Forgive me for taking a break from this site. I had to pay a bit of attention to my health for a few weeks. Life can throw you a curve when you least expect it. Thanks to therapists who pushed me beyond what I thought I could do, I’m practically back to normal. It’s made me think of times when God has done the same, asked me to get out of my comfort zone and do something I didn’t know I was capable of. God is more empathetic than therapists though. Whining about pain doesn’t faze them while God mercifully gives us the ability to carry out what he’s asked! 

What a shock! A female cardinal was eating a live grasshopper on my patio. When I saw the struggling grasshopper being torn apart, I couldn’t watch. Even though you may say it’s just a bug, when you see a creature being eaten while it’s still alive, that’s not a pleasant sight. Memories of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs came to mind. (A book I’ll never read again!) Scenes of Christians being eaten alive by ravenously hungry lions in a public arena just because they’re followers of Jesus. May we all be so strong in our convictions!

A red streak flashed by my window. One of the cardinals that live in and around my yard on its way to somewhere in a hurry. As another paid a brief visit to a hanging flowerpot on my porch, it made me wonder why are cardinals red? Red is not a color I would choose if I needed to avoid the attention of predators, but red they are. Oh, I know, it’s said the males are red to attract the females, but little brown wrens and sparrows seem to be doing fine as far as the breeding business goes. So, if cardinals are red for no other reason than to make you and me happy, that’s good enough for me.

Jesus spent a lot of his time preaching and healing people, but sometimes he needed to be alone to pray or to teach his disciples. This was not easy for him to do. We can understand why. Who wouldn’t want to go to all lengths to bring a sick child or other loved one to someone who would heal them. And, his words, his amazing words were healing messages in their own way. Even though he and his disciples would go by boat to another area, the people would find them. Each time this happened our loving, compassionate, beleaguered Savior not only welcomed them, but fed them.

The most expensive wedding ever happened this month. Two Indian families paid about half a billion for their son’s and daughter’s wedding, which lasted several days and included a cruise. The bride and groom were resplendent in their costly wedding attire and jewels, only two of the many outfits they wore. You would recognize some of the names of the famous people who were invited and of those who performed for the various celebrations. Such extravagance, yes, but it made me think of Isaiah 61:10. An even greater and more costly wedding is described there and we’re all invited.

As I read through Christ’s wilderness temptation in Luke, it occurred to me how simply the temptation was described. Luke no doubt knew what it was like to fast for a day or so. But for 40 days without food, that’s unimaginable. Jesus would have been skin and bones. His body was screaming out for food by then! Simple compelling, seductive words by Satan and simple straightforward, scriptural answers from Christ. Don’t you imagine there was much more going on than what was described in the gospel accounts. Much more! Thank you, Lord, for enduring such trials in your love for us!

Okay, you goofed up. Falling short is hard to admit, but there it is. You have sinned. Do you think God is surprised. Not a bit. He’s not shocked when we sin. Don’t try to hide yourself from him, like Adam and Eve did, which is impossible anyway. Remorse for slipping up is fine but continuing to focus on your sin instead of Jesus is not spiritually healthy. You are forgiven. Your slate is wiped clean. Don’t let past or present sins be distractions that keep you from your daily communion with him.

When all my information was cleared from an old computer, the PC defaulted to its root settings. My cell phone will do the same. If I don’t change my thermostat it defaults to a set temperature. Our technology is designed to default to its original settings unless we intervene. This made me think what is my default? Under changing circumstances or stressful times, how do I react? Is my default my old fleshly self or my new self in Christ? When push comes to shove, let’s ask ourselves, what’s our default?

“And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed” (Mark 6:56, NIV). Jesus was surrounded by people much of the time, pushing and shoving around him. Remember the woman in John 4 who touched the hem of his garment and was healed. She was just one of the perhaps dozens or so who had touched his robe. The difference was she touched him in faith. His disciples were sent out with oil-anointed cloths to use to heal people. There’s no magical healing in fabric, either those cloths or Jesus’ garment. The difference is faith.

As I rose from the dentist’s chair, I asked the dental assistant, “Are you happy?” We were both surprised. Me, because I felt the need to ask and her because I asked. First, she said yes, but then I could tell by her face something was going on. Her oh-so-happy face masked some negativity in her life. I didn’t expect her to share what was wrong, but I knew then I should be praying for her. Feeling that spiritual urge while speaking at church is one thing. An urge to say something specifically to a stranger is something else. No matter, when the Spirit says speak, I speak!