Here I Am

When I was in my 20’s I had a cat named Spunky. Spunky loved to play, in-fact, I was able to teach her how to fetch. Yes, you can teach a cat to fetch, it just takes a little more time and patience than with a dog. I would throw out the little cat ball to Spunky and she would bring it back to me again and again, she loved to play.  When thinking about Spunky fetching I thought about how our spiritual lives are much like playing fetch with God. He throws out his love to us, we catch it and bring it back to him. But just how important is it to show God our love and return it to him? It is very important! God gave us free-will and sometimes we stray from showing God our love and devotion. While deciding whether or not we’ll show God our love, we sometimes hold onto that ball when he throws it out to us. Sometimes for many years we don’t throw our love back to him.  If we don’t return our love to God we may find ourselves straying from him. Daily activities can distract us pulling...

When I was in high school I remember thinking about what would make me a success. I thought that if I married a doctor, lived in a brick house and could put fresh flowers on the dining room table then I would be a success.  When I got older, in my 20’s, I thought that having a new car and a house would make me a success.  When I was in my 30’s I thought that being a success would be having lots of money.  I found throughout the years that my definition of success always changed and involved material things.  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes success as “the attainment of wealth, favor or eminence”. This unfortunately is what our society sees as an accurate description of success. Now, some 30 years later I find my definition of success to be much different. Today I find my success resides in God; it is what is most important to me. In the Bible there are many stories that tell of success. In the book of Esther, Queen Esther finds success when she defeats Hamen...

​One of my favorite classic TV shows is “Leave it to Beaver”. This show displays a common theme throughout the show. Wally and/or the Beav cause some sort of trouble then here come Ward and June. They review what Wally and the Beav have done, come up with a solution and they forgive them. This show always ends on a happy note and Wally and the Beav are free to begin their next adventure. While watching the show today I thought about how this show mirrors how God treats us in our lives. We get into trouble, God lets us know he doesn’t like our actions, he tells us he loves us and he forgives us over and over again.  When thinking about getting into trouble, I can’t help but think about 1st and 2nd Kings. In these books the kings are doing wicked things, usually worshipping false idols. In 2nd Kings 17:17 it says, “They made their sons and their daughters pass through fire; they used divination and augury; and they sold themselves to do evil…”   This to me is the epitome of all ...

​I am currently reading from the book of Ezra and the story of God’s people rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Ezra 1:1 through 6:22.  In this story, King Cyrus of Persia declares that the temple of the Lord was going to be rebuilt. God’s people heard this call and went to work. While building, God’s people were finding that not only was the physical temple being restored but their spiritual temple inside of them as well. Rebuilding the temple has many significant meanings to the lives of God’s people in Biblical times as well as in our lives today.  Working on the temple in Biblical times gave the people something to believe in. Today, more than ever, we need to have the same thing; some bit of hope to hang on to. If you’ve fallen away from God, you can easily reestablish your relationship with him by confessing your sins or committing to a prayer life. Nothing life altering, just a few stolen moments each day chatting with our Lord; just talk to him like you would a friend....

​When I was growing up I had an irrational fear that wolves lived under my bed. I was so convinced of this that I never let my legs dangle over the side of the bed. When I woke up I jumped from the end of the bed to the door. I slept with the lights on and I never took my glasses off. If there were wolves under my bed I wanted to see them. I was certain that the wolves wanted to eat me alive. Irrational fear can sometimes incapacitate us. When this happens, what should we do?  Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Make your fears known to God, tell him what it is that is bothering you. I wish I would have known about this when I was younger; I had no one to confide in about my fears. Concentrating on God and praying to him would have made all the difference i...

Recently I went to church and the sermon was on Jesus’ first miracle, changing water into wine. At that moment I thought, “I’ve heard this story a thousand times, what more can I learn?” Then as I was half heartedly listening a light bulb went off in my head.   In the Bible story (John 2:1-13) Jesus, his disciples and his mother, Mary, went to a wedding in Cana. There they were having a good time, or I expect they were, when Jesus’ mother said to Jesus, “The wedding hosts have run out of wine”. Jesus declares to his mother “What concern is that to you and me?” (John 2:4)  Jesus decides to help out anyway and instructs the servants to fill six jars full of water. They did so and served it to the chief steward who couldn’t understand why the hosts had saved the best wine for last. Usually the best wine was served first and the lesser wine was served last after the guests were drunk. At this moment our pastor explained that the wine Jesus supplied was symbolic of Jesus filling th...