Musings from My Sun Porch

                 In my last post, I told you about my Papa and our love of gardening together.   He often commented that people were going to think he was terrible to his granddaughter, because I often kept working on those pesky weeds even when he had stopped to take a break.   When the strawberries came in, he often scolded me for eating more than I put in the basket.   Fortunately, he always said that with a smile on his face.             After his heart attack when I was about 81/2, things were different.   He had little energy for gardening, so my uncle tried to take over some of the work, but things just weren’t the same. Then, one bright, sunshiny July day, the unthinkable happened.   Papa collapsed right in the middle of his precious strawberry patch.               Once again, I wasn’t qu...

                 One of my most precious childhood memories is of working with my Grandfather in his garden.   I was a frequent visitor at my Grandparents’ house, which was just on the other side of their strawberry patch.   Papa was semi-retired, and his passion was gardening.   I was only about 6 or 7 when I began following him around as he patiently cared for his crops.   Eventually, he shortened a hoe handle so that I could join him in dealing with those pesky weeds.   That hoe is still one of my prized possessions.               Though he had retired, Papa still drove a school bus for special trips.   In May, when I was about 8 ½, while driving a group of kids on a school trip, he had a heart attack, and suddenly everything changed.   While I didn’t fully understand, I knew that Papa was in the hospital, and then, when he finally came ho...

  Dear Mr. President,             I recently heard you say “If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed…I want to get to heaven.   If I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”             As much as we appreciate your efforts to obtain peace throughout the world, and especially in Ukraine, I would be remiss as a Christian, if I did not tell you that “good works”, even if it means saving 7,000 lives a week, will not get you to heaven.   There is only one way, and that is Jesus Christ.             On the day of Pentecost, after Christ had risen from the dead and ascended back into heaven, Peter addressed the crowd gathered in Jerusalem.   After recounting Jesus’ life on earth, and His death, burial and resurrection, Peter told the crowd, “ Repent and be baptized every one of you, ...

                 I don’t know about you, but I have at least 22 Holy Bibles or some portions thereof.   I have NIV, ESV, KJV, ASV, NASV, and NCV translations.   I carry one in the glove compartment of my car, just to make sure I always have one with me.   One stays in my backpack ready for Sunday class.   One is with my prayer journal, always ready for my prayer time.   Most of the others are on my desk or the shelf above my desk.   You may not have as many copies or versions as I do, but you most likely have more than one, and if not, you can always access them on your phone.   My point is that we have the Scripture in abundance, but do we treat it with the respect and reverence that it deserves?               II Timothy 3:16 says, “ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness...

                 Have you ever had one of those days when you just don’t feel like doing anything?   I don’t mean the days when you don’t feel good or your aches and pains are particularly pronounced.   I mean a day when you just want to sit and do nothing.               As I said in my last post, last week I was on vacation with my friends.   It was not our typical trip where we might do a little sightseeing but spend most of our time at the beach or the pool or on the balcony of our condo.   Because of our desire to travel to two specific states, we spent a lot of time on the road.   Over 5 days, I drove between 3 ½ and 6 ½ hours every day but one.   When we arrived home on Tuesday, I quickly unpacked and then completed the final preparations for the Bible Study that would be held in my home on Wednesday.        ...

                 Last week, while on vacation with friends, I had the opportunity to see Lake Michigan for the first time.   Being from Kentucky and having grown up camping, I am very familiar with lakes, but nothing I had ever seen before could have prepared me for the vastness of Lake Michigan.   For four days, we managed to view it from 4 states.   First, we drove along the coastline through Indiana Dunes National Park.   The next day, we saw the southernmost tip as we drove through Chicago, next to the River Walk.   Later that same day, we viewed lighthouses on the lake near Kenosha, Wisconsin.   The next day, we drove to Holland, Michigan, and once more caught glimpses of the lake as we drove near the coastline.             Finally, on the fourth day, we went to the beach.   The sand wasn’t as white as what you typically find at an ocean beac...

                 Change in life is inevitable.   Without change, there is no growth, no productivity, and no adventure.   At this time of the year, many youngsters and their parents are experiencing the first day of school, which is one of the first “milestone” changes that we all experience.   Other milestones might be graduation, marriage, or first jobs.   The point is that we all experience change at numerous times in our lives.   The outcome of those changes will often depend on how we respond to them.             When we look to the Scripture, as various people encountered God, their lives were changed in tremendous ways. All of them had a choice in how they responded to the changes that God initiated.             Mary and Joseph are two who had their lives planned.   They were engaged to be...

                 Almost three years ago, I began writing this blog.   I was newly retired and searching for a new purpose in my life.   My struggle was that I had “no structure, no daily schedule, and seemingly no purpose in my life.   While that may sound like heaven, I believe that Christians never retire.   God just repurposes them.”             Since then, my view of retirement hasn’t changed.   If anything, I’ve become more convinced that God has a purpose for each of us, no matter, or perhaps, despite our age.   Ephesians 2:10 tells us that God prepared good works in advance for each of us to do, and I pray that I pursue those good works daily.   I believe that by writing and teaching, I am attempting to carry out some of those good works that God prepared for me, and I’ve found renewed purpose.        ...