Yokemates

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs." Psalm 100:1-2 Quite often you will find me standing in the back of the sanctuary on a Sunday morning as the worship hour begins. I rarely am in the same place. Some Sundays I'm able to be in the sanctuary for all of the musical portion of worship, other Sundays I get a song here or there as the demands of the morning beg for my attention. Even with that semi-distracted worship, I usually have a few moments to really connect to a song or two - in at least one of our worship hours.  Now, however, as we adapt and reinvent what corporate worship (aka virtual worship) looks like, I've missed being able to sing with my church family - live and in person! As each week passes by, I'm missing that element of worship more and more. (Plus, my car radio hasn't worked for several months!)  Thankfully, I got a simple text from one of my daughters this pas...

Today was a day filled with watching blue lines and blue circles. I kept waiting. It kept processing. As each hour passed, I felt more and more stuck in the middle. After several hours of trying to work the process and patiently waiting for results, I realized I was only in the beginning phase. Worse yet, I had no clue when I'd ever see even the slightest flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. Do you know the feeling? My reality today was wrapped up in trying to get Sunday's sermon (as in tomorrow!) to upload onto YouTube. Two different computers, several browsers and literally hours later my project – amazingly – was uploaded. (Praise the Lord!) I didn’t know what to do with my emotions. Scream, cry or simply sit in disbelief! Have you felt stuck lately – at that halfway point of COVID19? Many say we have arrived, others are not so sure. The blue line is moving, but we don’t know how long it will all take to process. In the meantime, we wait and pray. We find crea...

In the midst of COVID-19 precautions and the childcare predicaments of ‘essential workers,’ I have taken up partial responsibility for watching one set of our grandchildren until the ‘stay-at-home’ guidelines have been lifted. My typical daily routine has changed drastically. No doubt, your lifestyle has been impacted pretty dramatically as well!  My new normal on weekdays includes getting up at 5:30 am to give myself a chance to wake up, get dressed and get out the door. (It's the earliest daily routine that I’ve ever had, come to think of it.)   Upon arriving at my daughter's house, I find her finishing up her morning routine. Her husband is long gone to work, and the kids are usually still in bed. The house is quiet - except for a little whimper.  In a matter of minutes, I hear metal click. Then, bounding out of the side room flies a bouncing puppy who is full of tail wags and enthusiastic greetings. While I would like to think that I'm the focus of all this spirited...

Change – it is inevitable. There are tons of jokes about change, some more funny than others. After all, no one typically embraces change really well unless the change was their idea in the first place. So, here’s the question of the week… How are you doing with all the change that has come your way amidst COVID19? How are you doing in your 'new normal'? It has been amazing to see the country - for the most part - and the Christian community pitch in to help others with a spirit of teamwork and solidarity. Many are sacrificing of their time and talents to help others. (And then there are those that simply stay in a state of panic from one change to the next.) I have a feeling we’ll never take the privilege of corporate worship and church gatherings for granted again. At least, I hope not! Our children and grandchildren have all been affected by the virus and its restrictions in one way or another. The world as we knew it has changed. The world as our children and grandchil...

Once upon a time there was a young maiden who was asked to go to the king’s palace. She was given fine clothes, beauty treatments and all the best the king had to offer. The king even made her his queen! Though it seemed as if she was living a fairy tale, fear soon struck her heart.  When she learned that the king’s aides planned to harm her family, she was so scared and she didn’t know what to do. No matter how hard she tried, fear kept creeping into her mind and heart. Every day, she was in fear for her family and even for her own life.  Now, even though the young maiden couldn’t see God, He was protecting her and her family. He even sent her cousin to her speak to her. (He was the same man who had adopted her as a daughter after her parents died.) He brought her words of wisdom. He told her that she could be brave, and with God’s help, she could find the courage to speak to the king. In fact, she was the only one who could ask the king not to harm their family....

As I stood in the hallway, I peeked through the crack in the sanctuary doors. My husband. My pastor. He was created to preach! I never doubted the gift that God had given my husband, but the reality of that gift rushed over me that day. He needs to preach God’s Word! He was created to be a preacher! A new prayer formed in my heart that day. It was based off of something I had just read in a study on the Book of Acts. In fact, it is found in the last verse of the book. Paul is under house arrest, but God keeps providing him with opportunities to preach. The verse says, “[For two years] he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!”  (Acts 28:31) Since that day, over five years ago, that verse has been my heart-cry for my husband. Amazingly, I have seen that prayer answered over and over again. To preach with boldness and without hindrance can be a challenge in so many ways. Not because our husbands are unwi...

Who is that person in your life that makes you grin from ear to ear when you just think of them? The memories are so sweet! Who is the one that represents the enthusiasm and love expressed in The Message version of Philippians 1:3:  “Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God”? Who are the ones who prayed for you? The ones who taught you God's Word? Those  who brought you a renewed sense of hope and purpose?   The ones that you knew would always love and care for you - no matter how bad you messed up? Those special ones in whom you can't help but  “break out in exclamations of thanks to God”? And…when is the last time you spoke to them? Perhaps you touch base each Christmas or they are a part of your life each and every week. A mom, a grandma, a teacher or a friend? Or, is it someone who you haven’t thought of for years, but when God brings them to your mind you know you owe them a debt of gratitude? I love the way The Messag...