BLOG––Encouraged by Faith

A few weeks ago, right after very difficult cancer surgery, I had a dream that has not faded and that has become more and more meaningful as the treatments continue. In a fever-sick dream, I was walking to the doctor’s office and I didn’t want to go. I was very weak and sick. It was...

How to pray for self, for others, for an end, for God’s will, for peace and acceptance of God’s purpose in suffering and trouble, acknowledging that his wrath is just, but his mercy is sure and his promises do not fail. At this very moment, plagues almost biblical in their magnitude...

Whose word defines me? Words impact our lives in a relentless barrage. I must admit I let this encroachment happen. From early in the morning until late at night, there is hardly a moment of peace. Even when no one else is speaking, my own words will demand my attention. Many years ago, the...

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. (Philippians 4:4-5) Someone dear once told me that I would feel better if I smiled. I did, and she said, “No, that’s a sneer. Smile like you mean it.” I tried that and it...

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) I mean to trust God in all things, and yet I fear many things. How can this be? What do I fear that is beyond God’s control? Is there really anything that is...

On Sunday, October 6, the elders led a combined worship service that included an announcement of changes in the involvement of women in worship. (See this website for the elders’ written transcript here or in audio form here). An eagle passed over Rangeline Road in Carmel on...

In his letter to the Galatian church, the apostle Paul said; “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Are you clothed in Christ? If so, your shame is covered up so that you are presentable to God. Your guilt and sin are no longer separating you from...

What does it mean to say, “I’m a Christian"? Who do you say it to? If someone else already knows you are a Christian, do you need to keep telling them? Isn’t that a kind of boasting? You know if you are a Christian or not. You do not need to keep telling yourself. Someone...

Disapproval is a default position programmed into personalities by lifelong practice. This is not love. It is not grace. It is unforgiving, unwilling to extend the saving grace of God to those in need of it. Disapproval is a modeled behavior. Friends and relatives influence young people by...

(Dealing with Difficult People) Galatians 5:22-23 In horrible days that I now remember fondly, I worked in a stressful environment for a long time. My success was always uncertain. My competence was continually questioned, and not only by me. My job seemed perpetually tentative. Technically I...