Simply Soul Searching

Mark 11:25 (NRSV) 25 “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” In the past, I have thought this verse meant that forgiveness of others was a condition we needed to fulfill in order to be forgiven ourselves. That God wouldn’t… Continue reading Saturday, March 18th- Forgiveness

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NRSV) 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, 17 comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word. Perhaps one of our most difficult callings in life is to be Christ’s loving presence for… Continue reading Friday, March 17th- Comfort

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV) And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. One of Jesus’ last acts on this earth was to… Continue reading Thursday, March 16th- Community

COME AND SEE! John 1:35-39 (NRSV) 35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are… Continue reading Wednesday, March 15th- Expectation

James 1:2-4 (NRSV) Consider it pure joy… when you are involved in various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But you must let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. Resilience- spirit, strength, hardiness, flexibility, pliability (from the Microsoft Word Thesaurus) Here… Continue reading Tuesday, March 14th- Resilience

Romans 15:13 (NRSV) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Last week I was privileged to lead a Lenten mini-retreat, “Journey to the Wilderness.” The participants enriched my faith as they shared their personal stories of their own… Continue reading Monday, March 13th- Hopefulness

THANK YOU!  Psalm 86:12 (NRSV) I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. When I began chemotherapy, I was prepared to be quite ill and at times, I was. But after my first days of treatment, I noticed that I wasn’t as sick as I… Continue reading Saturday, March 11th- Gratitude

FOLLOW ME Mark 8:34 (NRSV) He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. We recently moved to a new home in Hurricane, WV, and I’ve been mapping out my new four-mile walking route.… Continue reading Friday, March 10th- Following

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. In my introduction to “Living Lent Lightly,” I mentioned that I become distracted and discouraged in my Lenten disciplines each year. Yesterday was the day that the distraction and discouragement set in. I usually LOVE praying, contemplating, thinking… Continue reading Thursday, March 9th- Encouragement

GRANDMA’S FORK 2 Timothy 2:20-21  20 In a large house there are utensils not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for special use, some for ordinary. 21 All who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned will become special utensils, dedicated and useful to the owner of the house, ready for every… Continue reading Wednesday, March 8th- Usefulness