By trimming the sails, a good sailor skillfully pulls the wind into the canvas, dominates the prevailing, opposing and shifting gusts, and maneuvers his boat forward. He or she knows their boat’s capabilities, reads maps, sets the course, watches the skies, and catches the breeze with skill and strength . Know-how, common sense, intuitiveness, andContinue reading “Into the Wind”
Tag Archives: Scripture
Timing is Crucial!
We know plants bloom or fruit at specific times. Field daises flower, crab apples blossom, and pond lilies emerge on schedule. There are seasons to life, and at some point, we become aware that “time” for us is unpredictable and limited and that there are no extensions or redo’s. Our responses to thisContinue reading “Timing is Crucial!”
Does God have a Budget?
If we are wise, we work, budget, don’t over extend our credit, and live within our means. But our fortunes are tied to more than the money we earn or save. The cost of living changes as the economy fluctuates, a fact we have recently experienced during the pandemic as the production and supply ofContinue reading “Does God have a Budget?”
Magical Thinking?
Memorial Day is a day of “remembering”. Originating in the post civil war period as Decoration Day, it is now a Federal holiday designated to honor US military veterans who died while serving our country. However, the day has morphed into not only a day filled with ceremonies, parades, flags, and wreaths to remember allContinue reading “Magical Thinking?”
Shalom
There is something calming about strolling through simple, precise vignettes of rock and sand, beautiful flowering trees and ornamental shrubs, meandering streams and murmuring waterfalls, and fish pools interspersed with reflective spaces containing old pots, bowls, lanterns or religious symbols. These natural and symbolic elements invoke a sense of orderliness and serenity, of antiquity andContinue reading “Shalom”
On Guard!
These geese are alert and on alert! As a defensive maneuver, they have stationed themselves to observe all points of the compass and seem to be “circling the wagons”, a tactic used by early pioneers to corral their oxen or horses at night and to protect themselves as they travelled West on the Oregon Trail.Continue reading “On Guard!”
Oh, What About Those Neighbors?
Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall “ deals with the difficulties of neighborliness. Frost and his neighbor had different philosophies about the stone wall separating his orchard from his neighbor’s pine grove, but Frost pointed out how unnecessary the fence was, “My apple trees will never get across/And eat the cones under his pines, I tellContinue reading “Oh, What About Those Neighbors?”
What’s the Beef?
What does God want from us? Does He have a beef with our religious practices? He may! He answered that question when He spoke these thoughts to the nation of Israel: “I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly offer. But I do not need the bulls from your barnsContinue reading “What’s the Beef?”
Year Around Gardening and Earth Day
Perhaps the reason so many of us enjoy gardening is because God planted a very “good” garden “eastward in Eden” and turned its stewardship over to humanity ! (Genesis 1:10-12; 2:8,9,15; 3:18) April 22nd has been observed as “Earth Day” in the United States since 1970. Although long standing, conflicting ideas about humanity’s responsibilityContinue reading “Year Around Gardening and Earth Day”
No Escaping Love!
“The earth is the Lord’s… and all who live within it.” (Psalm 24:1) (1 Corinthians 10:26) Scripture is clear that the Universe is God’s. He is its Designer, Creator and Redeemer. Because evil has broken into our world through mankind’s fallen, sinful nature, God’s love for humanity may not always seem evident to us. However,Continue reading “No Escaping Love!”
Sweet Words from Maine 