… and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19 ESV).

Linda worked at my bank. Occasionally I would stop in to make deposits, and she would always strike up a conversation with me. She was a very sweet woman in her late sixties and always seemed to be in a good mood. She was kind to everyone she spoke with, greeting them with a smile and a word of encouragement.

They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord (Psalm 112:7 NIV).

In God’s great timing, He blessed my husband and me with two precious daughters. I have always asked God for His love and guidance in how to raise Grace and Hannah, knowing they are His and we are entrusted with their care. I love my girls with an enduring and unconditional love. I am full of that “Mama Bear” instinct of wanting to protect them from the evil and ugliness of this broken world. Have you experienced this love for a child or someone like a child to you?

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles (Psalm 34:17 NIV).

My husband would not eat. He had major surgery with an organ removed. His body was learning how to function without it. That alone was interesting. Cancer had completely engulfed the organ, and now his body was learning how to function with the surgical removal of the organ, along with the cancer. But he would not eat. He would barely drink. He would just sip enough water to take his medicine.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself (Matthew 6:34a NIV).

I am not the person anyone should turn to for tech support. When God created earthly geeks, I may have been the last person He had in mind. My only advice, should anyone have the misfortune of asking me for such, would be, “Have you tried unplugging it?” Beyond that I’m not often sure what to suggest. If you’ve already tried rebooting, then I don’t know.

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:8-9 ESV).

She lived in a nursing facility. She had been abused all her life by men. She would have nothing to do with a male chaplain. Her nursing assistant had tried to get her to call me to come, but to no avail. About two weeks passed, and as her health began to deteriorate, she finally asked for me to come. Within fifteen minutes after receiving the call, I walked into her room. I kept a respectful distance from her. After a few minutes, she wanted to talk about eternal life.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8a NIV).

Sitting at my desk, I see a picture of my 21-year-old son jumping off a bridge into a massive gorge. He’s attached to a giant rubber band. This picture is of his second jump. (Twice? Really?) And do you know what captures me as I look at it? His joy. He has this massive smile, with joy radiating through every pore. There is no doubt, in his mind or mine, that on that day he was alive.

But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on” (Mark 12:42-44 NIV).

I lost control of myself. In the middle of my granddad’s funeral, I began to sob and weep uncontrollably. The harder I tried to control myself, the louder and more unmanageable I became. My heavy sadness surprised me because my granddad had fought a long, hard battle with lung cancer. We had prepared for his death.

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted (Isaiah 12:4 NIV).

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer I was told it was curable, but the coming months would be like living a nightmare to get there—chemo and its side effects, surgeries, emotional consequences for me and my loved ones, and so on. I had a choice. I could grab onto God’s hand and let Him show me the goodness He brings out of the pain and praise Him for it. Or I could sink into a hole of hopelessness, which is what Satan was rooting for.

Yes, he did mighty miracles and we are overjoyed! Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again (Psalm 126:3-4 TPT).

“No evidence of disease,” my oncologist said with a smile. “The cancer is gone!”

After a year and a half of cancer treatment, God had answered our prayers. The chemo and radiation had worked. God had healed me. “Thank you, God!” “Glory to God!”

“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath (Ephesians 4:26 NKJV).

Did you know Jesus got angry? On one occasion He entered the temple, saw the holy site being used as a flea market, and became livid, overturning the merchants’ tables and driving them out into the streets. He was upset that religious authorities were allowing a place of prayer to be used for personal monetary gain. He was outraged! If Jesus got angry, why do so many of us consider anger a sin? Our scripture for today says, “Be angry, and do not sin.” It can be confusing.

…she took some and ate it (Genesis 3:6 NIV).

At Maple Tree Cancer Alliance, we have had the honor to serve many people battling cancer. Just about all of them struggle with food. One patient in particular always comes to mind when I talk about this subject. Karen had breast cancer, and was significantly overweight with multiple other risk factors. During our first meeting, she was so sick that she kept falling asleep. Karen was very resistant to changing her diet. She wasn’t willing to try healthy food, because she was sure she wouldn’t like it. She had herself convinced that eating healthy wouldn’t make a difference in her health status, so why even try?

“When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him” (Exodus 32:1 NIV).

Have you ever stood in a grocery store checkout line, become impatient, and switched to a shorter line that then took longer? You may have heard the axiom, “a watched pot never boils.” How true! Inevitably, my impatience and irritability lead to impulsive and ill-advised decisions. The children of Israel found themselves waiting for Moses to descend the mountain with a word from the Lord. They became impatient and begged Moses’ brother Aaron to construct a golden calf, an idol, as their object of worship. They said, “We don’t know what has happened to him [Moses].” So they took matters into their own hands, rather than trust in God’s promise to deliver a word through Moses.

“Were there none found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger?” (Luke 17:18 ASV)

You know, sometimes bulldozers are pretty handy things to have around.

I have on occasion been called a bulldozer. This is hopefully not referring to my physique, but rather my tendency to become intensely focused. This can be a good thing—as long as no innocent bystanders are in my way. After all, bulldozers like me have real problems slowing down or changing directions.

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 NIV).

My phone rang. I did not recognize the number. Why did I answer it? It was the dermatologist’s office. The mole on my nose turned out to be a basal cell carcinoma. I was referred to a surgeon for a Mohs procedure. I could feel my heart beginning to race. What is a Mohs procedure? I did not expect this. Would there be disfigurement? As I sorted out the flood of emotions, I realized I was feeling vulnerable and acutely aware of the fragility of life. At any moment I could receive a phone call that would alter the course of my life. Is this too dramatic? Not for me. I turned to Scripture for help.

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry” (John 6:35 NIV).

I’ve got a confession to make. When I’m tired, stressed, or overwhelmed, sometimes I seem to lose the will and the way to connect with God. It feels too much like hard work. Not only does God seem far away, but in the back of my mind I assume He’d rather I came to Him in a better state—when I’m not so falling apart.

“So as for you, return to your God, Maintain kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually” (Hosea 12:6 NASB).

I’ve always admired people who are content to sit and wait on things. I personally have never been very patient. Waiting in lines. Waiting on a phone call. Waiting on something I want really badly. I drive myself crazy trying to figure out ways to manipulate situations so I can decrease my waiting time. Sometimes, I’m successful. Other times, I become so annoyed that even my own children have to remind me to be patient.

“My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music” (Psalm 57:7 NIV).

Music is a gift from God that makes my heart smile. As a child, I learned to play the piano and even to create a few of my own songs. I love to sing, but the sounds that come out probably make others want to run in the opposite direction. However, my friend, Toni, once told me that God doesn’t care what my voice sounds like; He just wants to hear it. So, I sing. Music is motivating, joyous, and healing for me. Most of all, it brings me closer to God.

“My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music” (Psalm 57:7 NIV).

Music is a gift from God that makes my heart smile. As a child, I learned to play the piano and even to create a few of my own songs. I love to sing, but the sounds that come out probably make others want to run in the opposite direction. However, my friend, Toni, once told me that God doesn’t care what my voice sounds like; He just wants to hear it. So, I sing. Music is motivating, joyous, and healing for me. Most of all, it brings me closer to God.

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, ‘Where is your God?’” (Psalm 42:1-3 ESV)

You do remember that E.T. once said, “Phone home”?1

The Lord wants us to do the same. You “call home” through the gift and practice of prayer. Writer and spiritual mentor Henri Nouwen wrote these beautiful words:

Prayer is first of all listening to God. It’s openness. God is always speaking; he’s always doing something.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6 NKJV).

As a pastor, I have recited the Twenty-Third Psalm more often than I could begin to count. Sadly, too many of these times have involved deathbeds and funerals.

I say “sadly” because this familiar psalm of David was not intended just for the times I’ve most often used it, but throughout our lives from cradle to grave. Indeed, David’s words apply to all the days between birth and death.