The High Calling of God

So- I knew it- I’m out of shape. No big revelation here. But it has finally caught up with me. A couple months ago I was to the place where I had to use a cane to get out of the chair and walk for long distances. Finally, I saw my doctor who referred me to orthopedics and then to physical therapy. Age related arthritis was the outcome- and some strengthening exercises to help build up the muscles around the knee and back joints. I shouldn’t be surprised but am amazed at how much the physical therapy is helping me.  Sometimes in our spiritual walk, we get out of shape. We let up on our prayer and study of the Word. And then at some point, this lack of discipline shows up as spiritual weakness. Ephesians 3:16 says: “…to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.” Maintaining and continuing to stay in the Word and in His Presence will guarantee that our inner man will be strengthen with His might and power. It begins with discipline, but then it becomes a dev...

 12/18/2022

For the past couple of years, I have been collecting vintage Christmas ornaments and decorations. I guess the older I get, the more I appreciate older things. My husband and I often browse through antique shops and malls. We just enjoy walking down memory lane and spying things that bring back a warm and fuzzy feeling from our youth. I love finding that just one special item. I am not into spending a lot of money for anything. If I find something I like and it is within my price range, then I will buy it.  This past Christmas season I went on the search again. At one particular antique mall, I hit the mother lode!   You must really look for things sometimes. I like to look in the nooks and crannies. Often that is where I find those hidden treasures. At one particular store, way in the back of the cubicle, behind some other items, I spied it! A box on the floor filled with those vintage glass ornaments that I love. The older the better. I don’t care if they are chipped or h...

Ephesians 2:8-9 “” For by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.” (NIV) As I was praying the other day, meditating on God’s grace, a memory from my past suddenly came to me. It was Christmas 1970- a few months before I totally gave my life over to the Lord. The year before, I graduated high school and had started college and was preparing to become an elementary teacher. But having gone through a lot of personal issues I quit in my second semester.   I couldn’t find any work, was living with my parents and taking care of the home while they worked.   With no purpose in life, I felt like a failure. On Christmas eve of that year, I spied a very large box under the tree.   My mom told me I could go ahead and open it then. To my surprise and delight it was a chord organ-one of those small ones that I liked. My grandma had one and when we would visit her, I would play hers....