“The quality of mercy is not strained, it falleth like the gentle rain from heaven,” Shakespeare tells us in the Merchant of Venice. But what is the quality of mercy? Is it simply compassion shown to an offender or victim of misfortune as Webster tells us? Or is it something more as we see in […]
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(Guest Post by Brad Flory on how he has learned the art of “falling on your sword” to keep his marriage strong.) “Wow, your hair looks nice!” I said. A scornful look crossed her face. “I had it cut and colored two days ago,” she said. “And you didn’t notice until now.” “If I didn’t […]
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What if I told you I had a surefire way to chase away the shelter in place doldrums, put a stop to excessive worry and cure a critical spirit? And it doesn’t cost anything! That is what the commentary on Psalm 117 in my copy of The Interpreter’s Bible claims. The magic bullet? Praise! Or […]
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In the beginning God created male and female. Man plants the seed, but woman gives birth. There is no life without the seed, no life without a place to nurture the seed to maturity. Which came first? Both come from the same life source. In the beginning there were two. Two are better than one! […]
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During Lent many people come up with self-imposed sacrifices, giving up chocolate, cheese, alcohol, adding fasting and penance. Myself, I may give up something but I usually wait to see what sacrifice God is going to give me each Lent. What God sends us is always more meaningful than the ones we come up with. […]
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If you are married to an Irish American, then St. Pat’s Day is a holiday right up there with Christmas. My Irish American husband was disappointed when restaurants and bars were closed yesterday because of the Coronavirus. So this is how we are celebrating St. Pat’s Day during the Coronavirus. We have a tradition of […]
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In the midst of concerns about the Coronavirus, I’m sharing this guest post by Ken Wyatt on Providence and Marriage. Surely God’s providence is present in our lives and our marriages if we are open to this. God’s Providence is also present in our world as we deal with difficulties and crisis. Providence and Marriage […]
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What do you worship? What hidden idols exist in your life? Idols crop up everywhere. Throughout history they take new forms. God has hard-wired for worship. Often we are misled into seeking out false idols to fill that need for worship. Our idols may not be images of silver and gold, but may be silver, […]
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If you are looking for creative metaphors, similes and personification (where inanimate objects are given human qualities), all rooted in creation, you need look no further than the Psalms. Trees clap their hands in applause at the works of God and mountains skip like rams in joy. Psalm 114 is a prime example of this […]
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Plan carefully the marriage experts had told us. Be careful during those early years they advised. Whether you know it or not, you are building habits that will be hard to change later. If only we had listened then, if only we had been more intentional about everything we did and said. Instead we were […]
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