Restoration happens here
A guest post by Karen Castleberry . . .
“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.” — Malachi 4:2 (NIV)
My mother-in-law, June, celebrated her 81st birthday on the summer solstice, June 20, 2020, the longest day of the year. We gathered her children and grandchildren at her home in celebration of her life. Continue reading “Summer Solstice Sunrise”
A guest post by Karen Castleberry . . .
Bible Verse
“Make God the utmost delight and pleasure of your life, and he will provide for you what you desire the most.” — Psalm 37:4 TPT
Reflection
God sent me flowers.
A guest post by Karen Castleberry . . .
Bible Verse
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
Reflection
June, my mother-in-law, was a fiercely independent, hard-working woman. She worked into her 80s, running a business her father started in the 1950s. Her whole life revolved around The Shop. Rest was not part of her life.
A guest post by Janet Eriksson . . .
Bible Verse
“Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’
“He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
“The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!'” — Matthew 8:23-27 (NIV)
Reflection
I have never slept through a tornado watch until last night. We don’t get many tornadoes where I live, but when they do come through, they scare me. I live on a second-floor apartment. No basement, not even a ground floor.
A guest post by Janet Eriksson . . .
I am blessed to be part of a church without walls, and we aspire to live by the “unforced rhythms of grace.” That’s the way the Message translation expresses Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28-30. When we are living from a place of rest in God’s presence, we live by the unforced rhythms of grace.
A guest post by Karen Castleberry . . .
Circling the hospital parking lot I realized I was going to have to park far from the front door. My mother-in-law was already exhausted. She had not eaten or had coffee that morning in preparation for a procedure. Weak from cancer treatments, this strong and independent woman of 80 years agreed our best option was to drop her off at the front door and she would wait for me to park.
Suddenly a parking spot opened up right by the front entrance. We both exhaled in relief, thanking God for this small comfort He provided even when we didn’t think to ask. That was the beginning of a very long, tortuous day filled with God showing up unexpectedly around every corner.
A guest post by Susan McPherson . . .
God often uses dreams to speak to me. It’s so intriguing and connects with me so well.
Here is a dream I had in 2015 which is still speaking to me in 2022. How cool is that! God isn’t bound by time. He just picks up where He left off seven years ago.
In the dream, someone took down my fence during the night. Then coffee grinds and spilled coffee were on the seat of my car.
A guest post by Karen Castleberry . . .
Bible Verse
Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. — Jeremiah 33:6 (ESV)
Reflection
During a sudden winter snowstorm, my pansies got buried under the snow. Delicate flowers frozen, it looked like they would not survive. This is how I feel during life’s sudden snowstorms, when I get buried under burdens, freezing my ability to move.
A guest post by Janet Eriksson . . .
I was feeling out of sorts. Exhausted, but worse. No sense of life. No desire to do anything. Just felt dead inside, like my life had come to a halt.
When thinking about something I might want to engage in, I kept saying things like, “I don’t know” and “I don’t care.” As someone who had always loved writing and teaching, I heard myself saying, “I have nothing more to say. There’s nothing I can or want to write or teach anyone. I’m done.”
I thought my recent vacation would help — and it did alleviate my exhaustion. But it didn’t change my lethargy, my lack of desire to do anything more with my life. When I returned home from my wonderful vacation time, I felt refreshed for sure. But inside, my pulse was still silent.
A guest post by Janet Eriksson . . .
Friday night, I typed a medical transcription about heart health. I even looked at pictures of a heart to help me get the words right. If you don’t know the path I’ve been tiptoeing down, this might not seem like a big deal. Trust me, it is. A week ago, I could not have done any of that. This was a huge breakthrough beyond anything I could have expected. It came from the healing work God did in my own heart five days earlier.