Soul Sister Time

            Memorial Day is a happy day for those who get a Monday off half way through the year.  There are great sales going on and a little extra time to shop them.  The weather is usually a little cooler, so it is a nice day for a picnic or a parade.  I always love Memorial Day as a happy gift in the middle of living.  I know it is coming; but every year when it comes up, I feel surprised and know that I need it to catch up on things that have been piling up for a while.  It has become a bonus day that I never know how much I need until it arrives on the calendar.             Since I haven’t lost a close family or friend soldier, it is easy for me to totally forget the reason we Americans celebrate this holiday.  For many it is another sober reminder of the husbands, wives, sons, daughters, moms and fathers, who are no longer part of their daily living because of their call to serve our country in the military.  The last Monday in May was dedicated as a federal holiday after t

            You have an enemy who is after your peace and joy in Christ every day.  Your enemy’s best strategy is to remain incognito.  Your enemy stirs up emotions, discord, problems in your life every day, but he is quick to hide and let someone else take the blame.  He gets you to think your enemy is your brother, your child, or your boss.  The true enemy you need to see is the enemy of your soul!             Peter’s best advice regarding fighting the devil is to be aware.  He wrote: Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).  Peter is the one who should know.  He was the one Satan sifted like wheat on the eve of Jesus’ crucifixion.  I’m not sure what sifting by the devil exactly means, but I do know it is not good.  It hurt.  Peter cried bitterly.  He became an expert on helping others withstand the devil’s attacks from his personal experience (Luke 22:32).             The devil plays a min

            Nothing in this world is worth having without love.  A world without love is a fitting topic for Mother’s Day!                 Paul emphasizes this in 1 Corinthians 13—the great love chapter.  He writes: If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Without love, eloquent speech, perceptive IQ, steadfast faith, and generous giving mean nothing.                  It’s quite clear that we humans are capable of doing a lot of things without love.  Love may be the greatest, but not everyone experiences how wonderful love is.  Love is even more fulfilling for the giver than the receiver.  There has never been a rel

            Psalm 77 is a good read for believers who are confused, feeling abandoned, living in hard circumstances.  It provides a clear path to God.  One of the best ways to pull your mind away from despair, doubts and accusations against God and into peace is through recounting God’s miracles. The Psalm starts out with the same questions most of us have for God.  Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion ?  Your life circumstances may make you wonder similar thoughts.  When we question God’s love and presence in our world, we are left with despair.  The answer to our despair is to look for God in spite of our doubts.   We could go on and on and be stuck forever reviewing the harsh realities we have experienced in this world.  There are so many hard-to-understand experiences down here on earth.  In