...a word from Kathy

A nother air tragedy forced me to look back and revisit a post I wrote months ago when Flight 370 went missing...and is still missing. Asia Flight QZ8501 bothers me in the deep, deep recesses of my heart and mind.  How could another air accident occur?  When will it be found?   I think of the moms and dads, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives who just want to hear a voice, to know an answer, to answer a phone and hear a precious voice.  But to look and not find....to search and be void....to not know and be known.  It is truly heartbreaking and I cannot even began to imagine the pain and grief. John shares a familiar story.  It's a story of seeking while grieving.  A story of looking for a voice who knows my name, your name, the names on AirAsia Flight QZ8501: 12  Mary had returned to the tomb and was standing outside crying. And as she wept, she stooped and looked in and saw two white-robed angels sitting at the head and foot...

(Crosspost from adventagain.blogspot.com) W hen our kids were little we would bundle them up in their Pj's and blankets and go for a ride to see the Christmas lights.  We would travel street after street to find the biggest display of brightness.  It was fun and exciting.  There were giggles and there was wide-eyed wonder...until one child crossed into the other's space and the arguing began!  Oh the joys of children!  But oh, how the lights did captivate us. Conversely, years later my sisters and I would do the very same thing with our elderly mother.  We would bundle her up and travel to the BEST Christmas light display in town.  We would ooh and aah and actually we would sing old Christmas songs with Mama.  This is a favorite memory of mine.  My mama loved to sing and even as her mind might stray in her older years she could always sing and remember the words.  She loved the lights and those trips with her girls. A year ago, Decem...

(Crosspost from adventagain.blogspot.com) L ast week I did some Christmas shopping.  The store was fully decorated and Christmas music played.  The store was not too crowded but certainly full enough!  I passed people and noticed their carts were full like mine.  As I went to checkout I had a bit of a wait.  Surprisingly, I was waiting patiently and then begin to notice the decor and commercial, retail world of Christmas.  At checkout my clerk had to leave for a few minutes and I had the opportunity to grow impatient when I noticed a very ornate, broken set of two-foot tall figurines...Mary and Joseph stood with a slight tilt.  They were gold and red and shining.  As I stood there with Sarah, my daughter, I asked aloud, "Do you think this is what He had in mind?".  How can this be? When Nicodemus was having his conversation with Jesus he asked the question, “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “an...

(Crosspost from Adventagain.blogspot.com) A s I carefully make my list of gifts and decorations and parties and goings-on I seem to always experience something unexpected.  My best laid plans get upended by some unexpected happening. Nicodemus seems to have had a similar experience in this part of the story.  As Scott mentioned on Sunday, Nicodemus risked a night visit to see Jesus.  I'm fairly confident that he had played out a scenario in his head of how the visit might go.  He certainly had his opening statement well prepared..."we know you are a teacher who has come from God.  For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." But the unexpected happened when Jesus responded with such an odd statement. In reply Jesus declared, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time in...

"Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Nicodemus made an important decision that night.  He decided to go. Earlier this week, Scott gave us a definition of the Pharisees, "a political party, a social movement, and school of thought in the Holy Land during the Second Temple period." Through Scott's writing we were specifically able to glimpse Nicodemus' prestigious role in the Jewish community.  The Pharisees were highly respected as they intimately knew the scriptures and they outwardly professed their faith. These were men who had dedicated their lives to the spiritual.  At the same time, they were human and clearly made mistakes and some really bad decisions.  And somehow this sounds familiar to me. I must confess to you...t...

T he leaves in my backyard are showing off.  They are hanging onto the trees just waiting for a gust of wind to take them away.  The color is amazing and the transition has been unspeakably remarkable.  The little young leaves of spring have grown up, aged and are dying before my very eyes.  But what a beautiful journey they have given me. Recently, I was in a study that focused on the story of Jesus feeding the masses with only five loaves and two fish.  That day a miracle occurred when all 5000+ people were fed and 12 baskets of leftovers were collected.  As often happens, that story has been pinging around in my head this week as I struggled to understand its meaning for my life this week, today, in this minute.  Read below the passage I'm pondering. 15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves ...

T here   are many days I miss my Mama.  Last December she went to heaven.  I love thinking about her new, healed, whole body and spirit.  I love imagining her radiant smile.  I especially love knowing that she is in the cloud of witnesses watching me. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, "Hebrews 12:1   About a month after Mama died I received a card from a neighborhood friend.  In it were certainly words of love but also a gift card to Home Depot.  Strange, I thought.  But then I read the note enclosed, "Use this to create a memory of your Mom".  Beautiful.  And we did. We researched, read, consulted and gathered plants for our very first butterfly garden.  We planted and we've had beautiful blooms all summer.  We have loved sitting outside...

M obile, Alabama is a beautiful place.  For me it combines the old South beauty with the French influence of New Orleans.  So I found myself exercising along the streets of downtown Mobile this week and saw some beauty to share. When I exercise,  many thoughts come to mind.  And on this day, I began to ponder why I thought these images were beautiful.  Was it their style?  Was it the uniqueness of the growth or the architecture?  Was it because they were familiar to me?  Was it because of my mood or spirit in the moment?  Of course, we cannot define beauty...we just KNOW it when we see it.  But what was the Holy Spirit teaching me this morning?  I know there is a lesson for me in these scenes. Two scriptures came to my mind: Matthew 6:28-30 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed l...

O ften times, I've come into the living room and my husband will be watching TV; however, it  will  be in the silent mode!  This is different.  I've even experienced this on football Saturdays and in the South that is just not acceptable.  Our goal is to scream and yell for your team....loudly!!!  Our kids have teased Ray about this strange phenomenon.  This silence unnerves them and me.  We want the loud and the noisy game day experience.  Don't we? Maybe it's just a personal preference of an introvert vs. an extrovert or maybe the problem is that I love hearing words.  I love to speak them, write them, read them and hear them from people in my world.  I struggle at times with the thought that I'm not hearing enough words or the right words from my husband, my parents, my kids and my friends and even from God. "Speak" to me I shout.  Talk to me and let me know your thoughts.  What is your plan?  If I turn up the ...

H onestly, I struggle.  I'm struggling this summer.  I struggle against 'going through the motions' of my spirituality.  I struggle with finding a deep connection in my prayer time and in my Bible reading.  I struggle to make time to sit, read, contemplate, and actually talk heart-to-heart to God.  I truly WANT to be in direct connection with my Savior.  I know the need in me for that intimate connection.  However, in contrast I never seem to struggle with checking my email, Facebook and reading that beach novel! Oh, the condition of our hearts and lives...our human condition.  We struggle, we squirm, we seek to achieve, we strive, we hide, we succeed, we spend, we celebrate, we go, we set goals....we struggle some more.  What are we seeking? A few days ago I was reading an Oswald Chambers devotional focused on these very familiar verses, “ Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to y...

E aster morning has dawned.  It is a new day for you and me.  Hallelujah! The sneers, beating, pain and finally death have come to Jesus.  He left heaven to come to earth for this one reason....to live, to teach and to die for us...and then LIVE.  The one God who came to meet me even before I had a thought to meet him or even find Him.  He came first.  He loved first.  I can not even begin to comprehend such love, such sacrifice, such grace. After Jesus' horrible death, one man came to ask for Jesus' body.  One man cared for him, wrapped Him in linen cloth and placed Him in a tomb.  The women who traveled with Jesus followed this man to the tomb and saw the tomb and how His body was laid in it.  Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes for Jesus' proper burial. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from ...

M uch happens in the chapters of Luke 19-24.  I would argue that actually everything happens….the end and the beginning and all in between. Today I want to focus on one small verse from Luke 22:61. “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” Peter, beloved Peter was a man after God.  He was impulsive and quick to speak and quick to make bold statements and yes, quick to love deeply.  In this scripture reference, Jesus' arrest has just occurred and Peter was following the chief priests, the temple guard and Jesus as they hustled to the house of the high priest.  Peter, three times is pointed out and accused and three times denies knowing Jesus.  Oh, but then….the look of love. We have all experienced a “look of love”.  It may have been a time with your husband or wife, a time with your child or new baby, a time with a dying...

W ith the echo of praise and celebration from the Triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the Christ-followers must have been exhilarated and weary from the journey.  The city of Jerusalem was evidently bustling with activity as people arrived to celebrate the Passover.  There must have been so much excitement in the city as this long-awaited annual event had begun. We know this feeling.  Its Easter week in our homes.  Grandma is coming, the kids are returning from college, there are Easter egg hunts scheduled, cooking to be done, eggs to be died, dresses to be pressed, khakis to be ironed, and that dreaded Easter basket grass to buy!  There is a thrill when you know the day or week has finally arrived for such a celebration. I wonder if this was the thought shared amongst the disciples.  After all, it was a week of celebration and they had arrived with a celebrity and a parade.  Who doesn't love a parade! Jesus was popular, unexpected in his demeanor, a ...

OK , true confessions.....who amongst you watches 'reality tv'?  I know this is a personal and private matter that you are hesitant to discuss.  But really, what is your favorite?  Is it The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Overhaulin, Dancing with the Stars, Desperate Housewives, or (surely not) Here comes Honey Boo Boo?  Reality TV has captured our attention, it makes good conversation, and allows us to look into other peoples lives....which leads us to celebrate the normalcy of our own lives!  Right?  But I daresay we watch these shows and wonder how we would measure up or where we would fit in the story. This week in the Christian faith is called Passion Week.  The final week of Jesus' earthly life is talked about and celebrated by Christ followers all over the world.  As I was reading the week of events recorded in the Bible I began to wonder about passion and why that word is used to describe this week in the Christian life. (more later) But I...

I t never fails that just as we sit down for dinner, our phone rings.  We assume it will be a telemarketer   but on the off chance that it is a child calling....I answer.  "Hello! (sigh....listen....listen) No, thank you. We're not interested." Disgustedly, I return to the dinner table. This pattern happens so often one would think that we'd stop falling for the ring.  But....it may be a loved one whose voice we want to hear, a voice we  know and recognize. We want to hear that voice of recognition. Flight 370 has bothered me in the deep, deep recesses of my heart and mind.  How could a huge plane just vanish?  Where could it be?  How could this happen?  Also, with the world seemingly at our doorstep via technology I'm overwhelmed at how large and vast and hidden places on the earth remain. I think of the moms and dads, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives who just want to hear a voice, to know an answer, to answer a phone and hea...

O ne day years ago when we were living in Corpus Christi, Nick, Sarah and I were driving home from school one afternoon and Nick began to ask questions about boundaries. He was anxious to get home and ride his bike; therefore was concerned about his boundaries in the neighborhood, i.e. how far could he go without getting in trouble.  I don't remember their exact ages but I am guessing that he was about 10 and Sarah was 6 years old.  So I responded that his boundaries were from Alameda to Santa Fe and then Lamar Park Shopping area to Bermuda Street.  He understood as these streets were a rectangle around our home.  After we drove a few minutes I heard a little voice from the back seat ask me what her boundaries were.....I hesitated for only a second and responded, "our driveway".  This thrilled Nick and of course irritated Sarah! But I was serious!! I didn't want my baby girl to leave the safety of the driveway until she was older (and then it about killed m...

My beautiful Mama...Sarah Davis Loftin from Thomasville, Georgia O ne month ago, we were celebrating the birth of a Saviour for all mankind.  Jesus birth enabled Him to live life with us and then also enabled Him to die for us.  And most, most importantly enabled Him to defeat death and rise again.  He has gone ahead of us to prepare a place for those who believe in Him. Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe  in God ;  believe also in me.    My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there  to prepare a place for you?   And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back  and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  (Jesus is speaking...John 14:1-3) Also, one month ago one of His daughters went to join Him in the place He had lovingly prepared for her.  Her name is Sarah.  She is my mama.  She is now whole, healed, happy an...