This Beautiful Mundane

I don't want to put a whole political debate or argument, I just wanted to share the following:  I am looking forward to tomorrow - Whatever the results, our God reigns!  O ur sovereign God directs the hearts of man, and we can laugh without fear of the future, for our hope is in our good and gracious King.    God is On His Throne  Written   Feb. 18, 2018  Let there be light Let there be dark Call them night And call them day. There was Day And there was night God was on His throne Reigning in His Might In Adam's fall And Eve's folly We sinned all - banished from the garden. There was Day And there was night God was on His throne Reigning in His might. Noah's day was filled with sin Only one in sin not stray. A new world to begin The rain washed the old away. There was Day And there was night God was on His throne Reigning in His might Egypt clasped His chosen, Held them tight in chains Not a country noble, strong But Despised and lowly slaves There w...

  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 In preparing for my wedding, and moving from Illinois to Minnesota, I have been overwhelmed many times. As I was driving to get coffee before starting work this morning, I was listening to the local Christian talk radio station. Chuck Swindoll was giving an introduction to a sermon on Ephesians 1:15-19. He was speaking of the faith of the Ephesian church, how Paul was giving thanks for their faith.  I turned off the radio as I drove under the overpass on the way to my house, and something clicked in my mind and heart, almost in surprise I exclaimed,  "Lord, I've been leaning on my own understanding!"  How often do I quote that verse from Proverbs, even while I am still leaning on my own understanding? This is not just applicable in situations where I need to make a decision (as I so often treat it) ...

 When the world cries, "Pandemic!"  How ought we to, as believers, respond? I posted back in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as this has continued to drag on, I have thought more and more about what I said.  (Here is the link for reference:   A Challenge to the Church - March 2020 ) What I originally wrote was in response to the ridicule that I was seeing from those who did not take the virus seriously, it felt to me that there was much unkindness coming from that side towards those who chose to wear masks. As the months have slipped by, I have continued to see heated comments and debates from mask-wearers, and mask-abstainers. (As well as social distancing, whether or not businesses should be open, groups allowed to gather, etc.,) Beloved brothers and sisters, this is not what we have been called to. Whether someone wears a mask or not doesn't change the fact that they are created in the image of God, and worthy of the dignity and respect that glorifies thei...

Prohibitive Conscience  People-Pleaser Over-Thinker Have you ever described yourself to others in any of these ways?  What about to yourself?  What is it that you feel that you diagnose that way?  I know how my list would begin: Anxious  Guilty  Lonely Failing  Ashamed Uncertain Floundering  Oh, how frequently I have felt these ways. I have wept longingly over the following verse: "Those who look to him are radiant,      and their faces shall never be ashamed." Psalm 34:5 I've been pestering myself, chasing the emotions around my brain in circles until my eyes burn with unshed tears, my head aches for striving, and all I want to do is crawl into a deep dark hole and disappear completely.  Why do I feel this way?  Way is there this insatiable ache in the depths of my soul, this pit in my stomach, and the knot in my throat?  "Why can't I be radiant and unashamed?" Like a sick mantra, I mentally chastise myself...