...a word from Kathy

F ootball season is upon us again. In fact, our local paper in Tuscaloosa has reminded us every day for the last year just exactly how many days remain before kickoff...5 days as of today (Monday). In our city, over 101,000 people will attend a football game on Saturday. Of course, that is in addition to all the high school stadiums filled to the brim on Friday night. These teams will run out onto the field welcomed and encouraged by those of us watching. That must be an overwhelming feeling for a player...to feel the passion and enthusiasm of the crowd. Do football players get goose bumps? It just seems they might with such an experience. We learn in Hebrews that there is a crowd of witnesses watching us too. I interpret the scripture to mean that the crowd of witnesses includes: Abraham, Moses, Rahab, David, and many other faithful. They wait and they watch, encouraging us, welcoming us, cheering for us. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud [crowd] of wit...

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15 I have recently finished reading the book, Beautiful Boy by David Sheff. It's a book of a father's love, loss, and struggle to reclaim his troubled son. As I read it, the words were often difficult but always compelling as the father, over several years, pursued his son in love. It's a love story. Over the last several months many of our friends have spoken to us about their sons. Sons who are home from Iraq, sons who have shipped out to Afghanistan, sons who excel academically and received college scholarships, sons who play football, sons who drive big trucks, sons away at college...all our beautiful boys. One friend has just taken her beautiful boy to college and he is the last child to leave home. She and I have talked about what it will be like in their home now that all their kids are gone. A p...

W hen my children were around 2 years old, they would come to me with their arms reaching up and I would hear them say, “hold you, hold you”. They wanted me to pick them up and hold them but the misuse of the words of ‘hold you’ were so precious to a mother’s ear. A child’s transparent need and desire for holding and healing speak to me. Children know their needs and do not hold back in expressing them. They are not afraid to be honest and open. In John 4, the Samaritan woman has a conversation with Jesus about needs, honesty, and openness. They meet at a well for water. Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him wil...

“R ed Rover, Red Rover send Sally right over”. Are you too young to know the game Red Rover? Surely, some of you remember this old game. I can remember it from my elementary days. Standing hand-in-hand in a long line waiting to hear the other team yell my name, Red Rover Red Rover send Kathy right over! There were other games we played when the choice of players was one by one. Each team captain chose one player, then the other team captain chose a player. Back and forth it went until all were placed on a team. It was uncomfortable waiting and hoping to be chosen but only to be passed over time and time again. Teams wanted the most athletic, the fastest runners. Choose me, choose me the overweight, slow, non-athletic girl in me cried. This cry from early childhood would stay with me for many years. It was many years later, that I finally realized and accepted that I had been chosen. From John 15 we read, you did not choose me but I chose you . These words were some that...

W e’ve just returned from a weeklong vacation in San Francisco….breath-taking beauty, overwhelming creation and cool weather! It was glorious. We toured China Town, North Beach, Height Street, Golden Gate Park, Sausalito, Stanford University and points in between. The airports were packed both coming and going. San Francisco was packed with tourists, tour guides, locals, buses, cable cars, taxis, subways, food, more food, sidewalks, long walks, music, sweaters, coats, and more people. People everywhere. We saw people from every nation. And met people from Italy, Ethiopia, China, India, Germany. People laughing, solemn, begging, hurting, dancing, going, moving, achieving, dreaming, wanting, looking, hoping. My thoughts were, “there are so many people, Lord. How can love so many people at one time and love them so well and so unconditional. Who is telling them about you?” …so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under th...