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 . . .
Grace to Grieve with Hope
Discovering God's Grace in the Midst of Loss
Not too long ago, I had the distinct privilege of being interviewed by the extraordinary Rev. John Arnold. Battling cancer and living beyond what he calls his "Expiration Date," John selflessly recorded conversations desiring to "encourage people going through the difficult experience of a terminal medical diagnosis or the loss of a loved . . .
Posted in: #characterdevelopment#grief#healing#hope
Go Ahead, 'Bother' the Teacher
A Not-So-Tongue-in-Cheek Invitation
“Don’t bother the teacher any longer.” That was the rebuke that derailed my focus from the sermon one recent Sunday morning. Abandoning the preacher's train of thought (sorry, pastor), I lingered in that Luke 8 passage, trying to understand the context for such a harsh statement.
Jesus, returning to the shore . . .
Posted in: #assurance#grief#healing#peace
Hurt and Profit
An Unexpected Highway Incident
Recently while traveling on an interstate, a vehicle zoomed by me that lassoed my meandering thoughts. Having been on the road for 7 hours, I was a bit tired. While some of the weariness was indeed physical, there was more to it. My heart was numb with murky melancholy thinking about the anniversary of my sister’s untimely death, saying . . .
Posted in: #characterdevelopment#grief#healing#hope
A Dining Room Experience
A Sample Devotional from "31 Days of Encouragement"
When we were first married, my wife and I decided to set the table with a fancy wedding gift we received. This beautiful set of six crystal goblets was stored in a specially made carton in our dining room. When I pulled the carton from the shelf, the bottom dropped out and all six goblets shattered on the dining room floor. The long and . . .
How Is It With Your Soul?
Just before leaving for church on Easter Sunday morning, I grabbed my dress shoes from the closet. Looking them over to see how scuffed up they were, I noticed that there was a stone wedged in the sole of one of my shoes.
Carefully working to remove this stone in my sole, a not so humorous pun came to mind. I began to think about how . . .
Posted in: #characterdevelopment#healing#hope
Talitha Koum
[This blog entry first appeared as an article written for Seedbed's Soul Care Collective. The vision of the collective is to provide resources designed to encourage individuals in personal soul care and to equip them to care for others within the context of their own vocation, all from a distinctly Wesleyan perspective. Please visit them . . .
