Joy in the Journey

  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:17 (NKJV)   It is hard for me to understand how people live without God.   Thankfully over half of my life has been lived with a real relationship with the Trinity.   Beyond that I was raised in church and as much as that means nothing on its own, I believe God was always preparing my heart to welcome him.   I cannot think of a time in my life that for better or worse was not influenced by my idea and/or knowledge of God. Just a few days ago I listened as my very dear friend, Kim, recounted events in her mother’s life. To say the situation is unstable is a vast understatement as it leans precariously close to deadly.   My heart broke for my friend, first of all because I love her and I know she loves her mother.   I also felt a deep connection as just ten d

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous.   Joshua 1:5-6a   Does your family do the high/low game?   It’s the game where at dinner or bedtime, each person in the family tells their high and low point of the day.   The idea is to make us more aware of our blessings and show us that in light of those blessings the lows maybe aren’t so low or are at least bearable. Yesterday, in an effort to distract myself from some things that had occurred during my day,   I played the game with three of my grandchildren.   They are all under the age of nine so their answers were quite precious.   Two art projects and a “cool way to play football with a soccer ball” made the high list. The lows were benign in the extreme. It warmed my heart as my high and low were the exact same thing and I was still in the throes of trying to process it. To be perfectly frank, I’m still trying to process it. God is incredibly good.  

Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”           John replied, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the path of the Lord.’ ”  John 1:22-23   “Who are you?” How would you answer that question? I suppose it could depend on your mood, right?  It would also depend on who is asking, which already half answers the question.   I identify myself very often by my relationships.   Otto’s wife, Paul/Joseph/Jeffrey/Laura’s mom   “Grammy” to their children,   Charlene’s friend but Mrs. Davis’ assistant (Charlene is Mrs. Davis) etc.   My identity is very much tied to the people around me. Here John the Baptist is saying that he is the one making the road ready for Jesus.   John is the precursor. That’s a mid-size word that simply means the one who comes before.   So here John is identifying himself by one important relationship. Oddly in verse 31 he says, “I myself did not know him.”