Spirit & Soul

Finally, the weather turned cooler. Since my wife and I gave up on the gym thing during COVID, we could now walk the trails again. Nice, but not a real workout. At my age, I must put time in the weights to maintain muscle mass. This means working out every day—being enthusiastic about my purpose.

In the third chapter of Revelation, Jesus explains the condition of seven churches. Basically, He says the churches were once spot on. They knew the truth and held fast to it. They confessed and taught the truth and demonstrated their love for the Lord through their actions. In most cases, the churches stopped being what they were formerly. But some lost their muscle mass and became lukewarm.

This condition still affects many churches today and the Christians who attend them. Christians with a laissez-faire mentality who have no vision, purpose, oversight, or accountability. But God does hold us accountable. Jesus told the members they might lose their church if they didn’t change.

Many churches suffer in attendance. If unbelievers even consider investigating Christianity or considering joining a church, they are held back by the regular attendees’ lack of enthusiasm and drive. They wonder if all Christians aren’t supposed to be excited about their faith. All they do is go to church, go back home, and complain.

The organizations and businesses that succeed are enthusiastic about direction and purpose, and the people they hire must also be excited about the possibilities. If they aren’t, they won’t last long. As people of faith, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit and can move mountains. Together, we can do a lot. With God, the sky is the limit. All things are possible through Christ, who strengthens us.

Think of ways to be enthusiastic about your purpose in God. 

While crafting with my busy hands one afternoon, I made a sweet sweater for any needy child in my home city. Like my gal pals in my church ladies’ craft group, I have a charity for donating my wool and efforts. Hands are for charity and making woolens and toys with love.

I realized I was walking with my God, like my gal pals and the dudes at church. God made all of us chicks and chaps for love. We are all called to love God. His divine love is sweet, as Paul wrote to his community in Corinth.

This message is still valid today—flowing through us all and bringing wisdom inspired by Jesus’ sweet love. We can believe that obeying Jesus’ commands to love God and each other is our role in God’s plan. Everything has a bright side if we acknowledge that not one of us can solve global issues.

Loving God and praying for strength to unite our human race with our faithful friends can achieve miracles. We all hope and pray for peace and inclusion. Peace on earth will be worth it.

So, I continue in my worship and do my little part for the have-nots in society. The more we love each other in any humble way, the greater the benefit for our whole world. We cannot be humanitarian enough. We can all continue reaching out to unite and show the world we care for the disenfranchised.

I make the garments I craft with love. I keep walking with God, who is still sending us Jesus. His love is sweet.

Think of ways you can show the sweetness of love.

With only weeks into the New Year, resolutions have typically come and gone. The stamina required for meaningful change looms far too large and overwhelming for many. We can easily forget prospective hopes and aspirations. It takes more than willpower to hold fast and accomplish a goal.

Athletes conquer challenges with the help of trainers and coaches, and students achieve academic success with help from teachers and tutors. But what about the rest of us? We don’t have dedicated assistance to keep us on track. Or do we?

All the help and encouragement we need is readily accessible. Yet we must ask for it and submit it to God. He is ever willing to push us toward our best. Unfortunately, we needlessly put too much pressure on ourselves and faith in our efforts instead of asking God to help us achieve our goals. In our weakness, God provides the strength that allows us to endure. Through Christ, things that once tempted us can no longer hold us hostage.

Lasting success always comes through God and often takes more time and effort than we imagine. But God rewards our faith. Our goals and resolutions are probably changes the Holy Spirit has prompted us to make all along: eating too much, having a negative attitude, and being undisciplined.

Change can be daunting, but it is possible. The desire to mature, evolve, set new habits, and break old ones prepares us for our purpose. We will all change this year. Whether it is for better or worse remains to be seen. God allows us to participate and make choices concerning our lives and outcomes. Don’t obsess over failed resolutions or false starts. Instead, ask God what He wants you to do now.

My greatest regrets are not things I’ve done but things I didn’t have enough faith to try. If the New Year sparks a desire for change, go for it. But don’t go it alone. Help is only a prayer away.

I’m striving for a new me in the New Year. What about you?

My barn was old and weathered, but it was savable. Some paint and a new roof and it would be as good as new. However, there was a deeper problem than what someone could see on the surface. A corner of the barn’s foundation had started to crumble. Soon, large chunks of the foundation fell away, causing the barn to tilt and lean until it fell. The barn was now unsavable and needed to be torn down—all because of a few rocks at the corner of the foundation.

The authorities arrested Peter and John for sharing about Christ and healing a man who could not walk. They were brought before the high priests and questioned about whose name they had used to do this.  They could have just said they healed through the power of Jesus, but they went on to specify how Jesus, the cornerstone, had been rejected. Why point this out? Because the cornerstone was the one stone essential for keeping the building upright. The building would stand through storms and trials if the cornerstone was there. Take it away and the building would crumble.

People have various cornerstones: sports, approval from others, promotions. The list is endless. But will those things help us stand when life gets hard, and we’re thrown into difficult situations? Will they support us when things crumble?

Jesus is the only true cornerstone who can support and guide. Let Jesus be your cornerstone, and keep an old barn standing.

Three weeks is much too long for a three-year-old boy to be confined to a hospital bed. Every time the door opened, he’d wail, fearing what might happen next. 

Our yearly trip back home to celebrate Christmas and spend time with family quickly turned deadly. After listening to my son’s chest, a triage nurse loaded us into an ambulance bound for Scottish Rite Hospital in Atlanta. My son’s pediatrician had assured me the rash was nothing more than our laundry soap, but all along, a deadly virus festered. Fluid filled his lungs, causing his left lung to collapse. He needed emergency surgery.

Pictures of the Grinch stealing the Whos’ Christmas decorated every wall and window of the children’s hospital. I couldn’t help but agree that he’d stolen ours too. We pulled our son down the hall in a wagon because he was too frail to walk.

Then a memory rushed back, a Christmas tree perched on top of a high building—this building!

“Look, Mama.” He pointed. “Up there.”

“That’s the children’s hospital.”

“You mean children stay there even at—” His eyes widened. “Christmas?”

I nodded.

“Let’s pray for them, okay, Mama?”

While we drove down I-285 all those days ago, we unknowingly prayed for ourselves.

Additionally, a new pediatrician did the nightly rounds, and we worried this would worsen the situation.

“God, will you send someone to comfort my son?”

A familiar voice and a very familiar face greeted us when the door opened. I’ve always heard everyone has a twin somewhere in the world, and this doctor’s twin lived back home in Arkansas and attended our church. Our son called her “Mrs. Stephanie” and cheerfully took whatever medicine she prescribed. When we returned home three weeks later, I hugged the real Stephanie and thanked her. God used her to help a sickly little boy recover from the brink of death, and she’d never even left the state.

God sees and guides our steps, even when those steps lead us into a children’s hospital. On our darkest nights, His light shines brighter than the Christmas tree, illuminating the city below.

Think of someone you can pray for this Christmas season.