Category Archives: Family, Friends & Fellowship

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June 15, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, Bible Stories, Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Grace & Love, Knowing Him

HE SEES AND HEARS US

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. [Psalm 139:1-3 (NLT)]

The Lord is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good. [Proverbs 15:3 (NLT)]

El Roi is one of the Hebrew names for God. We find it in Genesis 16 when Hagar encountered God in the desert and addressed Him as El Roi, meaning “the God who sees me.” After God told Hagar she was pregnant, He said to name her soon to be born son Ishmael. A combination of the Hebrew el and shama, the boy’s name means “God hears” or “God listens.” God both heard and saw Hagar because He’s omnipresent and omniscient; He can be everywhere and know everything at all times. There’s no place we can hide where we’re unknown, unseen, or unheard by Him.

When you think about it, knowing that God sees and hears us in both our best and worst moments is a bit disconcerting. Like those ever-present security cameras or the traffic cop with his radar gun and ticket book, is God hoping to spot us doing something wrong or catch us breaking His law? Is He a voyeur who likes peeking at us in our most intimate moments? Is He similar to the paparazzi who try to capture celebrities in their most embarrassing ones? My life is boring; as a person of no importance, why would God be interested in watching me?

The answer came when fourteen of our extended family went to a ballgame at Wrigley Field. Out of the blue, my husband and I were offered two extra tickets by a friend. Unlike ours that were high and overlooking right field, these were in the eighth row directly behind home plate. Had there just been the two of us, we would have accepted them in an instant. Nevertheless, we declined the generous offer.

You see, watching the Cubs wasn’t our priority. My eyes weren’t focused on the field—they were focused on the ones I love. I don’t remember who won but I do remember watching the little girls get their hair French braided by an older cousin and having the nine-year-old explain a “walk-off home run” to me. The day was about making sure no one got lost in the crowd, choked on a peanut, or dropped their popcorn; it was getting to hold children on my lap, handing out water, and hearing the girls giggle while sharing secrets. I remember laughing at the children’s antics, holding their hands while singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” and watching their faces as they cheered on the Cubs. I watched my husband wipe catsup off messy faces, my son shepherd kids to the ice cream stand, and a little one fall asleep in his mother’s arms. That day I understood that the God who watches and listens to us isn’t like a Heavenly hall-monitor waiting to catch us running in the halls or making too much noise! He’s not watching us to catch us doing something wrong—God watches and listens because He loves and cares about us! We are His precious children and God loves us as much as my husband and I love our family. That’s not to say God won’t correct us when necessary and there were a few moments that afternoon when we had to offer some correction to the grands. Nevertheless, we barely took our eyes off them because it was a joy to watch them.

I cherish the moments I see and hear my children and grands. It’s not because they are exceptionally talented or beautiful (which, in my eyes, they are) and it’s not so I can judge them. My eyes and ears are on them simply because they are mine and I love them “to the moon and back!” As for being unimportant—my family is of utmost importance to me. Because we are God’s children, each and every one of us is just as important to Him! Like a loving parent or grandparent, God watches over us simply because we are His and He loves us.

The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. [Psalm 121:5-8 (NLT)]

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May 11, 2026

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Faith & Hope, Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Grace & Love, Holidays & Holy Days, Thanks & Praise

BEAUTIFUL WOMEN – Mother’s Day 2026

Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise. [Proverbs 31:30-31 (NLT)]

That smiling bride in today’s photo is my mother. Taken at her wedding eighty-eight years ago, it’s one of the few photos I have of her. A quiet unassuming woman, I don’t think she thought of herself as pretty and she disliked having her picture taken. Nevertheless, even with her freckled face, unruly hair, overbite, thick glasses and hearing aid, my mother was the most beautiful woman I’ve known…and her smile could light up a room.

It was at my mother’s side that I learned to love the written word. She urged me to read all sorts of books that were probably considered far too adult for a girl my age and we discussed every one of them in detail. She was intelligent and creative and encouraged me in every one of my endeavors. She was incredibly open with me about her past, her faith, and her feelings. Perhaps she knew her time on earth was brief, so she packed everything a mother wants to teach her daughter into fifteen short years.

It was from my mother that I learned about generosity, love, forgiveness, and how to find peace in the turmoil. She showed me that true love takes effort and is more a choice than a feeling. She introduced me to the writing of C.S. Lewis and started me on my journey of faith. It was through her that I came to know Jesus. This shy humble woman taught me courage: courage in the face of disappointment, adversity, and betrayal—courage in the face of cancer and in the face of death. She taught me how to live and how to die.

My mother probably was the most beautiful when she was the least attractive—without any make-up, a towel wrapped around her head like a turban, and lying in a hospital bed, just a few days before her death. As we were departing her hospital room, my father leaned over, picked up a corner of her oxygen tent, ducked in and kissed her. He said, “You look like an angel tonight.” Her response, said with a smile on her radiant face, was, “Maybe tomorrow I’ll be with the angels!” Indeed, as she passed through the valley of death, she knew who accompanied her. My mother wasn’t afraid because she had complete faith in God’s promises. She wasn’t worried; trusting God that the family she left behind would be just fine, she knew that where she was headed would be even better. She may not have been what some would call “pretty”, but my mother was the most beautiful woman in my world. I do, however, have to admit that my mother-in-law, another wonderful woman of faith, ran a close second! In His grace, God blessed me with two beautiful mothers—not everyone is so blessed!

Dear Lord, we thank you for our mothers: those beautiful women who gave us life. We also thank you for all of the other beautiful women of faith who have blessed our lives with their encouragement, enlightenment, love, guidance, and good example. Please reassure them that, in spite of what the mirror and society may tell them, they are truly beautiful both in your eyes and ours!

Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. [1 Peter 3:3-5 (NLT)]

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April 13, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Fruit of the Spirit, Love & Works, Temptation & Sin

THE JESUS METER

When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. [John 15:8 (NLT)]

grapesIf there were a litmus test for Christians, it would not be pious words, powerful preaching, grandiose gestures, or even extraordinary feats; it would be the presence of the Fruit of the Spirit. If love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control aren’t evident in our lives, we may be talking the talk but we’re clearly not walking the walk. Jesus recognizes us by our fruit and, if we’re bearing the Fruit of the Spirit, people will see some of Christ in us.

It’s not always easy to exhibit the Spirit’s fruit and I’m reminded of Shirley who lived in our Colorado mountain town. Although the town’s bus service was free and frequent, we often saw her hitch-hiking around town. Carrying her ever-present travel mug of coffee, Shirley would stand in the middle of traffic and shout at drivers who passed without stopping. Although she maintained sobriety, years of hard living, drug and alcohol abuse, along with a traumatic brain injury had taken their toll. Shirley usually attended our church but she could be found at any church’s activity when free food was involved. Supported by family but living on her own, Shirley meant well but she was erratic and could be disruptive, muddled, and even volatile. When a pastor friend called her his “Jesus meter,” knowing Shirley, I understood what he meant. This challenging woman was his litmus test for Christlikeness!

While my friend’s “Jesus meter” was Shirley, ours could be the neighbor whose dog poops in our yard, the never-ending complainer at work, the perpetually late friend, a certain politician, or the relative who dithers about everything. Your meter may be tested by the customer service rep, aggressive drivers, or the person who takes your parking spot! While it’s different for each of us, we all have certain people and situations that rub us the wrong way, challenge our patience, or frustrate, annoy, and exasperate us. How we react in those challenging situations tells us where we stand on our “Jesus meter.” A low score on His meter tells us we’re not walking His walk!

When we encounter the Shirleys of the world, let us remember what Jesus said about loving our neighbor and doing for the “least of these.” Being a Christ follower doesn’t mean life will be without its temptations and challenges; there always will be people and situations that challenge our capacity to act as would Jesus. I suspect our Shirleys are part of God’s character building! They’ll try our patience, test our faith, challenge our self-control, and make us question our ability to love our neighbor. Flawed people that we are, we can’t bear Christ’s fruit on our power alone; it’s the power of the Holy Spirit that makes it possible! Nevertheless, sometimes we’ll get aggravated, exasperated, irritable, or anxious—times when we’ll fail to turn the other cheek, lose our tempers, and even say things we shouldn’t. When our “Jesus meter” fails to register, we must ask forgiveness, repent, take comfort in God’s grace, learn from our errors, reconnect with the Holy Spirit, and continue to grow on His vine.

God develops the fruit of the Spirit in your life by allowing you to experience circumstances in which you’re tempted to express the exact opposite quality. Character development always involves a choice, and temptation provides that opportunity.[Rick Warren]

Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. [John 15:4-5 (CSB)]

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March 16, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Grace & Love, God's Plan, Holidays & Holy Days, Sharing Our Faith, Thanks & Praise

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH

How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. [Psalm 1:1-3 (CSB]

lucky IrishWhen we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow, I suspect the revered bishop who brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century wouldn’t recognize this day in his honor. Originally a religious feast, it’s now a day for parades, sales, “Kiss Me I’m Irish” t-shirts, corned beef and cabbage, music, dancing, and lots of green (including hair, cookies, the Chicago River, milk shakes, and kegs of beer). St. Patrick, however, would recognize the common symbol of the day: the shamrock. Of course, to Patrick, the shamrock, with its three leaflets bound by a common stem, was a metaphor for the Holy Trinity. The shamrock’s three leaflets also came to symbolize faith, hope, and love.

“The luck of the Irish” may trace back to the thousands of superstitions in Irish folklore. (Getting married in May is bad luck but seeing a white horse in the morning is good!) The “lucky” four-leaf clover has its origins in ancient Celtic folklore. Irish and Celtic myths and legends also tell of fairies (Aes Sídhe) and pesky goblins (Púca) who were known to hand out both good and bad luck to humans. Nevertheless, it’s hard to see how a people who were invaded by Vikings, suppressed at the hand of England, suffered mass starvation during the Irish Potato Famine, failed at every revolution, and were treated like third class citizens upon their arrival in the U.S. could be called “lucky.”

According to Edwin T. O’Donnell of Holy Cross College, “the luck of the Irish” originally was a derogatory phrase here in the United States. During the silver and gold rush days of the 19th century, some of the most successful miners were Irish or Irish/American. Saying a miner’s success was “just the luck of the Irish” meant that it was mere happenstance and had nothing to do with the hours of drudgery the miner endured, the danger he faced, the sacrifices he made, the loneliness he suffered, or his skill with a pick and shovel.

Anne, a woman in my Bible study, mentioned her daughter’s recent school assignment. The girl and her parents were to paste pictures of the things that made them lucky on a large green construction paper shamrock. A woman of faith, Anne didn’t want to be one of those parents who make a mountain out of every molehill encountered in public school. Nevertheless, she credits God (not luck) with her family’s blessings, so she and her daughter pondered how to proceed with the assignment in a way that honors God. They pasted photos of their family on their “Lucky Family” shamrock and then wrote these words: “No luck involved! We are blessed by the grace of God to be a happy family!”

Attributing their happy family to luck would be as insulting to God as saying the success of a miner who’d struggled in difficult circumstances to stake his claim was just “the luck of the Irish.” Nevertheless, that construction paper shamrock with its three leaves also symbolizes what enables Anne’s family to live with joy, peace, forgiveness, and confidence: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit who govern and fill their lives. Moreover, the happiness of her family has to do with their faith, hope, and love (both for God and for one another). There was no “lucky” fourth leaflet on their shamrock because luck has nothing to do with it; God, however, does!

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. [James 1:16-17 (CSB)]

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January 29, 2026

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Fruit of the Spirit, Knowing Him, Love & Works, Money & Wealth, Today: Make it Count

DEVOTED TO WHAT?

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. [Romans 12:2 (NLT)]

The man who does not know where he is is lost; the man who does not know why he was born is worse lost; the man who cannot find an object worthy of his true devotion is lost utterly. [A.W. Tozer]

A firm with whom we do business sends us a newsletter every month. After asking their associates what accomplishment in the last year made them most proud, January’s newsletter shared some of the answers. One man was proud that, after reading up on motors, he managed to repair the family boat by changing the starter motor, another was proud that he expanded his horizons by hiking and rock climbing in various national parks during the year, and a third man was proud that a case he pled had been cited in several law review articles.

The response that touched me, however, was from a man who had just been inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame and named as one of the ten most influential people in his industry. While pleased by those honors, they were not his point of pride. This man was most proud of the fact that he’d made a positive impact on other people’s lives through his work—that people came to him with issues to clarify, problems to solve, or obstacles to surmount and he helped them. He shared that bettering the lives of others is the force that drives him to do what he does. After reading his response, I wondered how I would answer that same question. How would you? Of what are you most proud?

That question brought to mind A.W. Tozer’s words about a wealthy English aristocrat whose obituary read that he had “devoted his life to trying to breed the perfect spotted mouse.” While Tozer didn’t argue with the man’s right to breed spotted mice, he was troubled that a man of means and position would have devoted his entire life to such a task. Of this nameless man, Tozer wrote, “Made in the image of God, equipped with awesome powers of mind and soul, called to dream immortal dreams and to think the long thoughts of eternity, he chooses the breeding of a spotted mouse as his reason for existing.…Surely this is a tragedy.”

Apparently, breeding rodents is not as far-fetched as it sounds. There’s a National Mouse Club in England, the Rat & Mouse Club of America, and a Rat & Mouse Gazette. Every November 12 is Fancy Rat & Mouse Day and every April 4th is World Rat Day. While some people keep mice and rats as pets, I hope they aren’t devoting their lives to their rodent companions. Although mice are often bred and genetically modified to study genetics and human diseases, I hope that even the most zealous geneticists and researchers are not devoting their entire lives to that project.

We’re probably not trying to breed the perfect spotted mouse, but are we devoting our lives to its equivalent? People dedicate their lives to making money, becoming famous, getting frequent flyer miles, climbing mountains, having fun, setting or breaking records, shopping, going to casinos or playing the ponies, having a pristine house, decorating and redecorating, or building collections of art, cars, and Star Wars figures. While nothing is inherently wrong with those activities, none are worthy of our devotion! As Christians, Tozer points out that we have no right to dedicate ourselves to anything that can “burn or rust or rot or die.” We are not to give ourselves “completely to anyone but Christ nor to anything but prayer!”

Rather than having our obituaries tell of our commitment to breeding spotted mice, collecting Labubus, or attending every Grateful Dead concert, wouldn’t we rather have them speak of our devotion to God and of our love for His children? Rather than being remembered for the perfect spotted mouse or an immaculate house, I’d rather be remembered for making a positive impact on the lives of others.

One of the glories of the Christian gospel is its ability not only to deliver a man from sin but to orient him. … The spirit-illuminated Christian cannot be cheated. He knows the values of things; he will not bid on a rainbow nor make a down payment on a mirage; he will not, in short, devote his life to spotted mice. [A.W. Tozer]

“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” The second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” No other commandment is greater than these. [Mark 12:30-31 (NLT)]

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December 18, 2025

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Joy, Today: Make it Count

A HOLY HOLIDAY

He continued, “Go home and prepare a feast, holiday food and drink; and share it with those who don’t have anything: This day is holy to God. Don’t feel bad. The joy of God is your strength!” [Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT)]

An old abbot was fond of saying, “The devil is always the most active on the highest feast days.” The supreme trick of Old Scratch is to have us so busy decorating, preparing food, practicing music and cleaning in preparation for the feast of Christmas that we actually miss the coming of Christ. Hurt feelings, anger, impatience, injured egos—the list of clouds that busyness creates to blind us to the birth can be long, but it is familiar to us all. [Edward Hays]

The GrinchWith just one week until Christmas, we may find ourselves sorely tempted to repeat Scrooge’s “Bah, humbug!” We’ve been busy with planning, cooking, baking, cleaning, decorating, shopping, wrapping, packing, and shipping; chances are that our expectations have become unrealistic and impossible to achieve. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in doing and getting that we forget the purpose of this wonderful holiday.

The word “holiday,” however, doesn’t come from “holler-day” as in holler at your family because you’re over-booked or over-drawn, nor does it come from “hollow-day” as in feeling drained and exhausted. A holiday is not supposed to be a “horrible-day” either! The word “holiday” comes from the Old English hāligdæg from hālig, meaning holy, and dæg, meaning day and originally referred only to special religious or holy days. But, because Christians didn’t normally work on holy days, hāligdæg/holiday became associated with time off from work and took on the new meaning of “a day when commoners were exempt from labor.” Nowadays, along with its original meaning, we think of a holiday as time off from work, a vacation, or a simply a day of rest and relaxation.

As we prepare for the upcoming holiday, we want to remember to keep the day “holy,” which means keeping Christ in our Christmas festivities. But what about that other meaning of the word holiday— a day of festivity or recreation when no work is done! As we busy ourselves preparing for the holy day, could it be time to take a brief holiday…to pause and do some refreshing and recreating while we reorder our priorities? Let us take time in the midst of our busy preparations to ponder the meaning of that baby’s arrival in Bethlehem so long ago.

What if we took a break from all the season’s busyness and truly listened to the beautiful music of the Christmas season? We could reflect on the joy that came into the world, think about those “tidings of comfort and joy,” and let them fill our hearts. Singing along with the carols, we could “pa rum pum pum pum” with the little drummer boy, sing long glorias with the angels, and let the hallelujahs and fa-la-la-la-las echo throughout the house. God doesn’t care if we can’t carry a tune; our praise will be music to His ears!

Chances are, hours have been spent hanging lights or decorating the house; have you paused to enjoy the decorations or think about what they represent? Notice the star on the top of your tree and imagine the magnificence of the star of Bethlehem. Take the time to look at your nativity scene and think about the people depicted in it.

Why not pause long enough to put your feet up and read some Christmas stories or poems? The first Christmas story is found in Luke but there are other mood lifters like The Gift of the Magi, The Littlest Angel, The Christmas Candle, and even Dr. Seuss’ wonderful tale about the Grinch! Take a break and watch a holiday movie, drink a cup of cocoa with marshmallows, sit quietly by the fire, or make a list of things for which you’re thankful instead of things you need to do.

Let us heed Nehemiah’s words in today’s verse and allow the joy of the Lord to be our strength as we pause to remember the purpose of all this holiday hubbub—the celebration of Christ’s birth. Both Isaiah and John told us to clear the way for the Lord. As we clear the way for our holiday guests, have we cleared the way for Christ’s presence in our hearts? May we never forget the reason for the season!

Father, as we busy ourselves with preparations to celebrate Christmas, keep our hearts and minds focused on the real meaning of this holiday—the loving gifts of salvation, forgiveness, and restoration brought to us by the Christ child.

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. [Dr. Seuss]

Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken! [Isaiah 40:3-5 (NLT)]

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