Joy in the Journey

  “ I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.” Many people today talk about the lack of miracles in our world. They point to Bible accounts of healing, provision or protection and bemoan the fact that those things no longer happen. I heartily disagree. Miracles happen but far too often they are explained away as coincidence, science or fate. For anyone who needs to know that miracles are still very much a part of our Father's love for us I have a few examples. Nearly thirty-five years ago I was given some tough news about my first born son. A well-respected neurologist told me repeatedly that he was brain damaged and only a miracle (that word spoken in a voice dripping with contempt) would change that.

He has showed you O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 Recently I was blessed to spend some time with an old friend. Although we have remained close over the years our actual face to face encounters have become a bit rare. I looked forward with great expectation to having those few hours with her. Once those hours began I wasn't so sure. My friend and I have very different lifestyles, that is glaringly obvious, but I've always thought we had the same worldview, the same spiritual perspective. We, as it turns out, do not. For a time we were joined by another friend and the subject of church came up. In a few short sentences I realized that form far outweighs function for my friend, that she had relied on the church to give her children any spiritual perspective and that “faith” in her home was really just a prayer at the dinner table, if someone remembered. Th