It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who pondered what we’d do if the stars only came out every thousand years. His response? “No one would sleep that night, of course. The world would become religious overnight. We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the glory of God.” But alas, someone has observed, stars come […]
Archive | Fresh Heart for a New Week
RSS feed for this sectionSorry For The Delay
It hasn’t happened often in 21 years of sharing devotionals with you… But we’re negotiating a bit of medical interruptions between Joanie and myself. Lord willing, we’ll have the wheels back on the bike and schedules less demanding and you’ll get your next Fresh Heart For A New Week this coming Monday. Be blessed… Paul
The Big Rocks
A professor stood before a roomful of the brightest and best. All were high intensity, success-at-any-cost, go full out until you get what you are going after kinds of students. He held up a large glass jar and proceeded to fill it to the top with large rocks. Room for more? “Is this jar […]
No where/Now here
There’s an enormous difference between “God is no where” and “God is now here.” It’s as vast as the gulf between despair and hope … between victory and utter and complete annihilation … between getting up in the morning prepared for whatever comes or pulling the covers over your head for protection. And yet the […]
My Sticks Of Faith “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen […]
Whittling or Carving?
I recently heard a speaker recount an experience he had as a young boy growing up in the hills of Tennessee. He was at an old general store watching some locals sitting on the porch turning pieces of wood into piles of shavings on the floor. “You’ve been doing that all day,” he said […]
Recalculate!
I don’t make it a habit of talking to inanimate objects. You won’t find me conversing with fire hydrants, lamp shades or running shoes. I have nothing to say to swinging doors, stop signs or the tires on my […]
God and Tidyness
“We serve a God who outrages the tidy-minded!” For all you ‘a-place-for-everything-and-everything-in-its-place’ people, who hate last minute decisions, who get frustrated over changes in procedures they feel comfortable with… I sort of apologize for that statement above. I applaud routines, set times and preferred and efficient ways of doing life. I even tip my […]
Move That Mountain, Please
“Your ways are higher than mine. I want mountains to move that you want me to climb.” Your Ways Are Higher Than Mine – Rachel Mccutcheon This song describes our lives. When facing a mountain of grief, uncertainty, anguish and disappointment, we’d like God to remove it. We know He can do it. […]
Let Go and Let God
“God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.” Psalm 46:1 MSG Last week we talked about ‘Anticipointment’ – those hopeful expectations or requests that haven’t turned out as we wished. I believe Psalm 46:10 can give us some additional help in this struggle. It says, “Be still and […]