When God tells us in Ephesians 5:18 to "be filled with the Holy Spirit," we see that you and I have an active part to play in this 'filling.' More than that, it is a continuous tense verb that would be better read, "Be being filled," or, "Keep on being filled." This is not automatic. Many things will hinder this filling- this outpouring of God's Spirit into your life. Coarse language, unkind speec...  Read More

King David, before he was king, became best friends with Saul's son, Jonathan. In fact, they were much closer than friends. In today's terms we might call them 'blood brothers'- men who shared the same heart and who would willingly die for each other. What knit them together? As we read the account of Jonathan and his armor-bearer scaling a tower to attack the enemy on top, we see that Jonathan ha...  Read More

I've always taken my weather cues from Tigger, who said, "Rain, rain, go away. Come again on some other guy!" I prefer a world where the sun always shines and plants are watered from dew and beautiful springs coming up from the ground. But then, we don't always get what we want, do we? The beautiful thing about growing closer to Christ is that he changes what we want.When we CHOOSE to make life ab...  Read More

God said, "Don't be afraid. I will rescue you." Sometimes we need a rescue, don't we? Yesterday mine included a dead machine in the middle of the wilderness, a call for help from a good friend who 'just happened' to be near, an ATV, a chainsaw, two tow ropes, a truck, and a 6 mile tow out. If my friend hadn't been there (100 miles from his home) my machine would still be out there.If I hadn't haul...  Read More

I've been waking up sleeping muscles- hibernating might be more accurate. Actually, I should say that many of my muscles have been in a 'self-induced coma.' I've spent a few days doing hard physical labor. Now I hurt almost everywhere. It's not the "I'm injured" kind of hurt. It's the "you better start working out" kind of hurt.I think I learned in science that 'an object at rest tends to stay at ...  Read More

I pulled to a stop and began pulling out my driver's license as the police officer parked behind me. Adding to the humiliation of the flashing lights was the fact that in a small town virtually every car that went by knew me. Suddenly- just like that- my circumstances changed. The policeman stepped on the gas and went roaring past me, shaking his finger at me as he went by. He'd gotten called to s...  Read More

I was a junior in high school when I intentionally 'rolled through' a stop sign in my small town. I said to my brother John, "I didn't see that stop sign, did you?" He said, "Nope. And I hope that cop behind us didn't see it either." In that moment, flashing lights and a siren started up behind me. I went from prideful to humble in less than a second. I bought my own car and paid my own insurance,...  Read More

Do you find yourself always in a hurry? Why is that? Jesus said that he "did everything the Father gave him to do" and yet we never read that he was late. We never read that he was in a hurry. We never read that he missed an appointment. The usual problem is that you didn't get started early enough. True, there will always be unexpected delays. That's a part of life, but when you get up earlier or...  Read More

It was a big river of unknown depth, literally rushing out of the foot of a glacier. The problem? I needed to cross. I walked to the widest spot in the river, tossed a stick out into the channel, and told my Chesapeake Bay Retriever ('Tucker') to "Fetch!" I wanted to see how far he could wade and how far he had to swim. The first spot was definitely no good, so I tried again and then again. I slow...  Read More

Yesterday I had a new experience. Out in the middle of the forest I had a bird land on my hand. It chirped when I told it to sing praises to God. It fluttered just a few feet away as I reached into my pack and pulled out some cheese. I put a small piece in my hand and it flew over and stood on my palm and ate. Then it looked up at me waiting for more. As it stood on my hand- so trusting- it remind...  Read More

There is no end to the needs that surround us. How do you decide where to help? After all, you can't do two things at once and you only have so much money to give. To begin with, I would tell you to be very careful before giving money or time to organizations that do not proclaim the gospel. I'm not saying don't do it. You might have a chance to witness when you volunteer. I'm simply saying that y...  Read More

Sarah Cooke, Amanda Smith, Elizabeth Fry, Jessie Penn Lewis, Amy Carmichael, Bertha Smith, Marie Monson, Catherine Booth... just a few of the women used mightily of God to change their generations. How? By walking so closely with Jesus that they knew His POWER! They knew what it was to be not simply 'indwelt', but FILLED with the Holy Spirit. As I've read through decades of journals and reflection...  Read More