What We Were Created For

Don’t hold on to something God is calling you out of, whose fruit may have been ripe for a season. Whatever that "thing" is may have been filling for a time, but it needs to be left behind for something fresh and meaningful today. During 40 years of wandering in the desert, God provided for Israel. The manna was waiting every morning for their daily consumption. But God commanded Israel not to store it up for the future. It was just for the day. Is it…

I stood in the dark living room reminiscing and thanking God for His provision. It was like saying goodbye to an old friend. This house meant so much to me. Countless hours of renovation and tender care believing I’d live out the rest of my days in this beautiful home; family intact. But it just wasn’t meant to be. After 36 years of marriage, separation and eventual divorce I relinquished any claims to the place we called home for so many years which was now…

That dash on our tombstone - you know, the one that represents the life we lived between our start date and our end date? What we do during that time has eternal implications. Mark Twain put it so aptly. “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” The “why” has everything to do with the legacy we leave and the influence of our dash. When I think back on my earlier days it feels like so much time…

The way in which we interpret significant events in our lives has everything to do with how we view our world, view God and view ourselves. Do you agree with that assertion? I’ll show you what I mean. Let’s look at Matthew 16:13-17. 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say ,…

I haven’t followed the 76ers nearly as much as I did when Dr. J led them to a world championship and Moses made his famous – Fo, Fo, Fo prediction back in 1983. http://www.nba.com/history/season/19821983.html But this past year they were fun to watch. Led by the big man, Joel Embid, their latest motto is “Trust the Process”. For them, it’s truly been a process. Heck, 4 out of the last 5 years their first pick in the draft was no lower than #3.…

I attended the Global Leadership Summit a few weeks ago and Simon Sinek spoke on the topic of his new, yet to be released book, The Infinite Game. Sinek’s assertion is that - you can win every battle but still lose the war. The goal is not to beat your competition; the goal is to outlast them. He used the Vietnam War as an example. In January 1968, the North Vietnamese People’s Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong launched the Tet Offensive, one of the largest…

It’s been a tough couple weeks. Losing my 4-legged friend carried with it more grief than I ever expected. Even our Golden Retriever – Tucker - misses Barney. Moping through the day in an uncharacteristic way. As we returned from the animal hospital on that Sunday Colleen lamented – “with each death comes new life” - we glance to our right at an Amish farm and there stood a baby colt snuggled up to his mother. Wow. You nailed that one Coll. It…

Continuing the discussion from the Story of Barnabas our Toy Poodle - let’s talk about another perspective on this topic . . . in Part 2 of this 3-part series. My first husband (Bob) died several years ago, and as I was processing his illness, and the inevitable need to put him on hospice in the upcoming weeks, I retreated with the Lord to pour out my pain. As I struggled to understand that deep pain, I heard a still small voice in my head say, “I did not create…

The indisputable truth, that we weren’t made to experience death, hit me squarely between the eyes this weekend. Our 15-year-old toy poodle, Barnabas - his friends called him Barney, went home to be with the Lord yesterday. Well.…… that’s what I think. Besides, everyone knows that “All Dogs Go to Heaven”! This day was packed with lessons. When God created us, we lived in perfect harmony with Him and all of nature. The plan was to…