It has been heartwarming to hear that some of the meditations included in my Watchwords have been helpful to people, and have given them support in our difficult times. They are all works emanating from inspiration, and meant to give strength to carry on. I wanted to share some of the essays that have been the most popular, as well as some personal favorites.
Please feel free to download these, print and share them, and pass them on.
- Pride – We all struggle with pride in life! The seeds of pride are planted very early. Who among us has never said, “That’s mine!!” We grow out of some of that childish possessiveness, but little threads of sinful pride remain. print/download PDF
- Prayer – Think about that. Do we turn to prayer as a last resort? When circumstances are crushing us down? Only when it thrills or excites us? Prayer is my soul speaking to God… personal and private. So be it. print/download PDF
- Being There – Has the Pandemic instilled in us new habits that have devalued the importance of being in church to worship? Have we lost something? Why do we go to church? We go to church for other people. print/download PDF
- Never Ending Story – The Gospel lesson was the Mark 13 passage, which has themes of the end of the world, fear and being on guard. One pastor illustrated the lesson with the children’s fantasy, Never Ending Story, where was great fear was named “Nothing”. The lesson for us? The fears we face are “Nothing” with God. print/download PDF
- Barabbas, Man of God? – Barabbas, the imprisoned, notorious leader of the Zealots who is set free when Jesus is crucified. His changed life is imagined in my novel, A Life for Barabbas. The fictional pattern of this man’s faith journey mimics the critical points of our own faith development. print/download PDF
- Storms – The geography of the Sea of Galilee makes it subject to sudden and violent storms, So, when the boat, loaded with disciples and Jesus himself, was overtaken by a sudden storm, the disciples had the know-how to cope, but not this time. In desperation, they called on Jesus. print/download PDF
- Do Not Be Afraid – In the Bible, there are 365 references to fear and its variances. We fragile humans still invest a lot of time, and health and worry, not just about tomorrow, but often about things that have long passed. print/download PDF
- Exposed! – The cultural and Biblical times in Jerusalem were not pleasant. Some of the practices, by today’s standards, were outright criminal. That was especially true if you were female, or born into a family that already had too many children. Those babies, often alive, were left to die in the elements on the dung heap, in the Ghenna Valley. print/download PDF
- I’m No Giraffe! – I’ve been thinking about God’s plan for each of our lives and how that plan doesn’t always run smoothly. The birth of a baby giraffe provides the analogy for the lesson that God is good on the easy stuff and the tough ones. print/download PDF
- Sing for Joy – Ever have your heart so full of joy that it seems you can’t stop singing. I think at the very heart of our joy is the knowledge we have been invited to come to Him and he gives us rest. print/download PDF
- Our Failures? – Jesus is not praying for us in our success! He is praying for us in our failures! Do you believe that? print/download PDF
- Is God in My Pumpkin – One Halloween season, this long-time Presbyterian pastor’s three-year-old daughter interrupted his morning meditation, wanting to know where God was. print/download PDF
- The Enemy Within – In a room, far from the marketplace in Jerusalem, Jesus spoke to his disciples, and to us, saying, “Go and forgive each other, love your enemies, pray for those who insult you, come as a child, trusting, forgiving.” print/download PDF
- Last Resort? – Returning to my MacBook to finish my manuscript and send it back to my editor, I found that the page that I had work so diligently on the day before was not there! print/download PDF
- God’s Yard Sale – New Normals. Try them for 100 days. If not satisfied, you may have your Old Normal back, guaranteed. print/download PDF
- Happiness Is a Bird – What happened to your happiness when all this isolation and quarantine began? Did you leave it out there, on the parking lot, by your unused, un-driven car? print/download PDF
- Ancient Clay Lamp – In Biblical times, there were no flashlights. A find on an archaelogical dig points to one of the most helpful passages in the Bible. print/download PDF
- Anger? Hope? – World-wide, we are sharing a common condition, brought on by this isolation and the shared fear of the virus. We can empathize with others, and compassion is often born out of empathy. print/download PDF
- The Voice of God – What does the voice of God sound like? Have you heard it? How do you hear it? Under what circumstances? Did the voice seem familiar? print/download PDF
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