Month: February 2024

Over the years, I have loved and appreciated these photos and others by Frances Hook.  You can read about her here.  Large photos of the two on the left hung in the Sunday School room of the church where I grew up and later taught Sunday School in that same room, and they left a lasting impression on me throughout my life.  So when I found them, I was ecstatic.  Each one has a small story.

Whenever I felt sad or lonely, I’d think of the two photos on the left in my mind and picture myself as the one Jesus held and who touched my face as I looked at Him.  The picture and the emotions it portrays bring comfort and show Jesus’s care for children as well as adults.  I love that the children in these pictures were not in robes or dress of Bible times but are wearing clothing of today.  This portrays the fact that Jesus’ love spans across years and years of time.  I found the top left picture in a bookstore I visited on a trip to an out-of-town wedding.  I glued it to a piece of wood and decoupaged it with glitter (which has since worn off).  It hangs in my bedroom.  I found the decorative plate in the lower left of the picture at a farmers market and it hangs in my den—in both places providing a constant reminder for me that God’s love is constant and never changes through the years.

Later I found the picture on the top right at a yard sale and purchased it because it reminds me that even Jesus had to take time to pray.  This picture is only a tiny one that had been affixed to a piece of wood so it sits on the backboard of my bathroom sink.  You might wonder why there.  It’s the first thing I see when I go to the sink to wash my hands or brush my teeth.  This reminder to pray first thing in the morning helps me to start my day on the right foot, and to pray when I’m getting ready for bed as I ask the Lord for a good night’s sleep and protection while I sleep.

The last picture of Jesus with cats came about after I had to put down my 16-year-old cat.  I kept telling myself that I knew where she was, that she wasn’t in pain any more, and that Jesus was taking care of me, but I’m a visual person and needed that visual reminder.  So I started searching the internet for pictures of Jesus with cats and found this one.  It’s hanging near where I hang my keys so that when I come into my empty home (or pick up my keys to leave) I’m reminded that not only is Jesus with me but He is also with Joy and all the other animals He created.

Reminders are good.  A post-it note in a lunchbox that says I love you is a good reminder to a child or spouse.  An appointment card is a good reminder that you have somewhere to be at a certain time.   Photos sitting around the home remind us of our friends and family and good times with them.  Etcetera…

“May you have power together with all the Lord’s holy people to understand Christ’s love. May you know how wide and long and high and deep it is. And may you know his love, even though it can’t be known completely. Then you will be filled with everything God has for you.”
Ephesians 3:18-19, NiRV

Reminders can be annoying.  An overflowing trash can remind someone they need to take the trash out.  Seeing dirty footprints on the floor reminds you it’s time to clean but you’re busy.  Bills piled up on your desk reminds you that there isn’t enough money to pay them all.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8, NIV

Loving care for others.  God loves us and cares for us, and He wants us to care for others.  When looking outwards and seeing the needs of the world at large, be careful your vision doesn’t get too long-distance focused.  We need to care for those under our own roof first, whether that’s spouse, children, parents, or others living with us.  God’s Word is very strong about lovingly caring for our families in the following verse:

“But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.”
1 Timothy 5:8, NLT

In some situations that loving care might look like spending time listening.  Other situations might require a little elbow grease of help.  Transportation, visiting, cooking meals, doing laundry…  Everyone has different needs and there are many ways we can meet those needs.  Keep your ears and eyes open and ask God how you can lovingly care for those around you whether it’s in your home or farther away.

In the Spring when the weather turns warm and flowers pop through the ground and trees begin to blossom, all of creation seems to become renewed after a long cold Winter.  The trees in this picture were no exception. 

This year (2024) Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on Valentine’s Day.  Do you like sharing a birthday with a holiday or someone else’s special day?  I know some people whose birthdays are on or within a couple days of Christmas and wish it was on another date.  Or maybe there’s been a sad association with a date, like I had many years ago, coming home from celebrating a wedding of a relative only to find out that another relative had departed to Heaven on the same day. 

As I think about Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day, they at first seem to be opposites. 

• Ashes are black and Valentines are red.  How ironic, though, because the (red) blood of Jesus washes away the (black) sin in our hearts. 
• Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent which begins bringing our thoughts to the cross and Easter.  Valentine’s Day sends our thoughts to the love of a special person in our lives.   Who is more special, loving, and kind than Jesus?!
• Some people think of Lent as a time to give something up but on Valentine’s Day we find ourselves giving to others.  Jesus’ love for us made Him willing to give up His life for us.
• Ash Wednesday has a dark connotation to it as we think about the beginning of Lent and its end result in the death of Jesus.  Valentine’s Day has a bright and cheery aspect to it as love is shared which is like the bookend for the other end of Lent when Jesus’ blood brings victorious resurrection over eternal death on Easter.

Rather than opposites, they are a perfect fit for each other.  Without Jesus’ blood, our hearts would remain stained black with sin.  Take time to reflect on these opposites and let me know in the comments if you think of any other opposites between Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day.  After all, the saying goes that opposites attract, so why wouldn’t we find good things about both Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day sharing the same day of the year?! If you missed my series on Lent in 2023, start with this one and follow through until Easter.  I will not be posting any new daily Lent thoughts this year.  Lent can be the perfect time for renewal, so review old posts, your journals, notes from sermons, devotionals from previous years, or start a new series.  God can use any or all of these to renew your spirit.

“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”
Ephesians 4:22-24, NLT

Lord, renew me in body, mind, and spirit.  Where the cold of Winter, the black of sin, and the dreariness of long days have worn on so many people, may You replace it with the fresh renewing spirit of Spring, of Your Holy Spirit, Your love, and the hope of Heaven for those who believe in and accept You into their lives.  In Your precious Name, Amen.

When you hear the word love, what is the first thing your mind pictures?  I just got my Valentine’s Day decorations out, so the red roses (artificial for myself) and red hearts come to my mind when I first think of love.  But there’s a lot more to love than flowers, candy, and cards.  I’d rather feel the love of someone special through a hug or a touch than receive those material things any day!

I don’t always turn the radio on in the morning while I’m getting breakfast but one morning I turned on my radio app (set only to Rejoice Radio—can be found on the internet or on Google Play Store—from Pensacola Christian College) for some music.  One of the first songs I heard?  A hymn that, though I don’t dislike it, is just not on my favorites list, “The Love of God”.  I’m a picture/visual person, and as I looked out the window at the morning sky, I started visualizing what the words of the song depicted and as the song went on, [good] tears started rolling down my cheeks.  It reminded me that even though I don’t always (many times) feel loved by others, His love is greater, stronger, and constant.

Take a moment to listen to the hymn here before you read further. 

In the link above, one of the comments says this: 

“The 3rd verse was discovered on a bedroom wall of an insane asylum after the man in it passed away. It is believed that in a moment of clarity this Jewish man composed these beautiful words on the wall.”

Ref:  https://hymnary.org/text/the_love_of_god_is_greater_far Scroll down to the “Notes” section for more information.

I want us to think about this third verse and picture it in your mind.  If you’re an artist, draw or paint a picture of what this might look like to you and message me with it if you don’t mind sharing.  I’d love to see your visual thoughts.  Too many times we sing words to a song from memory or staring at a hymnal or screen but don’t think about the words.  So today exercise your mind’s eye on these words from the third verse of this hymn.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
and were the skies of parchment made;
were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill,
and ev’ry man a scribe by trade;
to write the love of God above
would drain the ocean dry;
nor could the scroll contain the whole,
though stretched from sky to sky.

Here are my picturesque thoughts:

• Picture the ocean full of ink. 
• The sky is the parchment (or in today’s terms the paper). 
• A stalk or maybe a bird’s feather is the quill or pen.  Does anyone remember the old fountain pens that almost looked like a quill that our forefathers used to sign important papers?  I do…I used to use them in my younger years.  
• Now who or what is a scribe?  It’s someone who writes down what another tells them…kind of like a secretary who writes down what her boss dictates. 
• Next comes the message…what the scribe writes…in this case the subject is the love of God.
• Here’s where the awesomeness comes in!  There wouldn’t be enough ocean (ink) nor sky (scroll/paper) to contain the entire message of God’s love.
  • The ocean would be drained.
  • The sky wouldn’t be big enough.
  • But the love of God is super abundant!

This is what God’s Word says about His love:

“…and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:19, NIV

Just think.  The ocean and sky isn’t big enough to contain the love of God, but He fills us with His love every day, and our hearts are nowhere near as big as the ocean or sky.  That’s a lot of love poured into us.

“May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”
Ephesians 3:19, NLT

I don’t understand how God does it, but I don’t need to.  I just revel in His goodness to me and in the power He supplies to keep me going until He calls me home.  The refrain of this hymn sums it all up:

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
the saints’ and angels’ song.