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A Sin By Any Other Name

 Remember the story in Luke chapter seven? Our Lord has been invited to dinner at the home of a Pharisee named Simon. I imagine it was quite the buzz!  This young Rabbi at the home of a Pharisee!  WHAT????? His "new" and controversial ideas were sweeping Judea like a storm. The Pharisees, the self designated religious elite, were concerned and collectively began trying to thwart this ministry. So Simon has him over for a meal. It is not a secret invite. It is big news! You know the rest of the story ..the woman, overwhelmed by her sins and filled with remorse, her eyes unable to hold back the tidal wave of tears, begins to weep onto the Lord's feet and dry them with her hair.  In an incredibly moving act she lovingly pours expensive perfume on them. Surely this touched the hearts of all those watching. They were witnessing "godly sorrow!" But not everyone saw the beauty in this picture.  Remember Simon?  His pride prevented him from seeing the scene as it w...
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This Changes Everything

 I recently watched a movie about the crucifixion and resurrection of the Christ.  Although based (loosely) on scripture, I enjoyed the movie. There were many great, thought provoking moments.  One that has been taking up space in my brain, is a scene where the tomb is found empty and the 11 apostles are being questioned about the "location of the body". At one point, the centurion questions the demeanor of one very excited and smiling apostle who responds with "don't you see? This changes EVERYTHING!". I have been pondering this since I heard it. Such a powerful and profound statement! I can imagine the hopelessness and despair His followers felt when after 3 years of following...being hungry and tired and abused and witnessing miraculous events and hearing "riddles and stories" they didn't understand. They were witnesses of His diety and His humanity covered in love and the promise of eternal life. The word tells us they didn't truly comprehe...
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The Third Verse

To say that my life has experienced some changes in the past few years would be an understatement and "in your face" obvious!  Cancer changes things.  The cancer world makes sure we know about mastectomies, chemo, support groups,hair loss, nausea etc. That same source says we can "overcome "; we can run races and wear t-shirts and model wigs. We can give rousing speeches, attend events and inspire everyone as we hand out pink ribbons. I read all that.  This was my fourth round with cancer and was by far the hardest battle. I remembered the feelings and phases of the other times. I remember.  I had and still have an absolute dream of a husband and a great support system, for which I am grateful. God still loves me. The tomb is still empty and God's benevolent grace pours over me  continuously. These things were and still are my daily, hourly, minute by minute strengths.  But here, at 10 months since finishing chemo, things are different. I saw a meme on Face...
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A Calming Influence

 Because it is springtime in Nebraska, almost daily, we get to experience some wild weather. Last night was one such adventure .  As usual, my grandsons, (9 & 12 ) went with me to church.  All three of us love the classes and the fellowship. Shortly after arriving, we were serenaded by weather alerts...one after another. Then talk of tornadoes, warnings and watches and concern about sightings and damage by funnels on the ground. The tension and anxiety was tangible. Everyone  was concerned, some left for home, others paced anxiously looking at the windows. Suddenly I felt the tension rising in me. I was anxious . Having lived in Nebraska 20+ years,I am not afraid of storms so why be nervous ?  No, I am not afraid, but my youngest grandson is and I was anxious for him. He was visibly shaking. When the warning sirens began blaring, he began to cry. He was terrified.  He was worried about his mom and his dog, and his house....all the same worries adults ha...
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Reciprocal Delighting

Overwhelming gratitude sweeps over my soul every time I think about "delighting" in God!  Did you know that when we delight in the Lord, He delights in US?  So as I am striving to walk in His path, to meditate on His Word and to keep my eyes focused on Him AND when I try to remain pure, when I love others and share the good news about salvation, HE delights in Me?  That's what it says!  How blessed are we? According to the first chapter of Ephesians, it was His desire to create a people who would delight in Him. In his "commentary"  The Message, Eugene Peterson says "Long before he laid down earth's foundation, he had us in mind and settled on us as the focus of his love"   A couple of sentences later Mr. Peterson adds this parentheses "What pleasure he took planning this".   Don't you just love that?  Such a beautiful thought! And Holy scripture backs it up!  In Genesis we se that after God's created man He said " it's g...
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Delighting

When I think of King David, I always think, "man after God's own heart".  His Psalms are an ever-present reminder to praise God. So it is no surprise that in his writings, I find my favorite verse. Psalms 37:4 "Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. " When I found myself a young widow and single parent, the immediate need for a plan for the future for my children as well as myself, weighed on my heart.  All the previous plans had Eddy in them. So it was time to consider what I (and God), wanted..where we were going, what we'd be doing!  It started off as a daunting task! My mom was a faithful Christian who had to reexamine her hopes and dreams several times.  She always went to God's word for guidance. Inspired by her example, I started reading the Psalms, because here David often put MY heartaches and joys into words. I had read them before, but this time they hit my heart differently. This gem in Psalms 37:4 did just that! ...
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