When my father was in his fifties, he suffered from erratic heart rhythm causing shortness of breath and a rapid heart rate; to solve the problem, doctors inserted a device called a pacemaker. The pacemaker detects irregular heart function and sends an electrical impulse to the heart when needed to keep the heart from over or under working. An electrocardiogram performed in a hospital or doctors office will show the effect produced by the pacemaker.

If someone could create a chart reflecting the ebb and flow of human behavior since the beginning of time and the chart could read the behavior like that of an electrocardiogram, the result would likely appear as one in cardiac arrest. In a world where people of each generation feel entitled to take ownership of what constitutes cultural norms, defining what is acceptable behavior often depends on the loudest voices. We can all agree that “the loudest voices” are not always speaking in the best interest of humanity; one need only review history to confirm this reality. Adolf Hitler, it is said, always began his speeches almost in a whisper, drawing his audience to complete silence to hear him. However, by the end of his delivery, Hitler was yelling, inciting the crowd to join him in his deluded reverie.

The Holy Bible is God’s “pacemaker” for the human heart. When we get out of step with the precepts God has given us to live physically and spiritually healthy lives both individually and collectively, His Word will redirect our thinking and actions to align with His.

The world appears to be in a state of chaos. I wonder, though, is it only the “loudest voices” we hear trying to drown out reason and truth? “For God is a God not of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33, NRSV). If we feel out of step with those around us, let us take the time to consult God’s Word, which establishes His ownership of all things and always leads to abundant life for those who love Jesus!

“Writers are quirky people.” This I was told when attending my first writers conference a few years back. While I was surprised that quirkiness is an “epidemic” among writers in general, a dear friend had already identified this as one of my personality traits during one of his visits to my home; by the end of this writing, you will probably agree with my friend.

Before I understood that God instills within each one of us a leaning toward either “logic” or “creative” thinking, I knew which of these traits came more naturally to me. In the classroom, while everyone else focused on the lesson at hand, I was the student reprimanded for daydreaming out the window. Little did I know that with a little “harnessing,” something positive might come of my daydreaming. For example, I see biblical analogies when reading headlines and billboards.

Okay, now that I have made my confession, on to the point.

The following headline comes from a magazine ad: “Blueprint basics—Knowing how to read plans makes the building process easier.” When reading this, my mind went immediately to the Bible passage from 2 Timothy. Isn’t this true about the “blueprint” of God’s Word? I thought to myself. If we study and learn how to read Scripture as God’s way of building us into the people He wants us to be, doesn’t it make the process easier?

The Bible is rich with instruction to make us strong in character, loving in how we treat others, and wisdom in leaving the world a better place for having been here. I pray that you and I will take the time to open God’s Word and build upon His solid foundation.

Young children find waiting on anything almost unbearable; the older we get and the more experience we acquire from the act of waiting, the more patience we also tend to gain. Who has never heard the question of a child, “are we there yet?” when taking a family road trip? As adults in the world of instant messaging, mobile phones, and communicating with others, most of us wonder, “Why isn’t he/she answering my call?” Waiting is hard!

The Bible often references “waiting” throughout Scripture. Most of the time, we are waiting on God, such as in the verse from Psalm 130. How are we to wait when God is silent? Perhaps the answer reveals an area within our spiritual growth needing exercise, such as:

Patience without gratification

Forgiveness without an apology

Trusting without seeing

Hoping without evidence

Loving without being loved

Giving without receiving

The list above is by no means exhaustive, as I am sure you can think of other ways one might be found waiting in his or her lifetime for something we feel is important. Jesus Christ is the Ultimate example of right attitude and action during a time of waiting. Did you know that God must also wait on you and me at times in our lives?

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8, NKJV.

If you have not asked Jesus into your heart to be Lord and Savior, even though he has already died for you, God is waiting for your answer.

In the 1930s, two young men created the comic book character that has remained alive throughout the decades. With many iterations as of 2023, several movies have resulted from its popularity, and if I were to guess, reader, you have seen at least one version in your life. From the title of this writing, you have probably correctly guessed the character, Superman!

Of course, the Superman figure possessed all the qualities necessary for the title: superpowers, like extraordinary physical strength, taking flight from a standstill reaching warp speed in seconds, and the even more unique achievement, seeing through walls of steel. Superman was a hero figure, conjured up in the imaginations of talented, creative human beings.

When God told the prophet, Samuel, that he was being sent to the family of Jesse to anoint a new king for the people of Israel, Samuel naturally fell prey to his human misconceptions and began looking at Jesse’s older and physically strong in stature sons. Imagine Samuel’s reaction when God rejected each and all of Jesse’s sons until, as the last resort, Jesse pointed Samuel to his youngest son, David a shepherd tending the sheep. The story about the life of David is rich in meaning for the nation of Israel and for every person who gives his or her life to Jesus Christ. (For deeper reading: 1 & 2 Samuel.)

While it is fun to imagine a “superman” figure, human beings, even the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman, and so on, with all their powers cannot know the depth of the human heart; only God can. This understanding may feel like a double-edged sword. Humans often lack words to express our love for God, so we hope He knows our heart. On the other hand, God even knows the intentions of the heart. The prophet, Jeremiah reminds us, that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, NKJV). Good news! Jesus lived, died, and rose from the grave and has overcome the human broken heart. Thank You, Jesus; You are my everlasting and eternal Hero. There is no one like You in all the earth. I give You praise and worship with a heart of thanksgiving. Amen.

After receiving a message from an old high school friend about meeting for lunch, I looked up the restaurant on my cell phone maps app, since I had not been there before.

“What? This can’t be right!” Five hours and twenty minutes from my house to the restaurant, according to the map service. My friend lives less than an hour from me. I know this isn’t correct. I thought. Using a different app, I looked up the address to find out that the restaurant was less than a ten-minute drive from my house.

Technology is great, when it works; when it doesn’t, one can find themselves scrambling to recover. Sometimes, when we go to God for “direction,” His response can look like my map experience. Many years ago, I prayed for God to intervene into a personal situation. I was young in my faith journey at the time and thought I knew exactly how He would respond. When God did not follow “the plan” as I had believed He would, my emotions went into a free-fall. Spiraling out of control, I cried, begging God to help me understand what seemed like His betrayal. But God was only beginning to reveal to me how His sovereignty is not subject to human approval.

Friend, God’s ways are not my ways, or your ways. We may look at our spiritual “map” and see a different way to navigate the road than the direction God is taking us, but He is not wasteful in any way. One day, on this or the other side of heaven, God’s good and perfect purposes will be made clear. Until then, trust Him.

The idea that I would use math as an illustration is almost laughable, however it fits very well with this writing. In math, when given word problems to solve, one must be careful to read each word. As I learned in my last math class, a word as tiny as the word “is” can make the difference between solving a math problem correctly or not. My professors taught me when I see the word “is” in a word problem, it stands for the equals sign. Whatever comes on the left side of the word is must equal whatever comes on the right side of the word is.

In our Scripture passage leading into this writing, the word faith comes right before the word “is,” meaning what follows equals faith. So, let’s take a look at what follows: “Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” (Emphasis mine.)

Faith is a word that is hard to define, especially to someone who is not a believing Christian. Faith is not tangible in a way that proves beyond a doubt that something exists. For example, when the wind blows, we can’t see it with our eyes, but we can feel it on our skin. If we couldn’t feel it, then we might argue that it isn’t real. I have found that in my relationship with Jesus, faith in what he is doing in my life and around my life is very personal. Like a person who feels the wind, and knows that it’s real, when God works in my life in such a personal way, I believe it to be true. Others may argue with my perception, but this is what faith is called.

In our lives, we must each face God’s call with faith. Never doubt, or believe that anything is beyond the power of God to work out in your life. He loves when we cannot see and yet believe and trust in his mighty work. I pray that each of us will call upon the Holy Spirit to grow us daily in our faith.

Three of the four seasons, flowers in my garden are beautiful. Every winter, however, the garden looks barren and brown, with the dead, remaining woody stems standing dominant. Visitors who are familiar with the garden often comment about its barrenness, when the chill in the air takes over. Hopefulness and knowledge of what lies beneath the ground, beyond eyesight are what makes the otherwise ugliness, tolerable.

Most people enjoy outdoor gardens. However, there are some people who do not like receiving cut flowers because they feel saddened when the buds begin to shrivel up and die. Cut flowers in a vase will ultimately need to be disposed of this is true, but their fragrance lingers, as does the joy their beauty delivered, at least for a while.

Jesus was the master of using everyday simple objects to teach His disciples the deeper spiritual lessons about life and death. In the 12^th chapter of John, Jesus is preparing His followers for His inevitable death. He explains, that while He is still present with them in human bodily form,

His work and purpose have not been fulfilled. Of course, we on this side of the crucifixion and resurrection understand better what Jesus meant, when telling the story about the wheat. When the wheat grain falls into the soil, the appearance of death, in proper timing, the grain will produce more wheat, the picture of resurrection.

Whether standing in my garden or receiving flowers from a sweet someone thinking of me, the moment reminds me, that for those who follow Jesus, physical death is nothing more than returning to the ground, awaiting the final resurrection, that will come at the proper time God appoints and has promised. Appearances can be deceiving.

“Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake, and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead” (Isaiah 26:19, ESV).

I pray you have found eternal life through Jesus Christ.

“You deserve happiness!” At least this is the message that appeared on my teabag container. In the same perspective as the fortune cookie, randomly throwing out feel-good statements might make for a laugh or two with friends, but true statements are often harder to hear.

As we enter another new year, one need only listen to the news to discover that nothing about the actions of humankind is “new.” Depravity is built into the human DNA since the Garden of Eden. Sometimes my heart is so heavy that I yell out loud, God, what is wrong with people? Then, just as quickly as the words come out of my mouth, the Holy Spirit reminds me, that sin is what is wrong with people. Self-inflicted, “sin” is the human scar every person bears.

When Adam and Eve sinned against God in the Garden of Eden, their disobedience did not come as a surprise to God. And nothing you or I do today come as a surprise to God. Freewill requires a decision; we either choose obedience or rebellion. There is no compromise. Therefore, God did not compromise when He gave us His very best, His Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our rebellious nature. “Repentance” is the word Peter uses to describe the road we each must travel to receive God’s forgiveness. By repenting, we agree with God when He calls us into accountability instead of pleading our case, whatever our excuse may be.

My evening favorite tea ritual is forever changed, because whenever I read, “You deserve happiness!” I am reminded, no, I deserve misery, even death! But in His great mercy and abounding grace, through Jesus, God invites me to share in eternity with Him. God is inviting you too, friend. What do you say?

May you and I find peace with God in 2023!