankly, part of me says, "I get it!" It's not okay, because the poor person at the brunt of the bad behavior likely doesn't deserve it. But people, me included, are not navigating this "new normal...