Sometimes when life seems dark, it’s hard to find hope in anything, especially the holidays. How do you celebrate “outside” when things inside your heart feel so broken? Today Christians celebrate the empty tomb, the victory of Christ over satan, sin and death. Through a horrific death and resurrection, Christ offers us a true hope found in the resurrection, that…
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Hope Found in the Resurrection
I Thirst
As I meditate on Good Friday; the day that my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ gave his life a ransom for mine, I am overcome with the magnitude of God’s love for me. No love compares to that love displayed on the Cross; innocent love that poured itself out for a wretch like me. This love that would barter such…
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Were You There When they Crucified My Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Triumphantly entering Jerusalem ahead of the Jewish Passover, on what we term “Palm Sunday”, the people hail Jesus as “king”. Yet no one, not even Jesus’ disciples, despite Jesus plainly telling them, understood He entered as the sacrificial Passover Lamb. Curiously, though this week held much activity for Christ, the Gospels record…
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Praying the Biblical Stations of the Cross
Entering what many Christians call, “Holy Week”, I nurture a posture of reflection. My devotional focus lingers on Jesus’ final week on earth culminating in His betrayal, trial, torture, death, burial and resurrection. Complementing my reflective devotions, in recent years, I chose incorporating the powerful practice of praying the biblical stations of the cross. Well-known as a Catholic ritual, and…
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Delight in Finding the Serenity of Spring
With the arrival of the vernal equinox, we plunge excitedly into a new season. Social media boasts an abundance of newly sprouted spring flowers, and eagerly budding trees and shrubs. Shyly, spring enters our world each year as the earth gently births that which was delicately hidden from our sight. This majestic of seasons commences from the humble cover of…
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Discovering the Sounds of Silence
When was the last time you intentionally scheduled time for silence? Silence energizes my soul like a healing therapy. An overwhelming introvert, my aversion to noise and communication demands creates daily challenges I often find exhausting. Discovering the sounds of silence replenishes my depleted energy and beleaguered senses. Actually, a regular practice of silence benefits everyone from children to adults,…
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Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring
My Joy Journey took me on a European tour this month, with stops in Scotland, England and Germany. Coming upon a quote on joy, by C.S. Lewis intrigued me and became the impetus for further exploration. I started with C.S. Lewis’ book, “Surprised by Joy”, traveling with him from his childhood home in Scotland to his days as professor in…
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A Mindfulness Approach to Prayer
Often our own ideas on prayer eventuate the biggest hindrances to our prayer life. Sometimes prayer becomes more of a performance, as we work so hard at doing everything “right” so God hears us and we don’t offend Him in the process. I know people who struggle tremendously with the wording of their prayers, the topics of their prayers and…
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Betrayed By An Intimate Friend
Sometimes familiarity deceives us; gives us a false sense of “knowledge”. That was my conclusion as I spent time re-reading the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ final week on earth. Familiarity with the events blinded me to the depth of information said in so few lines. The story of the betrayal of Jesus received a cursory glance rich with assumption. Recently…
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