Here I Am

I just read the book of Jonah, it’s not long, only a few pages. While reading it I couldn’t help but think about how many life lessons there are in this short book. I read about Jonah’s rejection of God, his running away and his days in the big fish.  Sometimes, like Jonah, we not only try to run away from our problems but God as well. We start by not being in relation with him, not talking to him on a daily basis or saying that you’ll never talk to God again. Basically just being mad at God. Having the attitude that if God loved me why would he let this happen? I’m sure we have all felt that way at one time or another.  Hebrews 13:5b says, “I will never leave you or forsake you”. Contrary to some beliefs, as hard as you try to run from God he will never abandon you. Rather than waiting around for you to come to your senses and cry out to God, he boldly pursues you and wraps you in his never ending love.  In the story of Jonah, while he was running from God he got onto a ...

My husband just called, my father-in-law just died. What do I say, what do I do? I have never been good with death. All I know is that my father-in-law is with God. I know that to be true. Death is just a transition, going from one form of existence to the other.  Jesus died on the cross so that we may be together with him in heaven. There is a beautiful description of physical death in the book of Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things will pass away”. In the book of John when Jesus’ friend Lazarus dies, Jesus says to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live”. (John 11:25) Jesus tells her about the resurrection of the dead and that she will see Lazarus again. Thus it will be with us, our earthly bodies will die but our spiritual bodies will be born. 1 Corinthians 15:22, 26, “for all die in Adam, so all will be ma...

In the book of Joshua, God commissions him to lead the Israelites into the promised land after Moses’ death. In chapter one, and throughout the book of Joshua, God repeatedly tells him to be “strong and courageous”. In fact, “be strong and courageous” is repeated many times in the Bible, not only to Joshua but to others.  When God commissions Joshua to lead the Israelites he repeats “be strong and courageous” three times in chapter one. Why does God repeat these words so many times? Does he feel Joshua may not be up to what God is asking? Does he think Joshua will back out on him? Does he feel Joshua is weak in spirit?  Joshua had big shoes to fill, that was certain. What if he could not live up to being the kind of leader that Moses was? Can you imagine working with someone your whole life and then being asked to be in charge after he left his position? The amount of pressure would be intense; it could bring fear and uncertainty.    In Joshua’s calling, does God cal...

Have you ever participated in a trust fall? We did this one Sunday at church and it was interesting to see just how difficult this was for some people.  In a trust fall you stand in front of someone and cross your arms in front of you. You hold your legs straight, careful not to bend them and, when your partner is ready, you fall straight back. Your partner is in charge of catching you and not letting you fall. You must have a very strong level of trust in your partner to achieve this. Some found this terribly difficult, some would not do it at all and some fell back with little hesitation. How does this compare to our level of trust in God? If he were standing behind you would you “trust fall with God”? The Bible is full of examples of spiritual trust falls. One of my favorites is in the book of Esther. Esther is told by her Uncle Mordecai that the king has declared that all Jewish people shall be put to death. Mordecai tells Esther she must ask the king not to do this but she is ...

I have a favorite Bible story, it is found in three of the New Testament gospels, the story of the woman who bled for twelve years (Luke 8:42-48, Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:24-34).  In this story Jesus has become so popular that a crowd of people surround him, pressing in on him, begging for his healing powers. I liken this today to a popular music star who is trying to get from a building to a car. The people press in on him and the bouncers try to keep the people back. This is much like the disciples in this story, they were trying to protect Jesus by keeping the people from getting too close.  Back to the woman, she is bleeding and has been for twelve years. She does not know what she will do because no doctor can help her or heal her. She has spent much of her time and money on doctors. She is alone, being a social outcast because of her illness. I can imagine her in her home, hearing a commotion outside. She has heard of Jesus and heard about what he can do and she thinks, “...

My daughter is a pet sitter. For a fee she will come to your home and take care of your pet while you are away. When most people think about a pet sitter they think about a cat or dog but my daughter will sit for any animal, this week she is sitting for a bearded dragon.  Bearded dragons are not my favorite animal in the world and I have to be honest in saying that I probably wouldn’t take care of it. Like any other pet they need to be fed daily and taken out of their cage for exercise. They need love and affection and a light to keep them warm. They also need a hiding spot in their cage so they can feel secure when stressed.  Bearded dragons may be disgusting creatures to me but they really have some of the same needs that we have. God cares for us much the same way my daughter cares for the bearded dragon. Philippians 4:19 “And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus”.  Bearded dragons of course need to be fed. Unli...

I was reading chapter one in the book of Jeremiah and read about his call to ministry. God spoke to Jeremiah and told him he wanted him to be one of his prophets. Jeremiah was reluctant and made an excuse as to why he couldn’t fulfill this role. “..truly I do not know how to speak for I am only a boy”. Jeremiah was telling God, thanks but no thanks. He didn’t think people would listen to him because he was too young but God told him, “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you…” In the book of Exodus, God called Moses. God told Moses that he wanted him to deliver his people out of Egypt, but Moses, like Jeremiah, told God he could not do it. Moses was being stubborn. God told Moses that his brother Aaron would speak for him and Moses obeyed. God repeatedly pursued Moses until he no longer found an excuse not to lead his people.  Both Moses and Jeremiah had their doubts about being able to pursue God’s wishes for them. God however gave his promise that he would be with them and he ...

I was walking in the mall one day when I happened to be behind someone who, as they walked, kept looking at the windows and mirrors of the stores as they passed by. I wondered what they were thinking. Was it about how they looked? About their clothes or hair? Or about their weight? When we look at our reflection it would be honorable if we saw the reflection of God instead. Do we see God in ourselves? I know we cannot physically look like God since he has no form, but we can show God’s image by reflecting his love in all of us, but just how do we do that?  Reflecting God’s image occurs when showing others how much we love them through our character. Have you ever noticed how much a devout Christian smiles? I was flying to Florida once and while on the plane I started a conversation with the person sitting next to me. I noticed that this person smiled even while they were talking. I asked this person what they did for a living and they said they were a pastor, I knew it! God’s love ...

Ever have one of those days when you just feel emotional for no reason? If you are a woman, you know what I’m talking about. When I was going through menopause I experienced mood swings, sadness and anxiety on almost a daily basis.  I was reading about the death of Lazarus in the Bible and started thinking about the emotionality of Jesus. Mary and Martha had notified Jesus that their brother Lazarus was ill. Jesus and the disciples went to Judea but were delayed four days. By the time they got to Bethany, Lazarus had died. John 11:33 says “..he was greatly distressed in spirit and deeply moved.” John 11:35 says “Jesus wept”. These verses show just how deeply disturbed Jesus was, he showed great emotion. Jesus’ emotions are not always visible to us in the Bible, but here, his emotions are clearly felt.  Jesus also shows great anguish when praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke 22:44 says, “In his anguish he prayed more earnestly and his sweat became like great drops of blood...

Koinonia is an ancient Greek word that means fellowship. Fellowship is an integral part of church membership, it transforms believers into a solid supportive community. Today I went out to lunch with a group of ladies from my church. Some I have known for years, others I had just met. I had a great time talking about our everyday lives and our church affiliations. After lunch I started thinking about fellowship, is it really a necessary part of our Christian lives? The answer is yes!  I have a brother-in-law who believes that church is wherever you make it. He does not believe in participating in an active church. He stays at home, reads his Bible on Sunday and watches pastors on TV. That to him is church, but I have to believe that something is missing.   Koinonia is vital to church members, it builds community, provides encouragement and models what Christ would do. Jesus enjoyed Koinonia, he ate with tax collectors and sinners often. I can’t help but wonder what they talked...

I have Hypoxia, a medical condition where my bodies organs do not receive enough oxygen to function properly; because of this I am on oxygen 24/7.    I saw a post on another platform that said, “God is like oxygen, you need him to survive”. I thought, “How right is that!”  I was reading the Bible the other day and I came across a footnote talking about spiritual respiration. I did some research on this and came up with some good information. Just like we need to breathe in oxygen for our physical respiration, we also need to breathe in God for our spiritual respiration.   The great John Wesley used the term “spiritual respiration” to describe the closeness we should have with God, he says we should have a “constant and intimate connection”. Just like we take in oxygen constantly we also need to take in God as much as we can. Most people don’t have time for a constant connection but we can take him in through pauses in our actions throughout the day.  When we fil...

I was reading recently about the thirty three Chilean miners who were trapped underground in a copper-gold mine in 2010. They were underground for a total of 69 days, do you recall the story? For 17 days the rescuers did not know the status of the minors, were they alive or were they dead? Nobody knew.  The rescuers used a drill to go down to the approximate area of the miners to try to find them. They tried day after day but found nothing. After 17 days they drilled down and brought up a note indicating that all thirty three miners were alive and okay. What a glorious feeling that must have been, they had been found! Can you imagine being trapped underground, 2,300 feet, and not knowing if you would ever see your loved ones again? The miners longed to communicate with the rescuers on the surface so they learned to tap on the drill bit to communicate. It must have been excruciating to tap waiting for a response. You would strain to hear, desperate to communicate.  This is the ...

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...

We used to have a miniature dachshund named Buzz. Buzz came with us to South Dakota one year when we went on vacation. We had a great time and were getting ready to come back home after a long week. The night before we left I grilled steaks. I gave the steak bones to the dog to chew on as a special treat.  The next day we started for the long drive home, about nine hours. About an hour into our trek we smelled something awful. Being an Iowa farm girl I thought we must be driving by a hog barn. But I started thinking, there aren’t any hog barns in South Dakota. Suddenly I knew what it was…..the dog! It was the bones I gave him the night before making him sick. We had to stop often and smell that horrible smell. Each hour seemed like ten hours.  My husband got very upset, it took a lot of patience on everyone’s part to deal with this situation. Nine hours in the car with a sick dog…..ugh! There are many times in our lives when we need patience. God thought that patience was so i...

Yesterday I was talking with my son about when he first learned to swim. I told him he was about three when he took to the water. I reminisced with him for a while then I started thinking about when I learned to swim. It wasn’t when I was three but twenty three. Why was I so old when I learned to swim? I was terrified of the water.  When I was about five I went to swimming lessons. For some reason I was afraid to put my head underwater. The swimming instructor caught onto this real quick and sat near me at the edge of the pool. She said I should dunk in the water on three. She counted but I didn’t go under, instead she put her foot on the top of my head on three and dunked me and held me under the water; I was really terrified! I quit swimming lessons the next day and never learned to swim. Years later, when I was twenty three I did learn to swim but it took a huge amount of trust and courage on my behalf to accomplish it.  I often have troubles in my life and find that just l...

​Yesterday I was reading the Bible story of Elisha in the Old Testament, what an interesting read! One thing that really struck me was that Jesus and his disciples weren’t the only ones to perform miracles.  2 Kings chapters 2-6 provides us with the stories of Elisha’s miracles. He makes unsanitary water potable again, raises a widows son, makes a poison stew edible, makes an axe head float and feeds one hundred people. The later story, feeding the one hundred, is reminiscent of Jesus feeding the five thousand and the four thousand.  In the feeding of the one hundred, a man comes to Elisha with twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain (2 Kings 4:42).  Elisha instructs the man to “Give it to the people and let them eat”. The man states that the food is not enough for one hundred people but Elisha basically says to do it anyway.  The man gives it to the people and there was enough to go around with some left over. Where have I heard this story before?  Thro...

​When I was growing up my favorite person in the world was my paternal grandmother. My siblings and I were the only grandchildren she had so we were really special to her.  One thing my grandmother did exceptionally well was cook. When we went to grandma’s house we were always stuffed after a good meal. She made the most scrumptious desserts too which usually included apple pie. I did not particularly like apple pie, but one thing I really loved was blueberry pie. My grandmother knew this so she would bake a blueberry pie just for me. Because of this she called me “the blueberry girl”. One day years later I got a phone call saying that my grandmother had died, how would I ever live without her? I was devastated.  Later that night I had a really vivid dream. I was in my grandmother’s kitchen and there she was cooking at the stove with her back turned to me. I exclaimed, “Grandma, you can’t be here, you’re dead!” She turned around, smiled and said, “No, I’m not dead” and I woke ...

​I am from a small town in Minnesota. I often drive through the “main drag” of town. At a stoplight I see a woman sitting on the corner with all of her belongings in a shopping cart. She is known in town as Nicole.  Everyone knows about Nicole but no one does anything to help her. I often think, “Maybe I should stop and talk with her.”  Then I drive on. What if she was an angel waiting for someone to show her mercy? Hebrews 13:2 says “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it”.  Do you believe in angels? In the Bible, angels are described as heavenly beings, but most often they are described as looking just like you and me.  In Genesis 18:1-15 three men visited Abraham. Abraham offered them hospitality by granting them water, food and shade under a nearby tree.  The three men then told Abraham his wife, Sarah, would have a son. Sarah overheard this and laughed because she was advanced in ye...

​Worrywart, worrywart. If there ever was one; I am the champion.  My kids are going to a party on Saturday night. Will there be alcohol? Will there be drugs? Worry. My husband works in a hazardous environment. Will he get hurt? Will he get cancer? Worry. I worry about most everything. Why do I do this? How do I stop this vicious cycle? The Bible says to turn to God.  1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast all your anxiety on him, for he cares for you”. I have often repeated this verse over and over again when I feel worrisome. But one thing I have never fully understood is how exactly do I give my anxiety to God? Worry is not a physical thing that we can grab ahold of and say, “Here God, I heard you wanted this!”  Philippians 4:6 says “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God” Okay, this makes sense. By prayer and request with thanksgiving. Hmmmm…. Please God, take this worry from me. Okay, this makes se...

​In the book of Mark, chapter 5 verses 1-20 is the story of a tormented man named Legion. I find this story very intriguing and interesting.  One day, Jesus and his disciples traveled across the Sea of Galilee to Gerasenes. There they found a man possessed with demons; the man bowed down to Jesus. The demon possessed man  said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus?” Jesus knew this man was possessed by demons. In this instance, it was also obvious that Jesus knew the demons, and the demons knew him.  But if the man was full of demons, why did the demons bow down to Jesus? Did the demons fear him? It is obvious in many other Bible stories about demons that they knew and respected Jesus. In this way, we are protected from the evil one if we believe in Jesus. Another great reason to worship our Lord and Savior!  Jesus asked the man, “What is your name?” The man answered, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” How many is many? Two, two hundred, two thousand? It must have ...

​Have you ever lost your child? Even for a short time? I have, and I can tell you it was one of the most stressful days of my life.  My children are 35 and 33 now, and even though they’re adults, I still worry about them. I worry about them getting into a car crash, getting seriously ill, or other needless worries. I know God says not to worry, but I’m a mother and I still do. I remember one time when my son was three years old and I was very worried about him. We went to the grocery store; just another typical shopping trip. I had some film I wanted developed, so I went to the service counter. In those days, you put the film in a little bag and wrote what type of prints you wanted, your address, and other things on the bag.  My son was near me and he wandered over to a toy section close by. I filled out the information for the film and turned back to get him, and he was gone. Terror struck my heart! Where was he? I was sure he hadn’t gone too far, so I searched for him. Sever...

​I used to be the Children’s Ministry Director at my church. One day I ordered a bunch of small toys for a game fair I was hosting. In the lot were whistles, balls, jacks and boomerangs. Everything looked harmless except for the boomerangs. I thought, “What if someone gets hurt with them”. Then I dismissed the idea thinking that the kids wouldn’t be able to throw them right anyway.  Everyone had fun at the game fair; it was a success. Everyone had a toy including the bright pink boomerangs with “Jesus loves you” printed on them. Just to be safe I told the kids to make sure they were outside when they were playing with them. I was a little worried I admit.  The next day I got a call from one of the parents, their son got one of the boomerangs and went outside to try it out. He threw it and it came right back to him and hit him smack between the eyes. The spot where it hit him was bleeding quite a bit so they took him to the emergency room; he had to have stitches! Like this lit...

When I was young, I remember making requests to God. Usually it was for something frivolous like a new bike or a new toy. I was too young to know that God doesn’t work that way.  I was reading from 1 Samuel today and read the story of Hannah. This is possibly my favorite story in the Bible because, as a mother myself, it tears my heart out to read about a woman who wants a child so badly she begs God for his favor. This story is wrought with so many emotions: grief, joy, love and of course faith. Like so many women in the Bible, Hannah was barren. She prayed and prayed for the child she did not have. She wanted him so badly that she told God that she would give her child to him if he granted her request.  God did hear Hannah’s prayer, and because of her great faith, he granted her request. Hannah had a child. She named him Samuel which means “because I prayed for him” (1 Samuel 1:20).  Hannah never went back on her word to God. When Samuel was just a toddler, she bro...

​Sunday is a special day at our house. My husband and I start out the day by going to a local coffee shop about an hour before church.  I order my usual latte and my husband orders an iced tea. We both order a blueberry muffin and sit at our usual table.  During this time together we not only enjoy our treats but also enjoy each other. We talk and talk about our days over the past week and really enjoy our time.   In this day and age it is very important for married couples to sit down and talk. Making a weekly coffee date has really improved our relationship. We rush through our week with our jobs, children and homes, sometimes saying little or nothing to each other. In the same way we cultivate a relationship with each other, it is very important to have a healthy relationship with God. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” NRSV  How can we get to know our God better?  Quite time. Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God” NRSV...