Forgiveness is the best and hardest thing we do.

We greatly admire the image of the ‘self-made’ person – the independent rancher characters of John Wayne; the lone, super-skilled soldier of Rambo rescuing the prisoners of war; the provoked solitary assassin of John Wick

The holidays can be a trying time for most of us. Between immigrants that have settled here in America over the past 250+ years infusing a wide variety of religions and traditions into the mainstream of America and the commercial outlets that have glorified Santa Claus and the celebration of his yearly visits with mandatory events of feasting and gift-giving for its own sake, the ‘holiday season’ has expanded to span the entire last quarter of the year. Starting today, September 1 until the beginning of the New Year…

I overheard a discussion between my brother and my husband after dinner one night. The soldier and the pastor were lamenting the propensity of human beings to screw up the most basic of instruction, usually due to the belief that the hearer has a better idea of how things should go. My husband commented that this notion usually came in his line of work because people had too much information; too many other sources from which to gather information, not necessarily relevant…

I crave your indulgence for another very personal blog. I am Cass Garrettand, on this day, August 10, 2021, my granddaughter, child of my only son, and namesake was born in Columbus, Georgia. I am humbled by the grace of God that she and her mother are healthy and at 8lbs 10oz, she is obviously thriving. I prayed for this outcome and am so overjoyed that my will and God’s were the same.

How embarrassing is it to stand in line to pay for your groceries, have the cashier ring up every item only to discover you don’t have the right currency? You’ve waited in a ‘cash only’ line with nothing but a credit card and the cashier, according to company policy, cannot accommodate you

Just the title of this blog is making me chuckle. This is something that has been said by me and to me several times in my life. It is the shorthand way we tell each other that we have had a revelation about something in God’s Word. Being a disciple of Christ, I am continually learning about Him. My Bible studies have been hit and miss throughout my walk, but the most consistent studies I have done were through the Online Bible College (www.onlinebiblecollege.com).

It is often said that everything can change in a New York minute. You can be driving to work one morning safely moving along in traffic when without warning you are blindsided by another vehicle whose driver ran a red light. Instead of being at your desk a half hour later, you are in an ambulance headed to the hospital, your day, your week, your month or even your year totally disrupted and fraught with unanticipated difficulties and expenses.

It seems to be the standard response these days that when you ask someone how they are doing they answer with, “I’m tired.” Why are we all so exhausted? Modern man (and woman) can’t possibly be doing as much physical labor as our predecessors of even a decade ago. This from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (US) website: ‘Over the course of the 20th century, the composition of the labor force shifted from industries dominated by primary production occupations, such as farmers and foresters, to those dominated by professional, technical, and service workers. ...

Thirty years ago, Michael W. Smith released a song called Place in this World that was tremendously popular. It speaks of waiting hopefully with a head full of dreams, but this ‘becoming’ being harder than it seems. He asks the questions: where do I belong and is there a vision that I can call my own? He’s looking for a reason and trying to find his place in this world. He never mentions God, but it is implied in that out of millions down on their knees asking for something he wants to know if he can be heard. It can be a bit frustrating in the ‘I want it all and I want it NOW’ mindset that is so prevalent today to not have the clouds part and gold feathers to fall from the sky and form letters that spell out God’s plan for us! Just a sign, Lord, or even a little HINT about direction would be greatly appreciated…

In an earlier blog we were discussing words and phrases that are unique to Christianese – the ‘special’ modern day language of the ‘woke’ believer. 😊 I get to giggle and snark here because I use or have used some of this language myself and often in a tone of knowing a thing. With this blog, let’s talk about one that sounds aggressive without context. So that when I say I am going to ‘lay hands on you,’ your response will NOT be to raise your fists and ask, “I beg your pardon?”

In the last blog we talked about Christianese – the unique language of the believer that seems to pepper the conversations of the modern church - that have no counterpart in the common vernacular. There should be an English=Christianese handbook for new believers, but these are words and phrases you pick up after you’ve been around for a minute. So, I encourage you to take my advice from last week and don’t just know the words you are speaking – understand them. Take the time to investigate EXACTLY what you are saying and why.

The past few months have brought tremendous change in my life. Half of my ‘one flesh’ has gone to be with Jesus. I don’t have a ‘person’ anymore that shares my store of knowledge and memory. My pastor and shepherd of the past 16 years is gone. I’ve moved out of my home of 33 years. I downsized from a big house, with a workshop and 2 acres of land to a storage unit and a bedroom in another city and state. In my effort to bring coherent thought to what comes next, I’ve been reviewing what has passed: things done and left undone – people known and lost – and those influences that shaped me into what I am now. During the reruns, I spotted an easter egg – a hidden clue - about an ability I believe I have been given and my propensity for word pictures and plain speaking.

Some days, it seems like I just can’t summon enough oomph to get out of the bed. Body aches, head is fuzzy, mouth tastes like something industrial, with nothing to look forward to but drudgery and indifference. My head drones in monotone reciting an endless ‘to-do’ list of bills to be paid, chores to be done, errands to be run.

Have you ever thought about the difference between happiness and joy? Erroneously used interchangeably, both are emotions, but the source of these feelings defines how we should view them and define them.