Whispering Hope

This insect looks so elegant when it moves. They have stealthy- slow, graceful, calculated movements. Watch out though because they are powerful. Praying Mantis’ are predators. While they typically cannot hurt humans, according to National Geographic studies they have been known to eat “frogs, lizards, salamanders, newts, shrews, mice, snakes, tiny soft-shelled turtles, and even once a small bat.”  Never underestimate SMALL. Never underestimate ELEGANT.  I spent several minutes observing this insect. As it approached the end of the rail there was a calculated turn to make it to the adjacent rail. However, after several attempts to determine if there was ‘sure footing’ on the down side this critter decided to turn around and opted for the sure thing.  When I see things like this I always ask myself- What life lesson can you observe or learn from this bit of nature. This little guy/gal (I don’t know how to tell the gender of a praying mantis) first remin...

On this day 17 years ago I was in Detroit, Michigan pastoring a church. I received a call from a church member asking me if I had seen the news. I had not- I was at the church with no TV to watch news and internet then was not what it is today.  More than the news reports and the awful scenes that replay through my mind not just on this day but every time I have been in NYC I remember... scenes filled with people running for their very existence a dear friend who worked in the financial district recalling her experience of walking miles and miles to get back to safety scenes from the Pentagon - listening to the stories being told of their escape an eerie silence as DTW was shut down the questions of why did this happen? how could so many atrocities happen in one day- no in a few hours? and what will we do now? In a matter of a few hours America was forever CHANGED!   As a pastor I remember... The church filling up with people on...

WHO Do You Obey? Acts 4:1-22 S- “They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men w...

Who Am I? Names have always intrigued me. When I hear the name of a new baby I wonder- how did they decide on that name? What does it mean to them? Maybe others don’t think like this but I do. Names have meaning and origin. Lois is a Bible name. Lois is mentioned in the New Testament as the mother of Eunice and the grandmother of Timothy. As an English name, it came into use after the Protestant Reformation. In fiction, this is the name of the girlfriend of the comic book hero Superman. In the US the name Lois was among the top 50 names from the 1920’s through 1940’s. (According to one online source- behindthename.com) Since 1983 it has been obsolete. The Greek meaning of Lois is ‘more desirable’ or ‘better’. Now I’m sure this is not in a sense of what much of our culture thinks today- in a sensual way or in a way of bragging. I like the American meaning given- holy. As one who is a follower of Jesus Christ I desire to be holy because He is holy. (1 Peter 1:16)  ...

I love music. Although, I’ve had many years of music lessons I can’t play a musical instrument but I love music for the words in the songs. The words of so many songs have such rich meaning to me. I listen to music when I am working. I found that if I have music playing in the background I am able to more fully focus on my work and I seem to accomplish so much more than when it is totally quiet. The Bible is filled with songs. There is one tucked at the end of Habakkuk, one of the minor prophets, that I found to be of great blessing. Chapter 3 verses 17-19, “ Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Everyone faces mountains over the course of thei...