‘Tis the time to talk of new beginnings

My youngest says I tweet too much but hey, that’s what twitter is for right?  And there are plenty of people who tweet more often than I do.  So I told her, “If you don’t want to read all my tweets then just don’t follow me anymore” to which she replied, “Okay, I won’t”.  Well, fine.  I follow several pastors and other bloggers that offer food for thought, encouraging words, and more.  I also follow people like Conan O’Brien and Jim Gaffigan, not quite as edifying but good for some laughs.  It’s fun.

One of the tweeters I follow is called “ChatBible” from the UK.  He tweeted today about new beginnings, which only seems fitting since it’s the start of the new year:  Noah (Gen 9) Ruth (Ruth 1) Peter (Jn 21) and Paul (Acts 9). Which brings most hope…& why? Continue reading

Kaleidoscope

When I surrendered, all my thoughts, dreams, plans, expectations, hopes and even some beliefs fell as if the surface they were resting on was suddenly yanked out from underneath.  The ground below was hard and they shattered.  So many pieces lay in piles all jumbled up. What a mess! They had seemed so valuable – something to be desired – but now all was broken.

Before I could reach a state of panic or overwhelming sadness, I felt Jesus’ strong hand on my shoulder, silently telling me to just be still.  He stepped past me crouching there in my disappointment and scooped up all the fragments and shards in His hands.  Then he got up and turned away from me for a while as I nursed my wounds from wayward pieces that had cut me.  He worked without speaking.  The silence became so complete it almost smothered me as I sat waiting.  I didn’t know what He was doing, He seems to enjoy secrecy sometimes.  He didn’t even want my help, if you can imagine that.  Continue reading