Musings from My Sun Porch

                 If you live around Louisville, Kentucky, then you know that we have been invaded by the Cicadas.   These little beady-eyed creatures with small antennae and wings appear every 13 to 17 years, depending on their species.   Perhaps the thing that makes them stand out from all other bugs is their “singing”—and I use that term loosely.   I have a grove of trees behind my house, and they have continued their chorus of songs over the last week to the point that it has almost become a “white” noise that I barely think about.   Notice that I said, “Almost”.             As I listened to them during my prayer time this morning, their “music” made me wonder what their purpose is.   Why did God create them?   I’m not a biologist by any stretch of the imagination so I guess there is some place that they fit in the “food chain” but I can’t help but ...

                 A little over two and a half years ago, I started this blog.   Today marks my 300 th post.   When I shared that milestone with a friend, her reaction was, “I would rather go to the dentist than write anything much less 300!”   I offered to do her writing if she would go to the dentist for me, but unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.   The good news is that I love to write, but I was surprised when I realized this was the 300 th edition of Musings from My Sun Porch.             When I began this blog, I had been retired for about nine months, and while, with the help of friends, I had overcome my initial hatred of retirement life, I was still lost.   If you have read my very first post, you’ll understand that I viewed retirement as a loss of purpose with no structure or daily schedule.   I know that those of you who haven’t had th...

                 For the last few weeks, we’ve all seen the “congratulations” signs on the lawns and some of you have probably already attended a graduation or two.   Tomorrow, my oldest nephew, Braylen, will graduate from North Bullitt High School.   It seems like only yesterday that he was attending preschool, and now he’s a young man about to embark on life’s journey.   I’m so proud of him!             As they step out into a whole new world, what words of wisdom do we need to give to our graduates?   We’ve all heard a few—things like, follow your dreams, make wise decisions, be careful with your finances, and work hard.   There’s no doubt that those are some of the keys to a good life, but I think there is so much more.               Life will not be perfect so it’s unfair for us to paint tha...

               I must confess that I think I got ahead of myself when I posted the last two blogs about reflecting Christ in our lives.   Before we can reflect Him and all that He stands for, we must first have a connection with Him.   John 15: 4, 5 says it like this, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (NIV84). Personally, I prefer the King James Version that says, “Abide in me”.  There’s just something about the word “abide” that gives me a clearer picture of what Jesus is trying to say.             I’ve gone to various places around the country and remained in some cities for days or even weeks at a time, but I have only “abided” in one city my whole life.   For me, “remain” could be a temporary status, but “abide” is a permanent con...

                 In my last blog post, I talked about what it looks like to reflect Jesus in our lives.   Today, I would like to expand on that post.   During a recent podcast, Bible teacher, Kristi McClelland, asked, “Why were the followers of Jesus first called Christians at Antioch?”   I have always accepted that as fact since the Scripture states it plainly in Acts 11:26, but I had never questioned why.   After all, it would have made more sense for them to be called Christians in Jerusalem, where the church began on the day of Pentecost.   However, we all know that God’s ways do not always make sense to our feeble brains.   So, why Antioch?   Being a major trade center and the third largest city in the Roman Empire meant that it was a diverse city.   There were many pagan religions and cults in addition to the “worship” of the Roman emperor.   It was also a large city with a populatio...

                 During a recent prayer gathering, I was prompted to consider the line we’ve all probably heard many times, “If our church disappeared, would anyone notice that it was gone?”   However, I believe the Holy Spirit prompted me to consider a different perspective on that question.   “When I die, will anyone know that I was a Christian?”             The easy answer is “yes”.   After all, I’ve taught Sunday School for over 25 years.   I lead a Bible Study in my home.   I’m the Mission Team Leader at my church.   I could keep adding to the list, but those are things that I do.   The real question is, “How do I reflect Jesus in my life?”   That’s a much harder question to answer, and it requires us to take the time to evaluate the status of our hearts.             David said, “C...