Today's Musing is from Margaret Fowler. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” —Deuteronomy 33:27a (NIV) One of my childhood memories is about falling on some broken glass and getting a deep cut. I ran home crying and screaming. I was about five years old and very frightened as I dashed into my father’s arms for comfort. Usually, my mother did all the bandaging, but she must have been out that day. I remember so well how he comforted me and made me feel safe in his care. Then, he began to repair the damage. He took his time and cleaned it gently, but I still have a scar 85 years later! You know what? I love my scar because […] Read more »

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” —Hebrews 13:5 ESV It had been a long home-school morning. We were living overseas, and Ray’s job in the army had taken him far from our apartment home in Stuttgart, Germany. We had slogged through math (not our favorite), enjoyed our morning story read, and managed spelling tests and cursive writing. My little first grader and preschooler were more than done, and so was their tired mother, who was at the moment a single parent. We needed cheering up. So … I called for a tea party. But not just any tea party. “Let’s have a tea party […] Read more »

And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people … and have heard their cry … I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them. … Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” —Exodus 3:7-8a, 10 (NKJV) Have you ever had a situation bother you so deeply it consumed you until … finally, you were called to action? Some people seem to thrive on being thrust into the middle of a challenge. In fact, the bigger the challenge and the more impossible it is, the better they like it. Confrontation is no problem for them. For most of us, however, that’s not […] Read more »

Thus, it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam [Jesus] became a life-giving spirit. —1 Corinthians 15:45 ESV The backyard of our military duplex in Las Vegas looked across a river-like strip of desert into the backyards of another row of housing. Yet, at the edge of our lawn was an oblong patch of rich, brown dirt with green plants peeking through the earth. “Flower” beds lined our house, except that eggplants and okra grew instead of petunias and roses. Somehow, my mother had learned how to create fertile soil using manure, compost, and worms. It was a little taste of Eden amidst a barren landscape. Adam and Eve tended a perfect garden without briars and weeds until they […] Read more »

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. —Ephesians 6:18 NLT It happened to me during the fall of 2001. Our country was reeling from the horrific destruction of the World Trade Towers, the attack on the Pentagon, and the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania on its way to create more havoc. In November of that year, with a nation shaken and still wading through the rubble, myriads of stories hit the news, but one caught my eye. It was the story of two missionaries held captive in Afghanistan. They were due to be released, but after 9/11, they were kept under close watch. Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry had […] Read more »