The phrase ‘Do not be afraid’ is written in the bible 365 times. That’s one daily reminder for each day of the year. God wants to remind us to live every day fearlessly. Fearless does not mean you don’t have the feeling of fear but it means you walk on, forge ahead even while afraid. The actual dictionary meaning of fearlessness is showing a lack of fear. So, you may not show it, but you still have that emotion. You just contain it or push it aside. I remember when I was doing practicals in Organic Chemistry at University. Before starting the experiments, you had to have a quick quiz…

I’ve been struggling lately due to the inability to visit anyone, especially family. I have generally not been able to do this due to living in another state for the last 6 years, away from most of them, but now we are all back together, but still no visits. Stupid virus! Yes, being isolated and this social distancing is difficult for everyone, but my son and his wife, Brigette just had a little baby girl named Abigail Jordan, and no one other than Joel (her designated visitor – as they called him) could visit. I totally understand. The fewer visitors at the hospital, the less risk of passing on the…

Is anyone else like me and sometimes does not want to listen to ‘it will be alright?’ That is often what people say just to cheer you up or are trying to anyway. But you feel it is giving you a false hope. A false hope because they normally have no way to get you out of the situation you are in, to change any of your circumstances or to change anyone or anything. Could you be the one who is trying to encourage another and gets their ear ‘bitten off’ in the process? There is often more than one thing involved in this feeling of hopelessness. Maybe a problem…

The other day I was teaching my grandchildren how to play a card game called patience or solitaire. We have been asked to distance ourselves from people because of the covid19 virus so have to come up with games and activities for the kids to do. Our family unit cannot go to a park or out anywhere, so we are becoming very inventive for stuff at home. Home picnics, home camping, cooking, shuttlecock or badminton, soccer against the brick wall and then inside games or things to do as well. And so, these card games have begun. Solitaire is such an appropriate name when we have to put ourselves into…

“By His Stripes we are healed.” That line struck me while I was singing it in a song, especially in this season of Holy Week. From Isaiah 53:5, “But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed.” Every lashing from the whip that Christ received onto His body … were they stripes? He took every hurt, hatred, slur, disease, virus, isolation, pain, wrong, and sin upon Himself. All of these wrongs from all humanity that had been, was and into the future, were like lashes from a whip. He took…