We live in a very self-help society. If something is wrong, we try to fix it. Perhaps I’m trying to get healthier by eating better and exercising. Maybe I’m hurting emotionally, so I try to distract myself by thinking happy thoughts or getting therapy. These things are not wrong, but I don’t believe they are the first place I should look. My faith reminds me to look to Jesus…to sit at his feet when seeking answers. Life is full of ups and downs. Usually, it’s when I’m most

My Dad passed away eight months ago. The name he went by depended on your relationship to him. His legal name was Robert Kessenich. Some called him Bob, others Kess, and also Great-grandpa, Grandpa and Dad. For the last three and a half years, my Father lived around the corner from me in an assisted living residence. He moved here at 96 years of age. This was a treat for me, because he formerly lived in Southern California, which meant that I only saw him once or twice a year

I often let my mind wander, as I do various mundane chores in my house or garden. Thoughts and blog ideas come to me as I do dishes, fold laundry, and weed. While doing these jobs, my mind is quiet enough to hear what the Lord wants to teach me. Sometimes it's about things I’m personally dealing with. Other times, it's someone I should pray for. This time, while doing dishes, I listened to a song about Jesus, and my thoughts turned to his hands. It began with Jesus’s birth.

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind, and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 Greetings! Can you believe we only have one week left in January? Time sure goes by quickly. My mom used to say, “The older we get, the faster time seems to go.” That is so true. When our child

"But thou, O Lord, are a shield about me; the glory and the lifter of my head.” Psalm 3:3 Do you ever ponder over a verse, until the Lord shows you something new? I ponder while gardening, doing dishes, or folding laundry. When I’m doing jobs that don’t require a lot of focus, I often think on scriptures that I have read. In this case, it was a sleepless night that turned my thoughts toward this verse. I’ve read this verse many times before, but on this restless night some n

There are several hundred verses in the Bible referencing love. Not surprising because isn't it the “Love of God” that drew us? I know for me, I saw a difference in people that were Christians. They were not perfect, but seemed to have a peace and joy that I was drawn to. I occasionally visited services at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. It was the first time I heard about the love of Jesus. At other churches I only heard about repentance and judgement. I was afraid of God. I d