JONATHAN C DOW

The Closure of No Closure

One recent Sunday, our pastor preached from Deuteronomy 34. Preparing us for impending pastoral change, he invited us to embrace the journey to the Promised Land knowing that God's unwavering faithfulness will carry us through the pervasive uncertainty of leadership transition. As he read the passage, my heart became snagged . . .

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July 07, 2018

I Wanted You to Know

Watching, Seeing, and Encouraging

At a recent staff meeting, our departmental leadership advised us, "If you see something, say something." Spoken in the context of employee safety training, we were urged to attentively monitor our surroundings throughout our shift. And, should we observe something that triggers concern, we are to calmly communicate our uneasiness to the . . .

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June 09, 2018

Postponing Joy

"I'll be glad when..."

The place of my employment is undergoing significant major extensive massive renovation. (Get the picture?) Amidst the upheaval, we are learning to adjust to awkwardly placed workstations, temporary permanent walls (yes, that is a thing), construction sounds, and an occasional unnerving bang of dropped metal conduit on . . .

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April 21, 2018

Do You Have a Need to Know?

My Waze and God's Ways

Every weekday, I drive into downtown Nashville using a navigation app on my phone. Mindful of the adventure of navigating through a city that is experiencing unprecedented growth, I am grateful for the heads up that it provides alerting me to delays, hazards, and even potholes along the way!

On a recent trip, while attentively . . .

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March 26, 2018

Landscaping the Tombs

I love to landscape. It is both therapeutic and cathartic. Something about sinking your hands in dark brown soil and nurturing vibrant green blossoming plants stirs in me a sense of life and health. I feel "at home" in the quiet solitude of mulched gardens filled with flowers, ferns, and shrubs. And honestly, as an . . .

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February 24, 2018

Upset and Troubled

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things" (Luke 10:41 NASB).

The One who spoke those words so long ago gently reiterated them to me as I drove to work one recent morning. Agitated (and perturbed for feeling so irritated), I clung white-knuckled to the steering wheel, lost in an inarticulate yet . . .

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February 06, 2018

Divine First Aid

A hymn, a promise, and an invitation

In his hymn, "Sweet Hour of Prayer," William W. Walford poetically testified, "In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief." I am mindful that for many of us, those "seasons of distress and grief" often come without warning. A middle-of-the-night phone call, a sudden health crisis, an unforeseen large expense, a . . .

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December 14, 2017

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