I drive to the hospital…again. And as I do, I ponder the question: Have I crossed a line? “Enough, Jana. Enough drama with this family.” But something compels me. Is it You, Lord? Am I doing this for the right reasons? Or do I get some sort of twisted joy from continuing my relationship with this problem-riddled family? I don’t…
Bang! Thump! Bang! Thump! Noah hammers the last of the nails to finish the ark. God told him to build the ark and in spite of the people mocking him (for until now it had never rained, so why build a boat?) he finished the work. Noah and his wife, his three sons, and their wives, all entered the ark,…
I sit in a hospital room in Asia. The elderly Indonesian man has just been transferred there from ICU. I try to move a chair next to the bed so his wife can sit next to him. It is hard for him to move his foot over to make space for her. But he does it anyway and tells me…
I sit on large stones overlooking the sea. I came to the beach to pray, but I’m not the only one praying, and God is not the only one being worshiped here. A South Asian Hindu couple beat me here and they are in the middle of a ritual, so I sit on the rocks and wait before walking along…
House, children, family, food, the latest gossip. These are the things that matter most to a particular group of ladies whom I call my neighbor friends. Yes, they will engage in conversation about abstract things like religion, sin, and heaven. But this doesn’t really get them on a deep level. That’s surface and irrelevant (to them). For sure these topics…
Today I take courage from Martha’s unsteady faith. Martha and Mary, dear friends of Jesus (Jn. 11:5) sent word to him that their brother Lazarus was ill (11:3). If you are familiar with this story, you’ll know Jesus did not come right away. In fact, by the time he arrived at their home in Bethany, Lazarus had already died and…
“Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.” Song of Solomon 2:15 Song of Solomon is a poem of love between a man and woman. But we know also that marriage is a reflection of Christ and the church…Christ and us. So perhaps there is spiritual application within the lines…
Rain today. Lots of it. Nothing like the damaging rain in Texas. No, this is a day-long tropical rain. It’s wonderful. I make a cup of mint tea and sip it while I work through a digital pile of emails. I love rain in the tropics. The air is cool and fresh. Today I am reminded of why the rain…
I am happy to host a guest today. Jennifer Slattery is an author and the founder of Wholly Loved Ministries. You can read more about her at the end of this post. Enjoy! God Our Strength in the Midst of Trials: Guest post by Jennifer Slattery As my friend’s death neared, “Christ in her” became all the more apparent. Without…
This excerpt is taken from my devotional book Cottage in the Kampung: “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.” Mark 1:32 I have watched so many Bible movies (and as a child seen so many flannel-graph stories) that the scenes in my mind, as I read Bible stories, are often a sterile picture…
