Here I Am

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...

​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 ...

​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...