Our church put together a tribute Sunday honoring those who gave their lives for our freedom. The faces came into view on the screen, each one accompanied by the date on which he made the great sacrifice, and then faded away. As one particular picture appeared, there was a murmur in the congregation. His date was  May 18, 2010 — the most recent loss. I wondered why we had more of an emotional response to this sacrifice than to those who gave their lives two years ago, or in Vietnam, or in WWII? Did the fact that they died years ago make their deaths less significant?

Have we done the same thing with Jesus Christ and the greatest sacrifice ever? His death bought our eternal freedom — if we accept it. As much as we are indebted to our military men and women who have given their lives to defend us, shouldn’t we be even more grateful to the One who gave His life to define us – as new creatures, no longer enslaved to sin?  It is His sacrifice that enables us to look with hope to the day when we’ll be reunited in heaven with all believers who made the ultimate sacrifice for our earthly freedoms.

Let us be sure to give those who sacrificed so much for us the honor due them. Military men and women we should remember with our gratitude and love. Jesus Christ we should remember with our gratitude and lives.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Have a blessed Memorial Day as we remember together.

One summer afternoon four year old Justin and his friends were playing outside. When his mother called, he ran in to see what she wanted. Read the rest of this entry »

The snow fell silently last night as I slept. When I awoke and looked out, the backyard sparkled white in the morning sun. Yesterday’s dingy footprints were covered by a pristine layer of pure, dazzling white — untouched by human hands. How beautiful it was to look upon!

How like the snow is the miracle of God forgiving our sins through Jesus Christ. Like the falling snow, Jesus’ trials, scourging and sacrifice on the cross took hours. Yet at the moment we wake up to new life in Him by faith in that sacrifice, suddenly God sees us covered in a pristine layer of pure, dazzling white — the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Like the footprints covered by the snow, Jesus’ perfect life and perfect sacrifice cover yesterday’s dingy sins. And when the morning of new life by faith in Jesus dawns for each individual, God the Father sees each of us as beautiful to look upon because we bear the righteous image of His obedient and beloved Son.

It’s January, 2010. Have you put on the dazzling white covering of Jesus’ righteousness by believing that His death on the cross is for you and your sins? Who in your life needs to hear that a fresh start, a sparkling snow-covered morning awaits them if they will put their trust in Jesus and allow His purity to transform their lives?

Scripture to ponder…
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” — from Isaiah 1:18

Merry Christmas!

I thought the season in which we celebrate the birth of Christ would be a good time to share what new work He has been doing in my life — thus the lapse in devotionals from Life-Changing Words. God has called me to share His Word with women through  Read the rest of this entry »

Delight turned to disappointment before my eyes. On my slow, back-road drive yesterday, I noticed a huge black bird perched high in the branches of a pine tree. After spying his road kill dinner lying in the road, he spread his wings and swooped down to land right in front of it. But instead of a satisfying meal, all he got was a belly full of disappointment. His much-anticipated morsel was nothing more than a tough old piece of tire rubber. He pecked at it repeatedly in angry disbelief, as if to say, “I can’t believe it!”

Disappointment isn’t only for the birds. In a broken world, we humans often end up saying, “I can’t believe it,” too. I can’t believe they fired me. I can’t believe he’d destroy our marriage. I can’t believe it’s cancer. Sometimes life sticks us with old tire rubber, too.

But what I didn’t tell you about that bird is that he lives in a place of abundance, a large wooded area I pass daily where his next meal is never more than a swoop or two away. Oh, the next meal may not come in exactly the form he wants. He may get rabbit instead of squirrel, but God always has the right thing prepared for him.

The same is true for us. If we’ve chosen to follow Jesus as Savior, we live in a place of abundance, too. He always has the right thing prepared for us. God does provide faithfully for His children. The next job may not be exactly what we envisioned. The marriage may have to undergo counseling and transformation. And even if the cancer is unbeatable, God promises His children the perfect joy of heaven. There’s no doubt about it. We live in a broken world. Sometimes it’s rabbit instead of squirrel. But even if God’s only provision in a moment of trial is His Presence, it is — after all — the Presence of the God who loved us enough to die for us so that we might be with Him forever. We can trust Him when He says, “My grace is sufficient.”

The next time you find yourself stuck with tire rubber, I hope you are filled to overflowing with His Presence!

VERSES TO PONDER…

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.  Matthew 10:29-31

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him?  Matthew 7:9-11

And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
1 Peter 5:10

Thursday, 4PM — We pulled into the driveway. The van door opened. Before I had left the driver’s seat my 8 yr old daughter, Rebekah, was slow motion tumbling out of the van – her feet in the air. Her initial scream quickly turned to wailing as I ran around to her. Through the tears I saw a bloody lip and badly broken front tooth. Read the rest of this entry »

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like the stars in the universe. (Philippians 2:14-15)

Procrastinating the next set  in my Monday morning exercise routine, I looked out the window into a crystal blue sky. Suddenly a brilliant flash grabbed my attention. It wasn’t a star, but a bird! Read the rest of this entry »

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for this friends. (John 15:13)

What happens when a 6 ft, 185-pound 16 year old (Ben) and a 4-ft-something, 75-pound 9 year old (we’ll call him Little Joe) try to occupy the same space on a ski slope simultaneously? Read on… Read the rest of this entry »

Presumably, you subscribed to Window on the Word for meaty monthly devotionals and I don’t want to clutter your inbox with anything less. Yes, I realize I just sent the March devotional yesterday. However, since it’s April 1st, I thought I could break radically from the mold and share something brief that God showed me just this morning about Himself. So, if you’d like to have one more tiny glimpse of God today, read on. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s Spring! Yellow daffodils are peeking up from from their winter hiding places and avid gardeners are popping up here and there in the neighborhood with wheelbarrows full of mulch. As I watched one such gardener Read the rest of this entry »