For some, every tear is a prayer caught in the palm of Love. One that hears past words, understands before utterance, and interprets the inexpressible. Love keeps the tear, records its cause, interprets what’s best and sows it in heaven’s field of God’s glory on earthly soil. For some, though they look through windows upon […]
Category: Suffering
Forest Of My Own Making
Jacob was not the only wrestler that preceded the WWF. As I pulled the red-colored digital thermometer out of my daughter’s mouth, my cheeks turned hot with tears. Her pediatrician’s warning echoed loud in my memory, “Do everything you can to prevent her getting this year’s influenza. It will attack her lungs and wreak havoc […]
Mom’s Time to “Rest”
No matter how many times you hear the words, “This may be your last day, ” or “You may never see them again,” both statements eventually come true. And no matter how much you try to prepare to lose a loved one, you are never really prepared. And so it is, one month after publishing […]
The Beauty of Myrrh – A Tribute to Mary Barrett & My Pain Pals
Though it was late, I measured out a cup of laundry detergent and shoved the clothes robotically into our front loader. My mind was traveling through Africa, Washington, California, England, and other parts of the globe, smothering heaven with prayer requests. Lord, I am so burdened for _________. I can’t even imagine the suffering and […]
When Church Attendance Is “Critical”
I rolled my eyes at no one and went back to washing dishes. Though my eyes feasted on autumn splendor, muffled voices filled my ears and eclipsed the joy of what I was seeing. Many things can get this Irish blood percolating, but nothing like political debates. I have an easier time biting my lip […]
One Way To Hear God’s Heart Beat
Words I never dreamed I’d hear in all my twenties or thirties, I now enjoy from time to time in my late forties. But they often have come at a painful cost. “Mommy, just snuggle me.” Blink, blink. My shoulders dropped while a smile rose across my face. The request came with laundry in my […]
His Wounds Do Heal Ours
My waking up is never a sudden event, but more like a thick, sludgy processional to the coffee pot. Despite the density of this particular morning, before my eyelids cooperated with the dawn, a line from Third Day’s rendition of Isaiah 53:5 began to loop through my thoughts. And by His wounds, by His wounds […]
Hope’s Demise: A Parable
There was a day when Hope no longer answered the door when Pain came knocking. Pain was a persistent visitor who’d come calling every morning once Consciousness arose, opened the eyelids and filled the world with light. Often times, Pain brought his closest companions: Self Pity, Depression, Fear, Anger or Discouragement. On days when his […]
The Best Way to Stretch Out
Coffee has been rendered inoperative this morning. Even at higher doses, there is only so much a person can imbibe without crossing the line and fulfilling the definition of an “addict.” Nevertheless, after a few quick “dozes” through prayer, I opened the Word and found the Lord waiting. He didn’t mind the fog that permeated […]
Disney’s Revelations Three Feet High
You know how little kids are. They can crack through any curmudgeon’s scowl when they use over-sized words or misapply vocabulary. Then, if it’s a pastor’s kid, Bible stories, interpretations of God and explanations of the world should be recorded for future laughs or blackmail when they get older. One morning, a conversation with my […]