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I count the days now by moments spent waiting . . . Waiting for morning, waiting for a bathroom, waiting for meals, waiting for therapy sessions, waiting for clean clothes, waiting for evening, waiting for visitors, waiting for the night to bring sweet quiet and time with Him.
Mostly I’m waiting to go home and get back to work, waiting to be ‘normal’ again. The waiting is endless. But right now, I’m ok with that.
I pray to God—my life a prayer—
and wait for what he’ll say and do.
My life’s on the line before God, my Lord,
waiting and watching till morning, waiting and watching till morning. (Psalm 130:5-6)We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:22-25)
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD. (Psalm 27:13-14)
I’ve been reading a great book this week, The Happy Intercessor by Beni Johnson. It has me thinking about empathy.
I believe empathy is genetic. Like being left-handed, I think it’s a trait that many of us are born with–a capacity to feel and understand other people’s feelings and motivations. Maybe it’s also something we learn from years of living closely together in families, marriages, and other intimate relationships.
Prayer, in it’s purest form, is just a continual conversation with our God. But the quality of conversations depends on the quality of the relationship. We need a real relationship with our God to really talk with Him. However, sometimes a relationship begins with one real conversation, so if you want to build a real relationship with your God, just start talking–really talking–to Him!. Read the rest of this entry »
In a recent message, Pastor Bill Johnson asked his Bethel Community “Where do Christians go when they die?” After some humor, Bill echoed their answer, “to heavenly places.” The message that followed is one every believer with a listening heart will benefit from hearing. Read the rest of this entry »
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones. (NRSV) (Psalm 116:15)
When they arrive at the gates of death, God welcomes those who love him. (Message) (Psalm 116:15)
A woman from the Center went home yesterday. I was moved by the way staff took care of her. They spent hours giving her individual care and attention. No matter how emaciated or listless she became in her final weeks, they tenderly washed, dressed, fed, and socialized with her. They even dressed her in her prettiest clothes and wheeled her out to sit with them at the nurses’ station.
It snowed last night . . .
When I rolled over to my window this morning to open it, the ground and roof over the sun room glistened with about an inch of new snow.
A view from the window is about the sum of my contact with nature now. I see a few sprawling oak trees, the tops of a line of cedars just past the sun room, the sky, and a few very active squirrels doing ’squirrel things’ on those bare oak branches. When I go out, I also get to watch the landscape from the back window of the van or ambulance.
