Soul Sister Time

              Romans 11:33-36 explains a lot about answered prayers.   Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!      How unsearchable his judgments,      and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord?      Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God,      that God should repay them?”   For from him and through him and for him are all things.      To him be the glory forever! Amen.                             Some of us want better answers than we are getting to our heartfelt prayers!   We wonder—Is God listening at all?   It appears that I am getting the exact opposite of which I prayed.                 God’s answers often don’t make sense to our finite minds and Romans explains why.   This is good.   I mean it.   When you get disappointing news despite all your reading scripture, obeying God’s ways, asking in prayer and asking others to pray, it is good.   Why?   Because God is good.   There are

              Your doing reveals what is hidden in your soul.   3 John 1: 11 says: “ Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God .”   The soul that connects deeply with God is capable of doing good in a way others are not.               What have you done lately?   Perhaps this is a good time to stop and think about the things you do?   What is on your “To Do” list?   Or what is on your What I Did today list?   (Sometimes my “To Do” list is my intentions and doesn’t show what I have actually done.)   Your doing can open your soul to where you are presently and where you want to be.   What you do can be a window to the soul!               You can stop right now and make a list of what you did yesterday.   Brainstorm everything—were you obsessing about a certain thought?   Did you spend time fuming in the car about traffic?   Those are actually things we do along with get grocer

              Where were you when you first heard about 9-11?   I was in my office when in between appointments the staff told me about a strange incident in New York City.   After each 50-minute session I received a new update on the worsening situation.   I left early that afternoon and picked up my son from elementary school.   I remember not being sure how to tell him what had changed about our world since I had dropped him off that morning.   Can it possibly have been seventeen years ago that America had our first terrorist attack on American soil?   It seems the shock has turned to numbness as we have digested more and more acts of violence that stun and disturb our souls.   On 9-11-2001 our church was packed with people flooding through the doors to pray.   Democrats and Republicans stood together on Capital Hill singing God Bless America it seemed that every one of them knew the words.   Seventeen years later, we are just as desperate for prayer!   We need to cry out for

              Do you ever get trapped on repeat when it comes to miserable emotions or obsessive thoughts?   How do you break free?   Jesus!   Isn’t He the only answer?   Yet sometimes it is hard to find the path to the freedom He promises.               Matthew 11:28-30 says: “ Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.   Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.   For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”   Rest for your soul is an inviting place to be.   Like the constant scratch in the grove of a broken record your thoughts or emotions keep you from experiencing rest in your soul.   There is no music.               Yet it is your soul that will set you free.   You can find rest for your soul when you invite your soul to show you what you need to keep and what you need to leave behind.   What is keeping you from rest for your soul?   Is it an emotion like anger, hurt,