Musings from My Sun Porch

                 Yesterday was Memorial Day, a national holiday set aside to honor and mourn those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country.   Flags adorn the graves of fallen soldiers in many National Cemeteries on that day.   Over the years, it has also become a time when families remember their own losses, veterans and otherwise.   Many can be seen placing flowers on their loved ones’ graves.   It is also a time of thanksgiving for those who fought and died so that we could be free.   We all know that freedom isn’t free, but this special day is set aside to remind us of that truth.             Every Sunday, we set aside time to honor and mourn the sacrifice of our Savior, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.   There are no flags to fly or flowers to show our remembrance.   It is a simple piece of bread and a small cup of grape j...

                 Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to have been there the day that Jesus fed the 5000 men plus all the women and children?   We know from Matthew’s account that the disciples didn’t have a clue how to feed all those people.   They wanted to take the easy way out and just send them on their way.   Jesus had a different idea: “You give them something to eat” (Matt. 14: 16b NIV84).   The Disciples were probably thinking the same thing that we would have thought in that situation: “You’ve got to be kidding!”   After all, they only had 2 fish and 5 small loaves of bread, probably not enough to feed the Disciples, much less the large crowd that had assembled.    But Jesus had other ideas.   He had them bring the food to Him.   He blessed it and gave it to the Disciples to be distributed to the people.   Not only did they have enough for everyone, but they also ...

                 In my last blog, I talked about the phrase “Come and see.”   Today, I want to follow through on that from another perspective.   When was the last time that you invited someone to “Come and see” what God has done in your life?             Psalms 46 and 66 both speak of coming to see the amazing things that God has done.   If you stop to think about the amazing things that God has done in your own life, it’s almost like counting your blessings.               I’ll recount a few of the “amazing things” that He has done in my life, not to seek honor or praise for myself but to show it’s all about Him.   Everything that I have ever accomplished, everything that I have, I owe to Him.   He has truly done amazing things in my life.          ...

                 Recently, in my devotion time, I read the phrase “Come and see.”   When it appeared twice within just a few verses, it piqued my curiosity.   Is there a deeper meaning to this simple phrase?   My review of Scripture tells me that there is.   These three little words could be the simplest way to introduce others to the risen Savior and perhaps the best reminder of the personal relationship that God desires to have with each one of us.             First, we will consider how that phrase might be used as an evangelistic tool.   I first read the phrase in John 1: 39, where the disciples of John the Baptist encountered Jesus and asked where He was staying.   His response was “Come and see.”             These disciples had just heard John the Baptist call Jesus “the Lamb of God,” ident...

                 Yesterday was my nephew’s 46 th birthday.   Ironically, his birthday comes the day after Mother’s Day, since he is the closest thing that I have to a son. It seems like only yesterday that I was giving him his first rocking horse for Christmas or helping to teach him how to ride a bike and throw a ball.             I still remember the first time that he was forced to spend the night with me.   His Mom had gone into early labor with his sister, and my parents were out of town, so he was stuck with me.   I learned a lot about being a mom that night.   He was about eight years old, and he kicked like a mule.   When I couldn’t take any more of that, I moved to the couch but when he stopped snoring, I had to get up to make sure he was still alive.   I guess that’s how new moms feel – their babies are just a lot younger.   ...

                 This Sunday is Mother’s Day. My Mom has been gone for over six years now and since I’m not a mother myself, Mother’s Day is always a bittersweet time for me. However, I can’t discount the legacy that my Mom left behind.             Mom and I were different in many ways. She was an extrovert, who never saw a stranger and could talk your arm off. I am an introvert and prefer to remain quiet and listen rather than speak. I love to read which often became a source of irritation to my Mother who wanted me to get up and do my chores.   Mom never went to college and only worked outside of the home briefly after my Father retired. I have three degrees and had various jobs from the time I was in high school until I retired a little more than a year ago.             Though we had our differences, they do not dimin...

                    Have you ever had one of those seasons when you are just overwhelmed?   I’m talking about the times when problems or needs seem to be coming at you in all directions and you feel like you are going to be buried under the weight of it all.               I vividly recall one particular week in my life when it felt like the walls were closing in.   I was already discouraged and depressed about the direction of my law practice and my life in general.   In short, the practice of law was no longer “fun” or profitable.   I had downsized the staff and was looking for a way out of the mess I had made of my life.             Then came the “week from hell!”   First, a client questioned my integrity, and even though that wasn’t the first time that someone had challenged my chara...

                 Today is the National Day of Prayer, a day when Americans are encouraged to pray for our nation.   Historically, prayer has been a part of our nation since its birth.   In 1775, one year before the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Continental Congress declared the first national day of prayer and fasting.             Twelve years later when the fledging nation seemed doomed for failure unless the leaders could come together to design a new type of nation, Benjamin Franklin rose to the floor of the Constitutional Convention and made this proposal: “I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without [H]is notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without [H]is aid. … I therefore beg leave to mov...

                 During our time at that Assisted Living Home, we thought it would be a good idea to include a devotion or Bible Story.   Since no one had prepared a presentation, off the top of my head I asked if anyone remembered the story of Daniel.   At first, there were a few blank looks but as soon as I mentioned “lions”, one of the ladies almost shouted, “God saved him!” Her excitement was evident, and she repeated that line several times as I relayed more details of the story.   The last thing that I said was “We’ve all got lions of some kind in our lives, but the good news is that God will protect us.”             As I thought about that later, I thought how true it is that we all have lions of one sort or another.   Those 8 or 9 ladies who were gathered around us that day had probably fought numerous “lions” during their lifetime, and now they were fac...