Over thirty years ago, when I first began writing Redeeming Love, I put three pictures on my bulletin board where I could see them as I worked. All three were of the same little girl; the first, a school picture of a pretty little 6-8 year old girl; the second, the same child, terrified and about to be raped in a pornographic film; the third, the same girl, at age twelve, with a sultry look and … Read more
I can’t watch any more news about the horrific murder of George Floyd or about the protesters who have violently reacted by burning and looting. I need to hear more from the peaceful demonstrators who seek much-needed change, who address racial hatred with clarity and truth, who seek equal rights and equal justice for those of all colors and backgrounds. I need to see more of the milk of human kindness and less of the poison … Read more
As the shelter-in-place order has stretched from weeks into months, I’ve had more time to work in our vineyard. We have one hundred pinot noir grapevines, all planted thirty-plus years ago. When we moved in, the yard and vineyard needed a lot of TLC. In the beginning, someone had laid out a beautiful plan, but over the years, busy owners didn’t have the time or interest to follow it. (Sound familiar?) We knew nothing about tending … Read more
Mother’s Day is bittersweet for me because my mother went home to be with the Lord twenty-five years ago. We always knew my dad would not live a long life. He had his first heart attack at thirty-nine, and two open-heart surgeries. He used to joke and say the doctors should put a zipper in his chest to make it quick and easy to change parts. Mom was healthy. As a young nurse, she caught tuberculosis … Read more
Having to limit my time outside the walls of our home has had some benefits. We have gone through cabinets and closets inside the house and garage. As soon as stores open, Rick will be dropping off sacks of donations to our favorite ministries, and we’ll be wandering the mall just to be around people – hopefully without masks. While still waiting, I’m going through files and finding some gems. One sheet of paper came from … Read more
A favorite scripture of mine is Romans 8:28: “All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” Of course, we don’t always recognize those good things when we are going through trials and crises. It often takes time and wisdom brought through life experiences for us to look back and see the blessings that came from them. But there are also things we can see as blessings … Read more
Life on this earth is always fraught with difficulties, crises, uncertainty. This is nothing new, and wars (whether nation against nation or against a virus) will continue until Jesus comes again. As we shelter-in-place, we do not need to be afraid. While we practice social distancing, we can stay in touch through social media, telephone calls, letters and cards. Remember — Jesus lived thirty-three years in a human body; fully human and fully divine. He had … Read more
The Corona Virus was already spreading when Rick and I were returning from a trip to South Africa. (I hope to tell you more about our visit to that beautiful country soon.) We transited London’s immense Heathrow airport, had a five-hour layover, then caught a long flight to San Francisco, followed by a two-hour ride home during Friday get-out-of-town traffic. We heard from friends on the cruise ship Grand Princess, still refused (at the time) docking … Read more
My daughter, Shannon, pointed out a “Gift to God” section in the Tyndale Life Application Bible Commentary on the book of Acts (page 172) on the excuses we’ve all made at times – and may continue to do so – for not helping the poor and needy. Here are eight of the most common excuses the commentary writers listed: They don’t deserve help. They got themselves into poverty; let them get themselves out. God’s call to … Read more
When finding solutions, it is always helpful to look to Scripture and see what God has to say about our problems. It might surprise you to know the Lord designed a system to provide for the poor. The following are just a few of the scriptures that address poverty. Leviticus 19:9-10 – When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the crops along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up … Read more