Consider the Lilies

Category: Brokenness

  • Recognizing the Source

    It’s that quality of curiosity that sparks questions like, “where did you get that?” In junior high, it wasn’t enough to admire one of my friend’s outfits…I had to know where it came from.  A pair of designer jeans, purchased in a cool (and more expensive) store like Mickey Finn’s, held more value for me…

  • Chicken Soup Story

    It’s easier to hear God’s voice and know you’re in His plan when “the planets align.”  That is, when parallel, unrelated events occur simultaneously and fit together so perfectly that it had to have been orchestrated, it couldn’t just happen. I had something like that happen today.  It all started with an organic chicken sale…

  • The floods recede

    Not even 30 days ago, a now-famous hurricane named Irene turned into a tropical storm and left behind a lot of water.  So much water that little brooks turned into raging rivers, and rivers burst out of their normal boundaries.  The water levels advanced, furiously, to the point of swallowing fields and farms, burying roads,…

  • Light and Momentary

    I wouldn’t put this on a resume, but I am quite good at wrapping my mind and emotions around the tough things in life. That can be a good quality.  It can also get me in a lot of trouble.  I am able to shoulder burdens that are rightfully mine to carry, and burdens that…

  • Rejoicing Bones

    I wonder – was the consciousness of sin that the king of Israel of old, David, displayed, unique to that era?  Today’s mantra,”if it feels good, do it,”  is so far from the concept of sin in both the Hebrew and Greek scriptures..  The sins – adultery, lying, murder – that broke the heart of…

  • The cookie and the cross

    It all started with an intention to abstain from certain things during the 40 days of Lent, a common practice observed by Catholics, and a practice that I agree with, in principle.  As I look back to the cross – that horrible, wonderful event that secured freedom from sin – Jesus’ life is one of…

  • The other side of need

    Do you know what would your life would look like if you didn’t have any needs?  I doubt it. It’s hard to picture not having needs.  From the first day of life, we are needy. We forget, but in those early days, we needed warmth.  As babies we needed food and water.  We needed to…

  • A Prayer

      Lord, High and Holy Meek and Lowly, Thou has brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be…