Musings and Marvelings on my Jesus Journey

  I am musing about... When life is hard. Really hard. There are dear ones who's lives are hard. There is no other way to put it. At times, I think about those who live in third world countries, or in slums, or the ghetto, or crack houses. Those who were born into poverty and pain. Those involved in addiction, maybe trafficking, sickness, heartache and despair. It is real. It sounds beyond hard. It breaks my heart. But not enough. There are those who appear to have good lives in a middle or upper class situation. But their lives are  full of challenges, confusion and sadness. There are those who things just do not seem to go well for. They suffer rejection and disapointment time and again. There are those who find themselves reaching for things they know they should not to try to heal the hurt. Even those who have reached for the Great Physician and have come to know His love and grace, and still they succumb and fall. And the layers of hard deepen. I recently listened to an a...

 I am musing about... Malls, Nostalgia and God I know. Random, right? You just never know what the Lord will lay on my mind to share. But this time...it has to do with shopping malls. Have you been to one lately? I do not know how it is in your "neck of the woods" but around here they seem to be a thing of the past. Their glory days have come and gone. I remember being in Jr. High and all the excitement over the building of the Northwoods Mall in Peoria. It was a big deal. It became the shopping experience of my generation. Heading to the mall for a fun outing with friends! And you have to admit that it was a convenient way to get multiple purchasing tasks done. But thanks (or no thanks) to the arrival of Amazon and digital shopping, the brick and mortar retail industry is on an obvious decline. At least around here. The mall nearest us (not Northwoods) is just sad. One after another, the anchor stores have closed. It has been quite awhile since I have been there, but honestl...

  I am marveling about... The Touch... Of the Hand of God. The other morning I looked out the window and once again was touched by the beauty of the dusting of fresh snow on the row of evergreen trees in our back yard. It was just a touch, mind you, a feathering if you will...but it transformed those trees into something so picturesque and lovely. I had to reflect on what a difference God's touch can make. Just a touch from the Lord... -can turn a disapointment into a stepping stone, -a challenge into a milestone, -a heartache into an ebeneezer, -a detour into a fresh journey, -a question into an understanding, -a time of confusion into a time of surrender -a fear into a victory. Often, it takes time. It is not something that happens overnight, like a winter snowfall. At times, His touch looks more like a peaceful sense of calm as He provides strength and hope in the wait.  There is no mistaking the effect of the touch of God on our hearts. We all need it. God's touch. Every d...