God asks you to give away everything and sends you out with nothing. That’s how the kingdom of God works in power. I can see you now tramping around precarious obstacles that were yesterday’s toys in the living room. Your brother Luke engineers his train through the mountain pass and down the steep precipice of his train set. You […]
When Jesus Walks Across Your Storm
You don’t cry much. Mom rises like a zombie in the night to snatch you out of terrors or a bad dream, or even a whimper as you partially roll over. Mom is always there. And on the weekends, Dad comes in to get you early in the morning when you’re rustling, and makes you […]
You Don’t Have to Act the Same Way
I know. I saw your brother push you. He did it right there by the train table. You were holding the train Mommy gave you that he calls, “Tia train,” your nickname, while he carries it everywhere. I’ve haven’t yet been able to explain to a little, two year old boy how Tia train means […]
Oh, You’re Definitely Different, Angel
Two blue eyes. One red shopping cart. A tiny pair of grey leggings. One mouth agape in unaffected adorableness. And two random shoes that aren’t even trying. Aren’t even pretending to match. There’s something perfect about this picture, Kaylee. Perfect because it’s you. But also, undeniably, perfect because it’s different. In the wilderness, God’s people rebelled against Moses with this […]
The Narrow Gate Through a Cross
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7.14) Some things are just too beautiful to let go. I look into your eyes as you clamber around your brother’s train set, picking up cars, knocking over little segments of track and town buildings. Mumbling, […]
Set Your Eyes On Things Beyond
“The eye is the lamp of the body…” (Matthew 6.22) Sometimes I’ll sit out on our back porch by the lake and reflect. Crickets chirp from the reeds beyond the water as a drip from the night’s rainfall ponders down the gutter. The black as I look out, at this time of night, or as […]
The Fruit of Following the Lord
Bible Verse: “They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them. Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them… But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.” Proverbs 1.30-33 Lesson: The waywardness […]
The Most Precious Altar
Bible Verse: So Abram moved his camp to Hebron. There he built another altar to the Lord. Genesis 13.18 Daughter Lesson: We’re always building altars. The heart is where we build our most precious altar. On it we lay everything important to us. Our dreams, our passions, our secret hopes. We lay the kindling of desire that will sweep […]
God Remembers You
Genesis 8:1 “But God remembered Noah…and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” To my daughter: it’s so easy for us to focus on our problems. Yet Noah went through the worst disaster in the world. Really. To you, he represents coming through baptism, despite all your sin, into redemption — and what an incredible accomplishment that was by Jesus. […]
This Little Light of Mine
Matthew 5.16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. To my daughter: You are a bright light. You shine in places in your Daddy’s heart I didn’t even know need brightening. God made you to shine. It is the nature He put in […]