Yokemates

Holidays can be celebrated in so many different ways. Graduations, too! I've heard of some regions of the country where parties last all day long and include picnics, fishing, boating and all kinds of activities. Other locales celebrate with Open Houses that last for hours and hours. Those who are invited must figure out their Graduation Open House Schedule carefully so that they can enjoy as many celebrations as possible! Still others enjoy simple affairs with a few close friends and family members. Whether you are invited to one party every few years, multiple parties in a year or no invitations arrive in the mail, a graduation dilemma will eventually surface.   Should the pastor and his wife give a gift to every high school graduate in the church family? Depending on the size of the church, or the age of the congregation, the number of graduates could include dozens of students or it could be non-existent. Assuming you have graduates in your church family and you...

Seems like a simple question, doesn’t it? It’s a solid, Biblical concept. A logical solution to an ongoing problem in our lives. So, why do we allow ourselves to get so stressed out at times? After all, “Can any one of us add a single hour to our lives by worrying ?” (my paraphrase of Matthew 6:27) Definitely not! In fact, the complete opposite is true. We are likely shortening our lives with the anxiety we allow to consume us from time to time. Just this past Monday, I was asked to make a simple phone call. What I didn’t realize was that this call would plunge me into a sea of ‘red tape.’ Plus, I was working with a tight timeline - everything needed to be completed by Friday. Other than calling every day to check on the progress of things, there was little else I could do - except to worry or pray. As the week progressed, I had to continually choose to pray and to speak kindly to those who were able to bring our desired goal into reality and on time! Paul encouraged the Phi...

There’s an empty seat today. Someone is missing, and I miss them. It tears at my heart. Was it something I said or did? Was it something my husband said or did? Why did they leave? We invested so much time in them. We discipled them. We shared life with them. I thought we were friends. Have you ever thought those things or had those doubts? I sure have. Any time a seat is open or a ‘special spot’ is left vacant – for any reason - Satan is quick to whisper in my ear. Planting seeds of deception, doubt and despair. It’s as if all the others that are present disappear from my view and my heart becomes heavy with sadness and a sense of emptiness. When someone leaves the church, whether by decision or death, it is natural to grieve. We grieve the loss of a dear friend or the dreams of what could have been. That gaping hole robs our hearts of God’s grace and peace. In our human weakness, we fall prey to the enemy. Regrets of time lost or broken relationships overwhelm our mind...

Everybody likes to be right. It feels good. It is what we have been praised for from nearly the beginning of our existence. Correct behavior gets a cheer. Good grades get us a ‘high five.’ Winning a debate or an argument cement our value and credibility in this world. But, what about when we’re both right? My husband and I recently participated in a “Newlywed Game” at one of our small group meetings. We’ve done this in the past, but this is the first time we both left the game a bit bewildered. How did we get that one question wrong? I t is so obvious that...I’m right! Uh oh! Yes, we both said the other person was the perpetrator. How can that be, and where do we go from here? Things between us were now a bit strained, and that can be really awkward when you're supposed to be the 'happily ever after couple.' So, what was the question? Simply this, Who never replaces the toilet paper when it is empty? As we headed home for the evening, I found myself pondering ho...