Moments of Quiet Truth

      "Therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy, and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." Colossians 3:12       "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved,  . . . " 1 Peter 2:9-10      "And in that day I will answer, declares the LORD, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth, and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel, and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, 'You are my people'; and he shall say, 'You are my God.'" Hosea 2:21-23 (speaking of Israel)     ...

     This holiday season has been soo much harder for reasons I don't fully understand.      When the beginning of December rolled around and I was reminded how many more days until Christmas I groaned. Christmas in retail becomes (or can) a thing to be dreaded. I couldn't wait until it was over and now it almost is.      The time has not been taken to stop, to ponder, to revel in the miracle of Christmas and now that it's almost here, if feels soo rushed. It's just another day to get through, or so it feels. There has been so much to do and you get in a rut of just doing the next thing so that you can survive the next day with something of your sanity intact.      This has been a season of change and of preparation for change and I think that reality has had a part to play in the difficulty of the season. For the first time in years, I'm anticipating the opportunity to spend significant time overseas next year in pursuit...

     Hope has been the theme of posts and passages that I’ve been reading the past few weeks.      Hope can seem impossible or it can feel as if the object hoped in or answer to a long-term prayer can seem impossible.Romans eight speaks to the reality that hope is anchored in things yet invisible. “For who hopes for what he sees?” (8:24). The hope mentioned is that of the redemption of the creation and of the children of a God - redeemed bodies for the saints and freedom from corruption for the created order.      Hope can seem foolish. When you persevere in prayer, month after month, with no visible answer, (especially when others are aware of the needs as well and the anticipated outcome), it’s tempting to shut your mouth about it. There is, lurking in the shadows, whispers of shame and guilt for holding out hope, confident expectation in what appears to be an impossible end. The lie goes, ‘If you haven’t seen fruit for your labors yet,...