-
Expectations Rob Us of Joy
Another journal, another entry, a note to self revealed that my expectations of other people presents a recurring problem for me. [1] But what if the person of whom I have expectations is the person who raised those expectations in the first place? What if a failure to meet those expectations undermines my trust in that person’s word? Someone I trusted either forgot what they said or else changed their mind. Does this call into question their character? Anyone in whom you or I place confidence can fail to meet our expectations. It could be a teacher, a doctor, a friend, a spouse, colleagues. Confidence begins to corrode. Like most…
-
Diamonds Are Forever and 007
Did Ian Fleming choose the emblematic moniker 007 for his character James Bond, knowing its relation to diamonds? Years ago, watching a History Channel program about diamonds, I learned that .007 ounces=1 carat. The fictional secret agent may not have been named with diamonds in mind, yet the stories Ian Fleming wrote and the character he created highlight Bond’s value to MI6 (British foreign intelligence). The Value of Diamonds “Diamond Cutting: How It’s Made” aired on The History Channel (cir. 2007). The maximum value of diamonds depends on Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat. Cut is considered the most important of the ”Four C’s.” Diamonds are rare crystals, the hardest substance…
-
What’s in a Name? Does Praying in Jesus’ Name Matter?
Shakespeare posed the rhetorical question he answered from the lips of Juliet. ”What’s in a name? That which we call a rose would smell as sweet,” no matter what we called that flower. Would it? Recently, I found myself drawn into a circle of women I do not know to pray for someone I also don’t know. These are women in a yoga class. The woman they prayed for was scheduled to have surgery that day. The one who asked us to pray then reached for hands. Among strangers, I held hands. Awkward. Not because I object to praying for people, but because in this context it was so unexpected.…
-
Hark! A Predator at my Door
“Can I come get my hawk?” I was still in my robe. Answering the doorbell, my husband could see a young man holding his phone. Minutes before, a hawk had flown into the glass door to our patio. I’d been watching it as both the bird and I stood dazed and confused. It’s common for dove to fly into the glass and when I heard the thud, that’s what I thought had happened. But this thud was more like a crash. Grateful the glass hadn’t cracked, I jumped up, saw this HUGE bird, thankful it wasn’t dead, I grabbed my dog’s collar, and yelled for my husband. “Is that a…
-
Ongoing Conversations with God
The Bible’s place is in your heart, not on a bookshelf or coffee table. The Bible does not open itself by itself, nor does God reveal his truths all at once. You and I often approach the Bible expecting to get what we need out of it and go on our way. My friend’s son came home from his first day in first grade. “How did it go?” his mom asked. “I didn’t even learn how to read.” Big Expectations of God The Bible is the revelation of who God is, his purposes for the world he created, and his plan for all human history. Vast and incomprehensible, God is.…
-
Was Queen Elizabeth a Saint?
The Washington Post referred to Queen Elizabeth “as the most famous woman in the world.” One television commentator said, “She was the biggest star in the world.” Another said, “[We have] celebrated a woman who defined history.” And again, “With unswerving devotion to the gospel, she brought vigor to the monarchy.” If you are among the estimated four billion people worldwide who tuned in early Monday morning to watch the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, you witnessed an unprecedented historic event. Formal services were held first inside Westminster Abbey, followed by a funeral cortege through the streets of London, ending at St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.…
-
Develop Discernment by Reading
C.S. Lewis wrote in The Screwtape Letters how devils would plot strategies against a newly converted Christian: simply keep him from reading. Or at least keep him from reading and learning things written in the past. “Great scholars are now as little nourished by the past as the most ignorant mechanic who holds that ‘history is bunk.’ . . . And since we cannot deceive the whole human race all the time, it is most important thus to cut every generation off from all others.” C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters Reading Between the Generations Is it enough to simply read old books, as if referencing and then checking off a…
