My Study Bible by James R. Coggins

Posted on July 30, 2025 by jrcoggins

A reader recently asked: “You frequently post a photo of a Bible on your blogs. Is that your study Bible? What Bible do you use?”

The Bible usually pictured is my personal Bible, the New International Version (NIV, 1986). I grew up with the King James Bible (KJV), which was the standard in most churches. In university, I discovered the New American Standard Bible (NASB, the one pictured in this blog), which I trust as a very accurate translation. I switched to the NIV for teaching quite a few years ago, as it is more readable and was becoming the standard in many churches.

Unfortunately, in 2011, the publishers revised the NIV and made it more politically correct and less accurate. I still take my old (pre-2011) NIV Bible to my Baptist church (they use the NIV there mostly). However, in my personal study, I use Bible Gateway, which is a free online app and which allows me to use and compare many translations.

I never learned Hebrew and Greek except for a brief smattering in my one year in seminary, and therefore I rely on the work of other Bible scholars. As aids to my study, I still use the one-volume New Bible Commentary and one-volume New Bible Dictionary and Strong’s Concordance, which I picked up in that one year of seminary training at Regent College in Vancouver. The Concordance is especially useful in getting at the meaning of Greek and Hebrew words. Over the years, I have also assembled a complete set of Barclay’s New Testament commentaries. While he is unorthodox on a number of issues, Barclay’s knowledge of Greek words and ancient history is unparalleled. I wish there was something similar for the Old Testament. There are other commentaries and guides on my bookshelves which I also consult from time to time.

And, of course, I study with prayer, asking God to help me understand His Word. I often ponder, meditate, and ask questions about what a particular passage might mean and how it might be applied to my life. I write down what I am learning to help me remember and to share with other people. I do not claim to be an expert Bible scholar, but I have been a persistent inquirer. As every Christian should, I have studied the Bible consistently throughout my life and have tried to carry out its precepts. Looking back, I am blessed to think about all that God has taught me. Looking forward, I realize I have barely scratched the surface of the riches of God’s Word.

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Why Don’t Christians Read Their Bibles? by James R. Coggins

Posted on July 23, 2025 by jrcoggins

Why don’t Christians read their Bibles more? In a recent sermon, our pastor offered several reasons: People are too busy. The Bible is hard to understand. Reading the Bible is sometimes boring. And so on. The pastor then offered some solutions or counters to those reasons, in the hope that members of the congregation would read the Bible more regularly.

I have continued to ponder that sermon. It was a good sermon and will no doubt produce some good results. However, it struck me that the reason I don’t read my Bible more (and why I find it hard to study the Bible) is not any of the reasons the pastor gave. For me, while I do read the Bible, I think the biggest obstacle is the tremendous emotional and spiritual effort required. When I read, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing” (Psalm 23:1), I am comforted. But when I read, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39) or “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) or “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Hebrews 12:4) or any number of similar verses—well, that requires deep soul-searching and perhaps seeing things that I don’t necessarily want to admit are there.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Such surgery can be painful, but it is necessary for life and health.

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When God Puts You on Hold… and You’re Still Listening to the Elevator Music

Posted on July 22, 2025 by Author Mary Alford

We’ve all been there. Spiritually speaking, I mean.

You pray. You wait. You refresh the page of your life like you’re waiting for Amazon to update your delivery status, only to see those dreaded words:
Pending.

You double-check to make sure your prayer got through.
Yes, Lord. It’s me again. Requesting peace, direction, and maybe a small miracle on aisle five.
…Hello?

Cue the heavenly elevator music.

If you’re like me, your brain immediately starts spiraling:
— Maybe I prayed wrong.
— Maybe I’m supposed to do something first.

— Or maybe… I’ve been put on Divine Hold.

I’ve learned something important during those frustrating, slightly awkward seasons where it feels like God’s gone quiet: sometimes He puts us on hold to grow us—not ghost us.

And let’s be real: I’m not exactly patient. I want microwave answers. Meanwhile, God’s working on a slow-cooker timeline. He’s marinating my character while I’m asking, “Are we there yet?” every 10 minutes like a spiritual backseat toddler.

But here’s the thing—during the “hold” moments, He’s still there. Just quiet. And not in a passive-aggressive “silent treatment” kind of way. He’s present. Patient. Preparing. Listening.

And sometimes?
He’s teaching me to stop trying to download answers at high speed and start trusting the One who already knows the outcome.

So if you’re in a waiting season today, and all you can hear is the spiritual version of elevator jazz… take heart.

God hasn’t hung up.
You haven’t lost signal.
You’re not being ignored.
You’re being refined.

And maybe—just maybe—when the line clicks back on, you’ll realize He was guiding you the whole time. (Also, you’ll have a fantastic story to tell… and a renewed appreciation for spiritual hold music.)

Blessings (and happy reading!),

Mary

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Hiking Part 2 by Tara Randel

Posted on July 21, 2025 by tararandel

In a previous post, I wrote about a hiking trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. In that post, I talked about the long climb to the summit at 6593 feet. But a few days before, we took more a leisurely hike on a trail to Grotto Falls.

This trail wasn’t quite as strenuous as the other, but just as beautiful. And the surprise at the end was worth the trek.

As you can see, Trillium Gap Trail was nowhere as long as our next journey to the summit of Mt. Le Conte.

We enjoyed beautiful scenery along the way.

And like I said, the treat at the end was worth the hike!

I always wanted to walk under a waterfall.

I hope you are having an amazing summer. Enjoy the outdoors!

Tara Randel is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. Family values, a bit of mystery and of course, love and romance, are her favorite themes, because she believes love is the greatest gift of all. Look for her Harlequin Heartwarming romance THE SURPRISE NEXT DOOR, available now. For more information about her books, visit Tara at www.tararandel.com. Like her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TaraRandelBooks. 

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Byzantine Mosaics – From the Many, One.

Posted on July 17, 2025 by dtopliff

It’s a long story, but I’ve hosted European friends here in North America, and enjoyed staying in their homes. Two of them decided that the next time I visited Spain, we should tour Bologna, Ravenna, and Venice by plane and train. That was a fabulous trip.

To me, the most outstanding highlight was the eight Ravenna 5th and 6th century A.D. Christian monuments including churches, baptisteries, and a mausoleum that are collectively a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These are especially renowned for stunning and well-preserved mosaics. YouTube offers coverage. My photos don’t do them justice, but the Byzantine mosaics’ intricate artistry delivers a spiritual lesson.

The most famous are inside the Basilica of San Vitale shown below.

The mosaics are literally thousands of small pieces of glass, stone, or ceramic combined in different images and patterns, including some with gold leaf, silver, and precious stones, to make one elaborate picture. The many pieces became one, just asJesus prayed that his followers might “all be one.”

Similarly, the Lord combines our many varied individual traits into His masterful multi-dimensional design with all the members fitly framed together.

Romans 12:4-5 says, “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”

Romans 12:4-5 says, “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”

The Lord builds His family from different tribes, nations, tongues, and backgrounds. We are multiple shapes, colors, and sizes. But our Savior is a master craftsman who has had perfect designs in mind since the very beginning of time as He constructs our personal families, church bodies, international organizations, and more..

We may be mortared in right next to contrasting colors, materials, or textures, but we can trust Him to complete His inspired design.

Viewing Byzantine mosaic that have survived fifteen hundred years inspires me to believe that He is arranging believers together to prepare His bride for the wonderful final event that completes church history.

The Lord builds His family from many different tribes, nations, tongues, and backgrounds. We are multiple shapes, colors, and sizes. But our Savior is a master craftsman who has had perfect designs in mind since the very beginning of time as He constructs our personal families, church bodies, international organizations, and more..

We may be mortared in next to vividly contrasting colors, materials, or textures, but we can trust Him to complete His inspired design.

Viewing Byzantine mosaic that have survived fifteen hundred years inspires me to believe that He is arranging believers together now to prepare His bride for the wonderful final event that completes all of church history.

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How I Write by James R. Coggins

Posted on July 16, 2025 by jrcoggins

I have always written by inspiration. I don’t mean that literally, in the biblical sense. But the thing is, unless I am interested in something, unless I think I have something worth saying, I won’t make the effort to write it.

Now, I don’t just sit around waiting for inspiration to strike. I read, learn, observe, think, question, wonder, and ponder (the secular version of meditate), and when ideas coalesce in my mind, I write them down. The process is the same whether I am writing a biblical meditation, a blog, a letter, a novel, or a research essay. (In the last case, I will often start with a question and then do a lot (a lot!) of reading and learning before I write.)

But what has changed is the technique or the medium. When I first started writing, I used a pen or a pencil on paper. When I had an idea, I would start scribbling on any piece of paper that was handy—a church bulletin, an envelope, a napkin, or the blank back side of anything typewritten or printed. I used to keep a supply of “good one side” paper in my office, my briefcase, and my pockets. I chose this medium because I could write (okay, scribble) faster than I could type, and it was not convenient to carry around a typewriter or computer or even wait until one was available. I wanted to preserve the ideas while they were fresh. I found that if I waited, they would often fade. The ideas might remain, but the right wording and phrasing would be lost.

Eventually, once it had been invented, I learned to use a computer. This transition required considerable adjustment. Trying to remember the commands to add bold or italics or hyphens or dashes and so on distracted me from the ideas I was trying to write down. However, as I became more skilled in computer use, I found there were some advantages. I could type faster on a computer than a typewriter. And, on a computer I didn’t have to worry about spelling or other mistakes—I knew I could go back and fix those later. I could focus on getting the ideas down. Due to my life situation, I was often in my office or somewhere close to a computer. Of course, computers are great for editing. With a computer, I could make changes and even move words and sentences and paragraphs.

Nowadays, I use a combination of media. I still carry a pen and paper and scribble down ideas whenever they come. I also write on my computer. I have also developed ways of writing in my head. Ideas often come when I am quiet, such as when I am in bed and trying to sleep. When that happens, I have learned to be able to draft a blog or a biblical meditation or a scene from a novel or a short story in my head. I go over and over the draft in my head, committing it to memory and sometimes making edits and other changes. Then, the next day, I can go to my computer and type up the draft.

I still write by inspiration, although methods evolve. I am grateful for the methods open to me. Much more efficient than chiseling ideas into stone or clay.

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Glory in What? By Nancy J. Farrier

Posted on July 14, 2025 by Nancy J. Farrier
Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash

Almost every time I go in a store, I am struck by the abundance of the offerings there. As you walk through the doors of a grocery store, there are tables full of breads, cookies, pastries, and all manner of things we don’t need in our diet, but there they are ready to entice us. And we indulge.

Not only are we assaulted in the physical sense by these temptations, but as a country we are inundated with the ideal that we are mighty—both in the might of our physical protection and the strength of our educated minds. Here is the USA we tend to think ourselves above others.

It is sad to see the divisions in our country, but perhaps we’ve taken out eyes off of what is important. Maybe we’re so fixated on ourselves, we’ve lost sight of what God wants for us.

“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches…” Jerimiah 9:23

Have we become complacent in indulging ourselves to the point that we glory in the wrong things? Do we glory in the wisdom that comes from empty education? (By that I mean learned intelligence that doesn’t include God.) Do we glory in our might without seeing the danger in how easily we can be defeated? Do we glory in our riches and ability to purchase whatever we want on a whim?

Jeremiah 9:24 says, ““But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgement , and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.”

Instead of putting wealth, might, and worldly wisdom on a pedestal, we are to glory in God and who He is. God’s lovingkindness in the face of our indulgences is humbling. His judgement and righteousness are perfect. We should depend on Him and not the might or wisdom or riches of our nation.

The next time you go to a store, take notice when you walk in the doors. Look at all the offerings that are set out to entice when you don’t need them. Consider what you glory in. Is it in the ability to indulge yourself or do you glory in the Lord and his lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness.

Lord, may we always glory in You.

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The Power of Faith by James R. Coggins

Posted on July 9, 2025 by jrcoggins

In Galatians 3:1-5 (NIV), the apostle Paul issued a very strongly worded rebuke to the Galatian Christians: “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?”

Paul was explaining that Christians are saved by having faith in Jesus and not by obeying the law. To prove his case, he offered an interesting argument. He went back to how the Galatians first came to the Christian faith. Paul and Barnabas evangelized in the Galatian towns of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe on their first missionary journey (Acts 13-14). They faced considerable persecution (largely from Jewish leaders), but they won numerous converts among both Jews and gentiles. In Antioch, the new converts “were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52). In Iconium, God enabled Paul and Barnabas to “perform signs and wonders” (Acts 14:3). In Lystra, the crowds were so impressed by the healing of a lame man, that they thought Paul and Barnabas must be gods (Acts 14:8-13). Now Jews were trying to convince the Jewish and gentile Christians in Galatia that they needed to follow the law of Moses, including being circumcised. Paul therefore asked them to think about their experience. He reminded them that the Jews and the gentile converts to Judaism had been following the law before. But they had not been filled with the Holy Spirit because of this. Nor had God been performing signs and wonders, including miraculous healings, among them. It was only when they placed their faith in Jesus that they were filled with the Holy Spirit and God confirmed their faith with signs and wonders. So, Paul concluded, this demonstrated that people are saved by having faith in Jesus, not by following the law. God had shown them clearly that having faith in Jesus was the proper way to follow Him.

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The Day My Characters Stopped Cooperating — and What God Taught Me About Letting Go

Posted on July 8, 2025 by Author Mary Alford

You know that feeling when you think you have everything under control…and then your plans unravel faster than yarn in a kitten’s paws?

That was me writing Framed in Amish Country.

I sat down, armed with coffee and an outline that would make any Type A proud. Those of you who know my writing process will understand this is not normal for me. I’m usually a pantser writer.

Anyway, my main characters Paige and Elijah were supposed to follow my carefully crafted path of danger, second chances, and sweet Amish settings. But somewhere around chapter ten, they started ignoring my plot points entirely. Paige refused to hide in the barn like I’d planned, and Elijah decided to reveal secrets I wasn’t ready to write yet.

I actually found myself talking out loud to my laptop—“This is NOT what I wrote in the outline!”—as if my characters would apologize and obediently return to the plan. They did not!

But here’s the funny, beautiful truth: as I let go of controlling every moment, the story got better. Deeper. More real. The characters’ struggles felt truer, the faith themes more heartfelt, and the suspense sharper than anything I could’ve forced.

In the process, I realized I do the same thing with God. I come to Him with a script for how my life should go—then get frustrated when the plot twists come. But He’s the ultimate Author. His story for me is richer, more layered, and yes, often wilder than anything I’d dare to write.

So, if you’re feeling like your plans have veered off course, take it from a writer whose characters went rogue: sometimes, the unexpected turns bring the best chapters.

Have you ever had a time when God rewrote your plans—and you were grateful He did?

Blessings (and happy reading!),

Mary

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Mysteries by James R. Coggins

Posted on July 2, 2025 by jrcoggins

I write murder mysteries (and lots of other things). But, in a sense, my stories do not remain mysteries. A good murder mystery presents a murder, offers a variety of suspects (red herrings), and in the end reveals whodunit. Readers do not read mysteries so they can remain puzzled. They read mysteries so they can find out what actually happened—and sometimes to see if they can figure out the solution before the writer reveals it. People like solving puzzles, not being defeated by puzzles. We do not like living indefinitely with uncertainty.

Of course, it is not just murder mysteries that are puzzling in nature. All novels are read to find out what happens to the characters. Will John and Mary find true love? Will Alice find her true path in life? Will the lost hiker find his way out of the wilderness?

The great writer Stephen King once tried his hand at writing a murder mystery. The book described a dead body surrounded by a myriad of intriguing clues. But in the end the book remained too mysterious. It was not just readers who could not figure it out. King himself was unable to solve the puzzle he had created. The death remained unsolved. It was, in my view, a very unsatisfying book. I felt cheated. It seemed to me that King had done the easy part (portraying a mysterious murder) but failed to deliver the hard part (presenting the one solution that fulfilled all the clues and still fooled many readers).

I watch some true crime documentaries on television, and I feel the same way about documentaries that portray crimes that are never solved. And in this case, the stakes are much higher. The agony for the victim’s loved ones is far greater than that experienced by disappointed readers and viewers.

The apostle Paul also talked about the “mystery” of the gospel. The Greek word is musterion, which comes from a word meaning “to shut the mouth” and therefore has connotations of a secret, something that is not spoken. At a time when Christianity was spreading across the Roman Empire, there were a number of competing “mystery” religions coming into the Empire from the east. What these all had in common is a body of secret knowledge and secret rituals known only to those who had been initiated into the religion.

Christianity is different. It has a mystery—but not in the sense of it being secret but in the sense of it being revealed. Just as a murder mystery presents a problem (a murder) and then solves it, the Bible presents a problem (sin and the fall of humanity) and then presents the solution (salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ), a solution that the Author had in mind from the beginning of the book.

• In 1 Corinthians 4:1, Paul said that he and his fellow preachers were “servants of Christ…entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.”

• In Romans 16:25-26, Paul talked about “my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ” and “the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed.”

• In 1 Corinthians 2:7, Paul said: “We declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.”

• In Ephesians 1:9-10, Paul wrote that God “made known to us the mystery of his will…which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”

• In Ephesians 3:2-9, Paul described “the mystery made known to me by revelation…the mystery of Christ which was not made known to people in other generations” but which had “now been revealed.” Paul went on to explain that gentiles were now being invited to join Israel “in the promise in Christ Jesus.” Paul added that he had been given the privilege of preaching “this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.”

• In Ephesians 6:29, Paul asked for prayer that he would be given the right words to “fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.”

• In Colossians 1:26-27, Paul wrote that he had been commissioned by God “to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people.” He added that “God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

• In Colossians 2:2, Paul said that his goal was to preach to new people “in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

• In Colossians 4:3, Paul asked, “Pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ.”

• In 1Timothy 3:16, Paul reminded Timothy: “Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.”

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Life’s Curve Balls

Posted on June 26, 2025 by Patricia Bradley

What do you do when life throws you a curveball and you’re expecting an easy one over the plate? Sounds like a simple question, but if you ask five different people, you’ll probably get five different answers. Like—
Hit a home run
Step away from the plate
Lean into it
Wait for the next pitch
Get mad and take your ball home

I’ve done all of the above…some I’m proud of and some I’m not. But sometimes life comes at us so fast and hard it steals our breath away, taking our joy with it. So what should we do when that happens? I don’t know. At least not what you should do. We’re all different and we handle life’s challenges differently. I know what I do, and maybe it’ll help some of you who are struggling.

First of all, recognize we’re not always in control of our circumstances. God is. And He knows what we’ll face long before it happens—nothing catches him by surprise. So lean in to Him and give yourself time to process the circumstance. For some that will be a week, others longer.

Sometimes staying super busy helps. That helped me when a dear friend passed away. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes when we’re going through a difficult time, we can’t focus. We’re satisfied if we get one thing done all day.

That’s when we have to step away from the plate and accept that we’re not going to be able to meet others’ expectations or even our own. Sometimes we need to back away from everything, do mundane tasks until our hearts and minds heal. And they will. But you have to give yourself time.

Pretty sure I’m preaching to myself today. I’m four weeks post-COVID and having trouble getting my strength back. It’s hard for a Type A personality to rest, but God has impressed upon me that I have to take time to heal from life’s curveballs, and believe me, COVID is the toughest health curveball I’ve had in a while.

But sometimes God just wants us to be still and listen to Him, and evidently, the only way He can get a Type A’s attention is from the sickbed.

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The Just Shall Live by Faith by James R. Coggins

Posted on June 25, 2025 by jrcoggins

Most North Americans believe there is a heaven, and most North Americans believe they will go there. Why? Because they believe they are good people. Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant Reformer thought otherwise. He knew he was a sinner.

Luther became a monk and a professor of theology. He first taught a course on the Psalms. The Psalms begin (and often continue) with a contrast between the righteous and the wicked: “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked” (Psalm 1:1). The problem for Luther is that he felt more like one of the wicked than one of the righteous. Another theme Luther saw in the Psalms was being CORAM DEO. This Latin phrase means “in the presence of God.” (Luther, like everyone else in the Middle Ages, was reading the Vulgate, a Latin translation of the Bible.) For Luther, being in the presence of the holy, living God was terrifying. Conscious of his own sin, Luther was terrified that God would strike him dead.

Luther next turned to lecturing on the book of Romans. He was hopeful that this New Testament book would provide more encouragement. Instead, he found: “In the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed” (Romans 1:17). Luther was reading his Latin Bible, and the Latin word for “righteousness” is JUSTITIA, from which we get our word “justice.” This filled Luther with despair. If even the gospel is all about God’s justice, then he was convinced that he was doomed since he knew he was a sinner.

It was only when Luther read on and found “The righteous will live by faith” (Romans 1:17) that he found hope. It was at that point that Luther realized that the righteousness spoken of here is not the righteousness that we can achieve on our own but the righteousness of Christ that God confers on those who have faith in Him.

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When Grief Visits Close to Home: Holding to the Hope of Heaven

Posted on June 24, 2025 by Author Mary Alford

In the past few weeks, our quiet little neighborhood has felt the weight of sorrow. We’ve had to say goodbye to two friends—faithful, kind souls whose absence leaves a hollow space in our hearts and our routines. Their smiles, their warmth, the way they showed up for others… it’s all missed deeply.

Death has a way of stopping us in our tracks. It reminds us of how fragile life is. How quickly the days slip by. How precious our time together really is.

But for those of us who follow Christ, grief is not the final word.

Yes, we mourn. Even Jesus wept at the tomb of His friend. But we do not mourn as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Because we know—deep down—that this broken world is not our forever home.

The promise of heaven isn’t just a theological concept. It’s the anchor we cling to when the waves of sorrow threaten to pull us under. It’s the reassurance that our loved ones who died in Christ are more alive now than ever before. They are in the presence of their Savior. Whole. Healed. Home.

Revelation 21:4 tells us, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain…” What a beautiful picture of eternity with our Lord.

Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we do not walk alone. And we do not walk without hope.

So today, as I grieve the loss of two cherished neighbors, I also rest in the assurance that death does not win. Jesus conquered the grave. And because of Him, there will come a day when every goodbye becomes a glorious reunion.

From the song, “Scars in Heaven” by Casting Crowns:

“The only scars in Heaven, they won’t belong to me and you.”

This powerful line captures the song’s central theme of comfort and hope in the face of loss, reminding us that in Heaven, pain is no more. And the only scars in Heaven are on the hands that will hold us.

Until then, may we live with purpose, love each other well, and hold fast to the hope of heaven.

With grace and remembrance,
Mary

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What? Me Complain? By Nancy J. Farrier

Posted on June 23, 2025 by Nancy J. Farrier
Photo by Xan Griffin on Unsplash

At my church, we have been studying through the book of Exodus. For Mother’s Day, our Pastor led us in a study of the section where the Israelites complained—loudly. You might be asking when they didn’t complain, because it happened a lot. lol This teaching was from Exodus chapter 16, right after they’d been delivered from the Egyptians by the parting of the Red Sea.

“And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Exodus 16:2-3

I left church that Sunday determined to do  better and not grumble or complain. Sadly, I have been a failure. An absolute failure.

While my intent was good, the practice of murmuring and complaining is so ingrained it’s almost impossible to root it out. I grumble without realizing I’m doing it. And, I’m wondering if I am alone in this. Somehow, I don’t think I am.

What are some of the things I grumble about? Let me list them and see if you do the same or something similar.

The weather: Living in the desert gets hot in the summer. I go on early morning walks, but now no matter how early I go, it’s still hot. I find myself wanting to grumble about the heat. Do you complain about the weather? Too much rain? Not enough rain? Too cold? Too hot? Too humid? Hmmm. Aren’t we all guilty of that sometimes?

Not enough time: I tend to take on too many tasks. Then I don’t have enough time to complete everything or am rushed. Don’t we all have busy lives? We gripe about having too much to do or sometimes we have the opposite problem and complain about being bored because we have too little to do.

Other people: I was shopping with my husband, the store was crowded, and people moved soooo slowly. I didn’t have any reason to hurry, but wanted to get what I needed and get out of there. Or, we’re driving and there’s a car in front of us that’s moseying down the road under the speed limit. Ugh! Where did they learn to drive? Haven’t we all been short on patience toward other people and found ourselves grumbling about them?

I could go on and on with examples of how we all murmur and complain. I realize the Israelites in Exodus were concerned about being in the desert with no food or water, which is a much bigger problem than what I mentioned, but still they weren’t trusting God. That was the real issue.

So when we complain about the little things in life—or sometimes big things—isn’t that a sign that we aren’t trusting God? We need to put on thankfulness instead of murmuring. We need to recall Who is in charge of our lives and how He desires good for us and leads us on the right path. 

Since that sermon in May, I have become much more aware of the times I grumble and complain. Awareness is a good step forward. I encourage you to ask God to show you when you are complaining and to help you stop. Listen to the nudge of the Spirit. Replace murmuring with praise and thanksgiving. It won’t happen overnight, but you will change.

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing…” Philippians 2:14

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Unpacking The Lord’s Prayer

Posted on June 19, 2025 by dtopliff

In graduate school, I took the required Old English course and was fascinated to read Fæder úre (the Lord’s Prayer) in its much more Germanic English words of around 1,000 A.D. Here’s how the words looked then: Fæder úre, þú þe eart on heofonum, si þin nama gehalgod; tobecume þin rice gewurþe þin willa, on eorðan swa swa on heofonum. Urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us to dæg, and forgyf us ure gyltas, swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum; and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge, ac alys us of yfele soþlice. To hear how it sounded then, select this YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSfLj3zEqKo

When His disciples asked Jesus how to pray, The prayer He taught began with. “Our” Father. Those words established the foundation that the Lord is father to all of us. We’re all included in one big family. If we understand that correctly, it should end division and hatred.

In Old English times, “which art in heaven” came closer to saying, “You are fully Spirit.” One professor told me that “hallowed be thy name” in the Old English really meant “all health” is in thy name.          

Sometimes we become so used to passages we know well that we should freshly consider how the Lord spoke them in the beginning. Examine the original Aramaic. Consider what’s emphasized in the Old English and other translations. Many modern translations are casual and colloquial these days. Let’s not let the strength of the original be lost. What new thing does the Holy Spirit wish to say to each of us through inspired prayer today?

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