Category Archives: Uncategorized

“He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham, and to his descendants forever.” (Luke 1: 54-56)          As Mary concludes her song of praise, she remembers that she is part of a larger story.  Mary does not live as an island to herself,Continue reading “Remember Your Past”

“His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent theContinue reading “An Active God”

“And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on, all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”          The Magnificat,Continue reading “Praise and Gratitude”

“In those days, Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed areContinue reading “Affirmation”

“Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:38)          I can remember in school that each day the teacher would take attendance.  It usually involved the teacher calling out the names of the students on their rollContinue reading “Here I Am”

For nothing will be impossible with God. (Luke 1:37) It can’t be done.  How often have we heard these four words in our lives in relation to a lot of our experiences?  It can’t be done settles the matter about something we perhaps hoped for.  Whatever our hope or dream was, it was not going to happen.  It wouldContinue reading “Impossible”

The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.” (Luke 1:35) Mary faced a seemingly impossible scenario: giving birth while still a virgin.  She had already askedContinue reading “The Work of the Spirit”

“Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be since I am a virgin?’” (Luke 1:34)          Life is full of questions about things that we do not understand.  Whether it is a student in school wrestling with Algebra, a stranded motorist looking under their car on the side of the road, a worried father looking overContinue reading “How Can This Be?”

And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. (Luke 1:31) How many times have you heard someone in church say from the pulpit, “Let’s stand and sing,” and then offer a hymn number for you to join the singing?  It is an invitation to participate inContinue reading “Conceived”

December 3 Luke 1:30 The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.          I have always liked scary movies.  There is something about watching individuals face something they are afraid of.  It might be a monster, ghost, or some other entity that leaves them fighting for survival.  Scary movies haveContinue reading “Do Not Be Afraid”

Luke 1:29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Sometimes life leaves our heads spinning and stomachs turning.  Some experience or event has caught us off guard, and we are left “shell shocked.”  We don’t know if we are coming or going. Such times can seem overwhelmingContinue reading “Perplexed”

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. (LukeContinue reading “The Lord is With You”

Perhaps one of the strangest symptoms of the COVID 19 virus has been the loss of taste. Some people who have contracted the virus lose their ability to taste. Indeed, it would be a strange sensation to put something in your mouth, and your taste buds do not respond to what is there. Eating andContinue reading “Taste and See”

Trying to find a Christmas gift for someone can be challenging at times. Some people are just hard to shop for. Choosing something to give them as a gift does not come easy for various reasons. We search for what we think will be a fitting present, but even the gift we finally decide onContinue reading “The Gift of Forgiveness”

The perfect life. What does it look like? Every individual imagines what life would be like for them if it were perfect. Maybe they would have plenty of wealth so that questions about how to pay for anything were irrelevant. Perhaps a life without illness, not even a runny nose. The perfect life could beContinue reading “Picture Perfect”

Not everyone has had the experience of their vehicle running out of gas. We may have driven on “Empty”, but we made it to the nearest gas station to refill the tank. Some of us, however, know the feeling of your vehicle starting to putter as every drop is used up by the engine. WithoutContinue reading “Running Low on Patience”

I am one of those individuals who salt everything I eat, often before I have even tasted it. For me, salt just makes everything taste better. Seasoned food is something most people appreciate. For those who must eat a bland diet, the food is just not the same. Seasoned food makes a big difference. InContinue reading “Salty Talk”

How often do we ask these days, “Has anyone seen my phone?” Oh, how we tend to misplace them in our homes. We go to reach for it, and it is not where we thought we left it. After a moment or two, panic can set in as we don’t know how to go aboutContinue reading “Is There Any Good News?”

We are bombarded daily by advertisements of products that promise to do this or that for us. Such advertisements guarantee that their product is exactly what we are looking for and it would be foolish to pass up such an offer. However, most of us know that often these products fall short of how theyContinue reading “His Strength is Perfect”

I recently watched a video on YouTube that captured small children making messes in their homes and on themselves. They had gotten into something they were not supposed to and as a result created a mess for mom or dad to clean up. Some found bags of flour and spread it all over the floors.Continue reading “Messy Church”