There’s a great word that isn’t used so much in our vernacular these days.

It can mean to stay for a time or to become a resident in a place. It can also mean to keep one’s attention directed on something or someone or to speak or write continuously about a subject.

Ironically, this word that now means where we live or stay was first used in 13th century middle English based on an old high German word for tarrying but equally evolved from an old English word for going astray.

Reading about this in my dictionary app made me think about how so many life stories include one or more chapters in which we who are living are lost before we are found, are wondering before we find our best path, are distracted before we hone in on goodness.

For those who seek God, even after we find His Goodness in this life, we must journey still, before we reach our true home with Him.

I also smiled as I sketched this word art and noticed that the word well resides in the word dwell.

When we are no longer astray but are dwelling where we are meant to be — when we are home — it is well with us.

And from that heart and soul where we abide with God and His Spirit abides in us, Life will bloom — both here and ever after.

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My husband and I were recently watching a movie in which a bad guy used the phrase “I took care of…” to refer to killing another person who was in the way of his boss’s plans. That set me to thinking about the phrasal verb “take care of” and its different meanings.

Interestingly, when we search for this phrase in most common dictionaries, the slang meaning I mentioned above (though well understood by native English speakers) is not listed.

Among the listed meanings, we may find the ideas of doing what is required to help someone who has obvious needs, treating a person or object gently so they stay in good condition, dealing with or doing a task, or covering something for others (such as paying a whole group ticket at a restaurant).

Apart from that first, slang meaning, then, all of the other meanings are pretty neutral in their sense of usage. Yet, ironically, this phrase about caring can take on a very different flavor, depending on the heart of the speaker as it may sometimes bleed through in the tone of his/her voice.

Think, for example about how differently a wife may feel between these two scenarios. In the first, her husband sees the broken household step she accidentally caused with her clumsiness and dropping of a heavy object; he grabs his tool box and a plank of wood and turns away stiffly while growling “I’ll take care of it!” under his breath. But in the second, when the husband finds his wife scared and crying after she tripped and dropped a hugh sack and nearly fell through the resulting gap in the now-broken step, he makes sure she is not injured and reaches out to embrace her and calm her shaking. Then he quietly says, “I didn’t realize that that step was in such bad shape. I’ll take care of it after I help you clean up the spill.”

I would wager the second situation will end much better for them both. Because in his tone and from his heart, she will know that by taking care of the broken step and spilled contents willingly, he really wants to take care of her body and her heart.

And that a beautiful thing.

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First used in the 12th and 17th centuries, depending on the meaning, and derived from the Middle English and the Dutch, our word for scream has several meanings. The subtle but notable thing, however, is that all the meanings that have to do with the sharp high sound a person makes, as listed in the dictionary, are dependent only on the speaker. Not any listeners.

In other words, a person who screams screams. It doesn’t matter if another person hears them scream or not.

All around the world, there are many children who scream daily but no one near will listen. Sometimes the screams are audible and sometimes they are silent.

And among the millions screaming silently are those who will never cry aloud.

It is sadly that simple.

But they will never cry aloud because adults have said they have no right to try. To speak. To be.

It is simply that horrific.

In the honor and memory of those millions, shortly following a very important anniversary, I weep. May Jesus hear your cries, hold you near, and comfort you when we have not.

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Among the multiple meanings of our word peace (which morphed out of the Latin pax and has been in use for at least nine centuries), one stands apart. Several have to do with a sense of civil rest from war or under government control. Another has to do with sound relationships between siblings or other loved ones. But the second meaning listed in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary states, “Freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions.”

There is a broader sense of peace that I have little to no control over. And there is a peace with others that I can only do so much on my own to maintain.

But there is a peace that has nothing to do with the absence of trouble or the choices of others. Instead, it has everything to do with where I find my freedom.

And for me, one who has trusted Jesus for freedom from the first weight of her sin, and one who still seeks to trust Him when daily trials and challenges come (whether in my thoughts or in my feelings), that kind of peace soothes the heart. It is like dwelling for a time in the eye of a hurricane. While all spins fast around, the immediate closest air is still and bright.

My friends, today I would pray for peace on earth and good relationships within our families. But more than that, I would hope for you that this most important peace would be yours and would guard your mind and your heart. Amen.

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Today, when we talk about someone who is famous or in the center of public attention, we may say that person is “in the limelight.” But where does this phrase come from? And how can we more deeply understand our fascination with it in our current culture?

According to an article by Elizabeth Nix posted on history.com, in the mid-1820’s, Europeans discovered how to use a substance called calcium oxide or quicklime to create an intense flame-light that could be used for multiple purposes. However, it was not until 1837 that this method of lighting was used to illuminate the players on a theater stage. The actors who were in the limelight were the ones more clearly seen than any extras on the rest of the stage. (That was great for said actors but not so great for the light keepers since quicklime was dangerous to work with. They were extra glad when electric lights became the norm…)

Though we don’t use quicklime when running a theatrical show now, the phrase has stuck with us, with a basic meaning that has not changed in all this time.

We still crave the limelight. Some of us want to be the center of attention all the time. (Others just need to know daily or occasionally that we are noticed in this great big world. And we look to the world for that validation. )

But I posit that what we rightly need is to let the King of the Universe stay in the limelight — the light of glory that belongs to Him — and to be content to live side by side as unique and cherished extras on His stage, basking in the glow of His providence and goodness without trying to crowd His space and hog the adoration of which we are not worthy. Then, we will find confidence and contentment in His quiet, radiating love, and any magnificent moments spent rightly in the brighter rays with Him will bring us more lasting happiness because we know those moments were far more about Him than about us.

That’s the kind of relationship I want to have with such light. And with my Jesus.

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It’s a new year with a new theme. Every week of 2021 (usually on Sunday), I plan to post reflections about a single word or phrase. I hope the coming posts might bless you in some way!

According to my Merriam-Webster dictionary app, the word NEW has several different meanings and usages. And it was first used in Old English before the 12th century, with common roots that sprang out of other linguistic bits tied to “young, youthful, fresh, and tender.” I think about the past year and the new year ahead, so that each meaning leaves a different flavor in my mouth… Here are a few of them, briefly illustrated.

“Having recently come into existence.” (Bland.) The year, never lived before, has just been born on the timeline. Therefore, there are moments when I hold my breath, suspended between worry over what sorrows may lie ahead and hope of all the wonderful that might wait on this present horizon.

“Having been used or known for a short time.” (Sweet.) While I enjoy recent holiday gifts just being initially used, I cherish the enjoyment of newer, cleaner, better-working items. And I smile at the tangible reminders of how much others care about me.

“Being other than the former or old.” (Sour.) Starting a new teaching experience at work this week has tempted me to pull my hair out. But even as I sit on my hands with puckered lips, I remind myself that the more unpleasant things we have to eat can often be good for us/others somehow in the end. Likewise, many have claimed 2021 will have to be better than 2020. But, in truth, we have no way to guarantee it will be so. We only have the promise that we can choose what attitude we will maintain in the face of our own daily growth opportunities.

“Having been in a relationship or condition but a short time.” (Salty.) Only six weeks into the marriage world at the dawn of 2021, I am still very new at this “wifey-poo” role. While it is usually a nice adventure, there are moments where the adjustment process leaves me feeling thirsty for better communication skills and deeper insight into my husband’s heart. Good thing we both have a Well of Grace to drink from as we continue to adapt to life together in the year ahead. ❤

“Beginning as the resumption or repetition of a previous act or thing.” (Savory.) Every year is a new year for us, but it is not new for God in the surprising sense. He knows what will happen. And His faithfulness will appear new and fresh, day by day, in the weeks ahead, just like it has in every past year, since time began. That’s a beautiful taste I hope my mouth never forgets — and never stops craving.

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The final verse of Only a Holy God says, “Who else could rescue me from my failing? Who else would offer His only Son? Who else invites me to call Him ‘Father’? Only a holy God…only my holy God!”

Rounding out the month on generosity and a year about various virtues, I want to provide a short profile of a dear friend.

Her name is Nyla McKinzie, and she moved from her native Hawaii to settle in rural Illinois, to work faithfully beside her dear farmer-husband Jim and raise three beautiful children. Being Hawaiian in an otherwise generally all-white and rather remote area was not the only thing that made Nyla initally different from her neighbors, however. The thing that made her most wonderfully unique was her generous heart.

When I was growing up, I remember experiencing time with Nyla as a respectable, honest, kind, and warm lady. But when I got older and returned to her home and community for occasional visits, I understood her and appreciated her in a different, deeper way.

Nyla — who I have now called Tutu (Hawaiian for grandmother) for some time — finds tremendous delight in giving to others as she feels God lead her to do so. Her time, energy, resources, and ideas have blessed so many, both in when she gives (at such opportune times) and how she gives (with such joy).

The truest generosity is born out of a listening heart.

Tutu loves to study and meditate on the names of God. His names in the original scripture languages and their meanings as we grasp them in our own tongue. And those meditations have refined a beautiful soul in her over years and years of dwelling.

The most beautiful generosity is born out of a thirsty heart.

Tutu has the forgiveness of God through Jesus so deeply stamped on her core being that she must tell others (in her natural, endearing way) about how His grace and His invitation changed her forever. And she knows that there are some very “good-hearted people” in the world…but without the goodness of God’s heart transforming each person’s heart with a familial relationship, that person will never be good.

The sweetest generosity is born out of an adopted heart.

Thank you, Tutu, for encouraging me to love like this. I know I can follow your example because you follow the example of Jesus.

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Verse three of Only a Holy God says, “What other glory consumes like fire, what other power can raise the dead, what other name remains undefeated? Only a holy God.”

Charles Wesley is best known from history as being a key founder in what we now call the methodist movement or Methodist Church. But for those who have loved singing hymns, he is better known and loved as a writer of such classic church songs.

I was blown away, however, when I learned that he wrote about 6,500 during his long and faithful life. 6,500! A bit of basic math tells me that of he wrote one hymn a day, every consecutive day, that would have equalled nearly 18 solid years of writing. (I have no evidence that all of his hymns were written in such a fashion; I just say that for sake of perspective.)

The line highlighted in this post’s word art comes from my favorite of his hymns (of the handful I know well!). In this line, I see a prayer and a plea as well as a promise.

As an artist and a writer, I know that my creativity and my worship through designing are both greatly enhanced when my heart’s slate has been wiped clean of sin and fear for a time. For sin chokes the Spirit’s influence on my ideas, and fear holds me back from wanting to share my inspiration with the world for God’s glory. After all, if His name and power are so great, why should sin still bind me, and why should fear threaten my heart?

When I think of Charles Wesley, then, I think of another key aspect of true generosity. In order for us to live with the fullest measure of generosity each of us can display, we must crave the promise of freedom from sin and fear — and claim the promise daily as we walk on in faith. The result, when we embrace such an outlook, can be mind-boggling, for we never know what an impact our redeemed living might have on our present community or what a legacy our unfettered attitudes might have on future generations.

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Continuing this month’s theme, we draw further from the song Only a Holy God. Verse 2 says, “What other beauty demands such praises? What other splendor outshines the sun? What other majesty rules with justice? Only a holy God.”

Today, I pause to reflect upon the ancestor of all humankind, the man we know as Adam.

Like no other human ever quite has, Adam experienced the beauty and splendor of God before anything else and more clearly than others who have walked the earth after him. And then, after he was also first to feel the sting when facing God’s righteous personal punishment, he witnessed a sacrifice for his sin: the loss of an animal life so that he and his wife could have clothing to cover their shame and protect them from the coming harm of the environment outside of Eden.

Adam knew perfection and stunning beauty. And he knew miserable guilt and anguish.

Some would focus only on the legacy of fallen propensity he gave us in the latter. But today I also celebrate the hope he models for us in the former.

Adam didn’t lay down and immediately give up and die. Subtly, we can see how he clung to the hope of the promised One that would come. He lived out his centuries of life, working the land as God entrusted he should do, loving his wife — the helpmate God knew he would need, and helping to multiple the human population. And through the line of his descendants, that promised One came.

In Adam’s perseverance, we see a kind of generosity born out of regret and reflection. It is the generosity that says, “I am going to live my life doing the best I can because I have seen absolute goodness and I have been shown humbling mercy.”

And in his life, we see how the father of all reflects the Father of all who wants to show us the most true definition of generosity we will ever need to read.

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This month’s four posts will briefly profile subjects as inspired by the words of a song. Not a traditional holiday song, but a modern hymn written by the team at CityAlight and Dustin Smith. Each week, I will focus on a verse, a person, and an elemental truth that defines the virtue of generosity.

Verse 1: “Who else commands all the hosts of heaven? Who else could make every king bow down? Who else can whisper and darkness trembles? Only a holy God.”

This week will be a bit different in that my profiled person is not a human but an angel. Gabriel is his name, and being an ageless yet created being, he has witnessed the whole span of known time, from before existence of our space, to creation of light and all that was perfect, to the Fall and the fall, to the lines of our history and his obediently announcing the coming baby king who would set all things right again. He saw that baby grow to live and die and crush the eternal hold of death. And he exists today, obedient still and anticipating with all creation a day when complete newness will obliterate brokenness.

He has dwelt in the presence of God most holy and stood watch over the few-pound form of God most fragile. He has witnessed the beauty of Eden and wept in the shadows of Calvary. And he, through it all, has modeled generosity.

For to be generous is to hold nothing back. And that includes, fundamentally, our very being. It is to be who we were made to be and live out of that core being for the glory of God. In obedience and in truth, even when that means facing what is not easy or pleasant. Because to ignore this inherent need to walk with an open heart and life before our Creator is to starve the life essence of any created being.

Is this a new thought? Certainly not. Yet, neither is it an easy one to live out in a death-courting world, nor a natural one to embrace when hiding and retreating seem so much more comfortable for we who cannot throw off the weight of our own shame.

But there, in the song lyrics, we see the reminder that God’s voice and presence make darkness tremble. So, may we, like the faithful herald He sent, take a chance, be bathed in the light of holiness, and dare to generously show ourselves to the world, that the world might know Him.

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