Posts from June 2019 (Page 3)
Strive to Please God
“Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 30:21 (NLT) I figured I was an adequate, if conventional, Christian. Church on Sunday. Pledged annually. Ate pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. (Even helped cook them!) No spiritual fireworks, but also no thunderous warnings. I had a satisfactory career in management ending up in the banking business. When the rector…
We Have a Counselor
“I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.”John 14:16-17 (RSV) My husband’s doctors told him he was not going to survive his latest illness. Despite their dire predictions, Jack did live, and he was gaining strength in rehabilitation…
Richly Blessed to Richly Bless
“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate.” 1 Timothy 6:17-18 (KJV)) Growing up as a child, my family had so very little. I had just one pair of shoes. They were plastic, and every time the…
Tightly-tied Heartstrings
“…My heartstrings throb like harp strings…” Isaiah 16:12 (The Message) As I look back on my life, I can see so clearly how God has pulled the strings of my heart to bring me ever closer to His. Although I had gone to Sunday school at the Christian Science and Congregational churches since I was a child, and continued to participate in young people’s groups, I never thought much about my relationship with God until much later. …
Willing to Stand in the Gap
“I looked for someone… to stand in the gap…” Ezekiel 22:30-31 I believe that the ministries God has given us come in all shapes, sizes…and costumes! Of course, I would, for my name is Sizzle, and I am a clown! My other self is named Daphne Pfaff. For years before she created me, Daphne volunteered as a counselor on a suicide crisis telephone Hotline. As she listened to desperate people at the loneliest, most threatened and…
God Is Ever Present
“If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13 All my life, God has been present. I became a Christian and was baptized in a Baptist church at a very young age partially because I was at the age young people in our congregation were expected to make a statement of faith. But I remember a very important time that I gave my life in its totality to Christ. It was just…
God Sent in the S.W.A.T. Team
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22 (NIV) Although I’ve always known that God is with me, I admit that at times, I worry. Well… maybe it would be more accurate to say, “I tend to be a worrier.” Even more, it would not be inaccurate to say, “I’m a world class worrier.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read Philippians 4: 6-7. “Be anxious for…
Just Lucky
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV) I was lucky to have been born an Episcopalian. My uncle and cousin were priests. Another cousin married a priest after her brother introduced her to his friend from the seminary. Throughout my early days, I attended St John’s Episcopal Church in Sharon, Massachusetts, and I enjoyed it. I served as both an acolyte and a server.…
He Has Heard My Supplications
“Blessed be the Lord! For He has heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.” Psalm 28:6-7 Phil and I met in high school and double-dated initially, then married after I graduated from college (Phil said I moved up into the front seat). I have a life-time of memories with…
Back at Home With God
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 (New Living Translation) This is my life’s journey. Beginning at age six through age fifty-five, I suffered from Spinal Meningitis, Polycystic Ovarian Disease, Hepatitis A, B and C, Endometriosis, Uterine and Cervical Cancer, Breast Cancer, broken legs, wrist and hip and knee replacement, Degenerative Disc Disease, Diabetes and Scoliosis of the Spine. I lost both parents in an auto accident, and my baby sister died…