Whatever He Says

Psalm 81:16 (New International Version) 16 But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you." A couple of days before leaving for England in May, I found a large, white envelope in our mailbox, with an English stamp on it. It was a card from Panna, whom I met on board a plane from England in August 2006. Panna traveled with a large Indian family, en route to a wedding. We became instant friends, with the bond of a quickly discovered common faith. She and her family live in Leicester, and we keep in touch with very occasional emails, so I was surprised to receive the card, which I loved. On the front of the card was the photographed head of a male lion in sharp focus, appearing, head and powerful shoulders, over the soft, golden grass of the African veld. One day, soon after coming home, I glanced with admiration at the lovely photo, which now sat on my side table. That morning as I quietly read, before rushing into the day, there were thr...

Proverbs 8:34 (New International Version) 3 4 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. From the quiet, peace and gentle rain of an English village last week--into a first week back at work, filled so far with intensity, crisis, pressure and conflict. While on vacation in England I made some of my friends laugh when I took the time to reflect on my normally very busy life. I had tried to organize it better by charting it on an Excel spreadsheet with blocks of colours that signalled boundaries and categories. It looked so possible--if I tried hard not to waste time, dally too much, or get distracted. The truth is that the colours bled and life throws more wild cards than I could catch even if I was an octopus. Perhaps there was a missing colour on my chart--bright, shocking pink for the wild cards. So I look to God. To whom else should I go? He is my source of strength--my only hope. I give him my life, my weak frame with all...

Galatians 6:9 (New International Version) 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Tonight I feel tired, but I'm grateful for a bed that waits in the next room and the hours of cool, dark night that still remain before tomorrow. Outside the house a moisture laden wind blows, sounding like the rushing waves of the ocean, but inside all is still and quiet. There are times when it seems like there are just more things to do than time to do them in and I end up feeling scattered, disorganized and failing because I just can't get it all done. I'm grateful for helping hands, like my dear friend Susan, who led cell group tonight--and Ann, who brought dessert, when I had forgotten all about it, reminding me that God knows. I need to lean into others more, I know that. I don't think I've ever aimed for perfection, but the longer I live, the more grateful I am to just make it through, hitting the most importan...

Psalm 119:105 (New International Version) 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. It was mid morning when she called--my friend Poppy--a.k.a. Frances. We hadn't spoken for almost a week. I'd tried calling the day before and she had answered the phone, her voice husky with sleep, "What time is it?" "12 o'clock," I said--I'd called on my lunch time. "Can I call you back?" she asked--but she never did--that day at least. So when I heard her voice on the other end of the phone the next day, I looked up at the clock and made a mental note that I was starting my coffee break--prepared to stretch it into my lunch break too, if necessary. It's hard for us to stay connected--my friends and I--when we're all working and on different schedules--but we manage because it matters. Out came a tale of busy days--family visits--many of them in one week--a late night sister-bonding session--trying and failing, to watch scary movie...

Matthew 11:28 (New International Version) 28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Her bright eyes looked at me, sparkling with excitement as she spoke. She'd been praying for a specific need. The need had existed for quite some time--it had always been hard to fill it and even young and energetic as she was, she'd been getting worn down by the care of it. So when we met, I couldn't wait to hear her news. She'd only told me over the phone that God had given her a "word" and that she'd stood on it--and the floodgates had opened, bringing answers to her prayer. The word had been Matthew 11:28--the beginning a perfect description of how she was feeling. "Then," she said, "I saw a vision of Christ on the cross, and he said, "I did this, so that you could give me all things."" "And so," she said, "I did--and a week later--here you go!" When the fringes of a miracle brush...