SINGING FOR JOY

I get daily news from the southern African countries in my inbox. I communicate on a daily basis with ministry partners in countries like Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, eSwatini, South Africa, Malawi, Namibia, Kenya, and Madagascar. We discuss ministry things, prayer requests, thanksgivings for what God is doing in our lives, and news of families. Since I know these dear brothers and sisters and have cherished relationships with them, what happens in their part of the world is very important to me. My heart breaks when I see headlines such as the one this morning, “Catastrophic Hunger Descending On Southern Madagascar” because I also hear their personal stories about such real suffering. https://allafrica.com/stories/202106230111.html?utm_campaign=daily-headlines&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=aans-view-link  Yet here I am in America, perhaps living frugally but still with more than enough to eat. We Americans focus intently on our bodies, our healt...

I recently had the most amazing dream. I was in Heaven. The colors were dazzling all around, but the focus was on the radiant bright light that was the Lord Himself. We were a sea of faces surrounding Him, joyfully worshipping our King. Simultaneous to our rapturous adoration, we’d greet each new arrival with exuberant joy. Not only that, but in perfect harmonious order, at the same time as these other activities, each tribe and nation was announced and celebrated with exhilarated delight. It was the party to end all parties! This dream has stuck with me for weeks now, and I’ve even shared it with a few others. But it’s impossible to describe the glorious wonderment, hope, and comfort that vision brings to me every time I recall it. I’m sharing this with you now in the hopes that it will encourage you to also be filled with eager anticipation as you ponder our sublime future with the Lord, available for all those who call upon His Name now in our earthly existence. I’m not saying my ...

My husband spoils me rotten. There, I’ve publicly confessed it, so now may I move on with this post? 😅 This morning, he was cutting up a mango for my breakfast, and was disgruntled to discover that it had ugly brown spots on the inside. Out of curiosity, I Googled for information about why fruit that looks perfectly good on the outside turns out to be brown on the inside. I won’t bore you with the scientific reasons, but please feel free to do research on your own if you’re interested. Of course, I was also disappointed along with John. But you know what? I choose to be thankful that more often than not, I get to eat wonderful, unblemished mangos! Many times in life we find people or situations like that. They look so beautiful and appealing on the surface, but when we look deeper, we find rottenness. Or we believe ourselves to be “good” people, but bad things happen in our lives. Death and decay are part of our reality. I don’t have to use Google to understand this kind of corruption...

Yours, O  Lord , is the greatness, t he power and the glory, t he victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;  Yours is the kingdom, O  Lord , a nd You are exalted as head over all. 1 Chronicles 29:11 A new Zulu king was proclaimed three days ago. This, and the bitter rivalry for succession to the throne, has been big news in the country of South Africa where the Zulus are still a powerful force. Here are links to just a couple of the many articles on the topic if you are interested:  https://www.africanews.com/2021/05/08/south-africa-royal-scandal-new-zulu-king-s-claim-disputed//   https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/28/south-africas-zulu-nation-is-riveted-by-royal-succession-drama-its-about-more-than-who-takes-throne/ Succession there is complicated in part because there are usually multiple wives involved, and multiple children from these wives. The ugliness of the past month or so...

 ... Your word is truth. John 17:17 I adore my cousins, so when the two of them were visiting from out of state and wanted to spend time with me, I was delighted! Kathy was driving and I was doing my directionally challenged best to tell her how to get to my house. Cindy, who had been to our home once before, mentioned that she remembered a broad, winding road before the smaller turnoff to our smaller neighborhood streets, but that she couldn’t remember the name of the larger thoroughfare. I knew the route she was talking about but interjected that the road in question was not curvy, but quite straight. We argued back and forth good naturedly about that for a bit. Much to my chagrin, once we reached said road, I realized that Cindy was right! After years of driving that route, I’d never noticed that it was indeed quite serpentine, twisting and turning this way and that. You see, in my mind, it was easier to picture the course as being perfectly straight and running exactly north ...

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,  but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.   Psalm 20:7 I was recently in a conversation with a godly man, a friend I highly respect. He also happens to be a retired homicide detective. We were discussing the use of firearms for self-protection. That conversation WAS NOT, and this post IS NOT, about the right to carry firearms, one of the hot political topics of our times. For the record, I do strongly support the right of citizens to carry arms, and God bless those of you who do, especially with the intent of protecting loved ones or other innocents, but I just as strongly believe that many of us should not own guns. My friend gave the following wise criteria for self-determination about having a firearm for protection, and I thought it was worth sharing:   1. Are you physically capable to become proficient with a firearm? (And you should be proficient and knowledgeable in using one.) 2. Are you mentally prepared to resp...

 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14 When I was little, I had mixed feelings about Cracker Jacks. I loved opening the box and catching that first whiff of salty sweetness, and the eager anticipation of tasting those delightful top kernels of sugar-coated popcorn. And, of course, most of all, I could hardly wait to get to the bottom of the box to claim whatever surprise plastic animal, fake tattoo, miniature spinning top, or pop culture sticker might be my bounty at the end. However, I was not a fan of nuts when I was little, and my mother firmly insisted I eat everything in the box, including the hated peanuts, before uncovering the coveted prize. I also had an aversion to the sticky feeling that was an unavoidable side effect of retrieving the tasty morsels from the box’s narrow opening. And I had a child-sized tummy, which became overly full by the time I finished the whole process.  Life seems like that to me. Th...