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“In Ancient Rome fine pottery was relatively thin and fragile and often developed cracks while being fired. Unscrupulous shops would fill the cracks with a hard, dark wax, which would be concealed when the object was painted or glazed but would melt when the pottery was filled with something hot. . In ordinary light, the deception was usually undetectable, but when held up to the sunlight it was  clearly exposed, because the wax appeared darker. . Reputable dealers would often stamp their products ‘sine cera’ (“without wax”) as a guarantee of high quality.” -John MacArthur . Our Christian life can look good, glazed over with church attendance and fine sounding sentiments and all manner of good things. It’s the hot and fiery seasons of life that will reveal our cracks. What are others seeing as we are being held up to the light in the pressures of 2020? . “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve th...

There is beauty everywhere this time of year. I find myself wanting to capture it, to savor it because this fresh bloom of early summer is so fleeting. It’s interesting how often the Scriptures link the beauty of flowers with the fleeting nature of our lives. “As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its plac e knows it no more.” Psalm 103:15-16 “The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass.” Isaiah 40:7 “For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” James 1:11 There are no romantic poems in Scripture glorying in the beauty or fragrance of these magnificent creations. Rather, we are constantly reminded, “This won’t last. Your life won’t last.” Depressing? It will be if we fix our eyes on the here and now. Rather, t...

Doing some weeding this morning and thinking about sanctification. We bought our house seven years ago. It required eyes of faith. The house itself was outdated and neglected - if it had been on a HGTV show it would have been labeled a “total gut job.” We will just say it had good bones. The property hadn’t been truly cared for in years. Broken and irregularly placed pavers were the only “front  sidewalk” we had. Hip-high (sometimes shoulder-high) weeds and brush surrounded the house. Attempts at flower beds from years past were now fields of thistles. But it was ours. I remember telling my husband in that first year that my biggest goal was that the house wouldn’t look vacant and abandoned! Many home projects and seven summers later, hours and hours and hours of weeding and planting and truckloads of mulch and more weeding... and more weeding... it’s beautiful. It not only doesn’t feel abandoned- it feels loved. It feels like we live here. But it still requires hours of weeding. W...

Tonight, T and I read the story of blind Bartimaeus in her story Bible . She kept pointing to the picture and saying, “He’s screaming! He’s screaming!”... which does give some insight on a common behavior issue for miss T.  😂 “No, he’s not screaming. He’s shouting, ‘Jesus, help me! Jesus, help me!’ Do you think Jesus will help him?” She looked at me and very solemnly nodded yes. She had no doubt Jesus would help him. Why? She hadn’t heard this story before. She doesn’t yet know Jesus. I’m not even sure how much she understands with her limited two-year-old speech. But yes- she was sure. Why? Because she knows what it is to be loved. And when she cries for help, someone helps her. She doesn’t know Jesus yet or understand His love, but she knows us. She knows she is loved and safe and someone comes when she cries for help. Parents of young children, these years are hard. Little ones are so sweet and say funny things and look precious in pictures, but these years are hard. I hear you...

What is it about jigsaw puzzles? I find myself pulling out puzzles during the most stressful and chaotic times in our lives. Maybe it’s because it gives me a quiet mental space to think as it quiets my body and focuses my eyes and hands. Maybe it’s the peace of putting in ear buds with my audio Bible and listening while I simply sit (something I’m often not good at doing). Maybe it’s soothing to bring order to chaos when nothing else in my life seems to fit together. Maybe it’s just comforting to know that even when I can’t figure out where something fits, it DOES fit, somehow, in this larger picture. I just can’t see it yet. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that if the piece doesn’t fit, but really looks like it should fit, it still won’t fit there no matter how many times I try. But I often keep trying. I want to force it in there somehow. Trusting God is a little like putting together a puzzle. Often we sit among heaps of broken pieces. We know He has a plan. We know somehow...

Let's have an honest conversation about virtual church, shall we? Because I'm sure I'm not alone in the feeling of let-down and frustration each week.  We started so well today with such good intentions.  8:45am- I pull warmed homemade cinnamon rolls out of the oven that I had stuck in the freezer two weeks ago. I spread them with icing (on-plan for THM and everything!) and pour a cup of coffee, enjoying watching the big kids delight in a special breakfast.  Our 2 year old is still sleeping- perfect.  We go into the family room and settle in to participate in the service together.  9:03am- We are late. Even when church is in our own family room. What in the world is wrong with us? 9:05am- Internet connectivity issues. Our pastors' faces are frozen in strange expressions. I back the feed up and we try again. We will just be a little behind everyone else.  9:10am- We have more internet issues. Still frozen.  9:12am- ...

So here we are, quarantined during this week leading up to Easter. I hate missing observing Good Friday and celebrating Resurrection Morning with our church family.  Church services (at least in-person!), egg hunts, and family gatherings may be cancelled, but that doesn't mean this week needs to pass by without significant times of remembrance.  A number of years ago, we held a "Seder" (Passover meal) with family, and it has become one of our most treasured traditions around the Easter season. A time to simply pause and remember - remember the vast span of God's plan of salvation, the weight of our sin, our deep need for redemption, the hope we have in Jesus, and our calling to share the good news with others. Along the way, it has built in our kids a deeper perspective on what Easter is actually all about, how the Old and New Testaments speak to one another, the Jewish roots of our Christian faith, and even the significance of observing communion.  D...

Grateful for our hymn this month focusing our hearts on God being our mighty fortress. Martin Luther's words ring just as true for us as they did in 1529 in the midst of the great reformation.  This hymn is a paraphrase of Psalm 46, an oft quoted psalm with portions frequently emblazoned on tote bags and travel mugs and inspirational posters.  You know what always strikes me about it? In the midst of the "earth giving way," "mountains being moved into the heart of the sea," "the nations raging," the Psalmist THEN reminds us that the Lord of Hosts is with us. What should we do? Be still. Know He is God.  Being still and knowing isn't just something we do looking over a peaceful landscape or a seashore. We are commanded to be still when the whole earth and the nations seem to be crumbling apart and "threatening to undo us," as Luther stated.  Now. Right now. We need to be still and know. He is our refuge and strength, a v...

I remember the feeling of being huddled in our basement during a tornado warning when my big kids were preschoolers. My husband was at work, they were afraid, I was nervous - tornadoes and lightning (along with spiders...) are high up on my list of biggest fears. Everything in me wanted to look into their wide eyes and confidently assure them, "Nothing bad will happen! We are safe! God will protect us!" The words were on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to say them. I wanted to believe them. I wanted to see them relax in the reassurance that we were invincible. Except that it's not true, and I couldn't say it. I've seen too many people wrestle with ramifications of this bad childhood theology that was drilled deeply into their view of the world from a young age. Because the truth is that this world is utterly broken. Creation groans. People sin. Tornadoes strike. Diseases rage. People die. Bad things  do  happen - all the time . I don't want them to fa...

Seek first. These are strange times we are living in. I find myself reaching for my phone to check headlines much more frequently. I scan Facebook looking for reports from friends about the state of the grocery stores. Sometimes in this digital age, information feels like protection, like control. If I know more of what's going on I will know what to do, I will have control. It's a mirage. In our thirst for control and stability we grasp for it, but it was never there to begin with. No matter how much toilet paper we have stockpiled or the amount of hand sanitizer and Lysol we use, we do not have control. Everything earthly we put our trust in can be gone in a moment. Our lives are finite and we find ourselves numbering our days. Anxiety creeps in. Fear creeps in. "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body mo...