My God My Everything

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! You might wonder what this holiday has to do with preparing for Easter since it is usually associated with beer drinking and green everything. The story is quite interesting about St. Patrick and I wanted to share the National Geographic article with you. “The real St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish. He was born in Britain around A.D. 390 to an aristocratic Christian family with a townhouse, a country villa, and plenty of slaves. What’s more, Patrick professed no interest in Christianity as a young boy, Freeman noted.” “At 16, Patrick’s world turned: He was kidnapped and sent overseas to tend sheep as a slave in the…

Today was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine and the temperature began to rise. It felt so good to feel the sun on my face and smell the clean air, hear the birds chirping and know that spring is in the air. People commented all day on how nice it was to see the signs of the new season and hope that winter was finally on its way out. I was looking over my backyard and noticed that my “Walther” tree is budding and that tulips are starting to emerge from the ground. The grass looks like it is waking up from a long winters nap and everything is…

I tried something new while on vacation, floating in the ocean. The resort I stayed at had a roped in area where you could snorkel and swim and we had brought along float tubes to use in the pools and ocean. One day I was floating near the furthest barrier by myself and took some time to simply sit and watch the ocean. I anchored myself to the buoy and looked out as far as I could see. In the distance I could see different types of boats and occasionally I would catch a glimpse of the mainland. After I had floated for a while the waves started to pick…

After Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem He made His way to the temple where He drove out all who were buying and selling there. This is one place in the bible where we see His righteous anger on display. Jesus showed many emotions throughout His life. Love, compassion, joy, tears and anger. The anger was rare and fierce. In John 2:15 it says, “So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.” In a ministry marked by great mercy and kindness, the incident involving Jesus and the money…

I’ve never stayed on an island before and it was interesting to experience all the steps involved in getting there. Yes we could have flown in, but that would have required a long layover and I wanted to ride the ferry so that I would be able to help my clients that will visit the same island. The ferry transfer took approximately 45 minutes each way. While watching the mainland slowly fade from view I looked at the vastness of the ocean. Shallow areas were lighter green in color and then there was the deep blue. The further away from shore we sailed, the darker the water became. On the…

As a little kid I really enjoyed field trips. They were a time to get out of the regular classroom and experience something first hand. The excitement is still the same now that I’m older when God gives me opportunities to learn things in the field. I arrived in Cozumel a week before Carnival was to start. The small town of San Miguel was preparing for the celebration in a big way. Statues of jesters, masked dancers and many other figures lined the sea walls and banners and balloons were hanging from many of the small shops that lined the streets. Everyone was talking about Carnival and the crowning of…

We had just spent a fun week on an island, in the sunshine and it was time to come home. The temperature was 70 degrees at 10:00 am in the morning when our shuttle arrived to take us to the pier. I knew if I wore the sweatshirt I had packed for the flight home I would be extremely warm and uncomfortable in no time so I wore a tank top and capri pants. In an act of capturing every last possible moment of the vacation mindset I opted for flip flops instead of sneakers. I rationalized that they would be easier through airport security and it was just nice…

I have a sign on my wall that says, “Early in the Morning when I rise, Give Me Jesus.” That is so fitting for today. Although it’s Saturday and I have the opportunity to sleep in, I need Him this morning more than a few more hours of physical rest. It’s been a very busy week with extra hours at work, several projects beginning and getting back in the swing of things after vacation. I’m tired, but mostly soul tired. I’ve thought often about why Easter is so special to me and I know it’s because of the hope and promise that it reminds us of. March and April and…

I’ve been reading through the events that took place before the crucifixion of Jesus as part of preparing my heart and mind for Easter. Yesterday was tax day for me and when I was informed of the amount we would need to pay the message of paying taxes to Caesar came to mind. Many times tax collectors are mentioned in the bible. Jesus spent time with them and ate with them. Matthew, one of the twelve apostles, was previously a tax collector and Zacchaeus was another one that was transformed by a relationship with Jesus. In Matthew 17: 24-27, Jesus performs a miracle in providing the temple tax for Peter…