Meat for the Hungry

    I love it when I find the Gospel in the Old Testament. To me, it confirms the Scriptural Truth that God does not change— He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. [1] And for some reason, I need this understanding settled within my heart to function in my daily life.   Lately, Job has been sort of my go-to book when I was feeling down. No matter how bad things got, it wasn’t as bad as it was for Job. Amid the horrific disasters God allowed Satan to perpetrate on Job’s life, even killing his children, Job did not charge God with wrong. In fact, he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” [2]   I find that fascinating—and so unlike me.   It’s possible in my rantings this past year, I did charge God with wrong. I pray I didn’t, but if I didn’t, I think I came very close. And I wasn’t really suffering.   Only God could ha...

Tinsel, glittering trees, sparkling lights, wreaths, and decorations in their place. Nativity displayed. Cards addressed and mailed. Candles lit. Table set. Ham glazed. Cookies baked, candies molded, nut bowls filled. Cocoa simmering, presents wrapped, ribboned, and bowed, and a family dressed to the nines. What a p e r f e c t C h r i s t m a s ! Oh, how I wish this were me. I did better with C h r i s t m a s when I was younger, probably because I started in September. Lately, though, the perfect Christmas seems elusive, and I’d rather escape into Christmas poems, books, and movies. In them, I rarely see the behind the scenes work or the chaos that ensues with my not-so-perfect Christmases. Neither is there the stress, depression, or frustration building during the holidays. Sometimes we’re missing loved ones, sometimes we’re lonely, sometimes it’s disturbing news or a serious diagnosis, and sometimes we’re simply dreading the work of putting up decorations, just to take th...

So THANKFUL for my beautiful Mom (center) and Aunts. Driving home from work Wednesday night before T h a n k s g i v i n g , my eyes caught the McDonald’s restaurant signboard. They were advertising a “Big Breakfast Thanksgiving morning.” A question quickly came to mind. “Who would go to McDonald’s for this big breakfast Thanksgiving morning?” I answered myself almost immediately, with an envious reflection, “Probably anyone who doesn’t have a ton of cleaning, cooking and baking to do.” I had worked late, I was tired, and a bit cranky. But then, my thoughts were on to something else. I think I reviewed all the ingredients I purchased earlier, making sure before I drove all the way home, I hadn’t forgotten anything. To me, T h a n k s g i v i n g has always been about thanking God for His blessings in my life the past year. However, this morning, I remembered McDonald’s sign and I got to thinking about the people who just might have attended the “Big Breakfast” feast. ...

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life , and that they may have it more abundantly .” (John 10:10 NKJV) www.mightymag.org Do you live in the knowledge and understanding of life abundant? It’s easy to quote John 10:10, and say we live it. But do we really? When our lives are so full of activity and crazy drama, it is hard to live and believe Jesus meant this for us. We know He said it and we try to believe, but sometimes it’s just easier to feel overwhelmed and depressed, than to think, somehow we missed it. In the chaos, we long to withdraw to the refuge of our bed and pull the covers over our head until it all goes away.