by jot and tittle

“Okay everyone, we’ve talked about rhyming words all week," Eva stood before her grade three class before lunch on Friday. "Can anyone give me an example of three words that rhyme? Yes, Jayne.”           “Snail, wale, hail.”           “Good. Peter.”           “Truck, stuck, luck.”           “Good. Pac.”           “Rake,” Pac said with a grin. “Umm, fake,” his voice held a note of mirth. “Snake,” he let out a giggle.           Eva narrowed her eyes at him. “Why did you choose those words, Pac?”           “I was…inspired,” Pac said triumphantly, finding the word he wanted.           “By what…” Eva stopped when she saw p...

Come to Me, oh weary one, and I will give you rest. Hand Me every weight of sin, every trouble in your breast. I came to seek and to save, such a one as you. I came to bear your burdens,  and griefs and sorrows too.  I shall not give them back to you so leave them here with me. I am strong and you are weak,  leave them, don't you see? You cannot pay for your sins and your griefs are far too great, but I made all with a word, so let Me take their weight.  Along with all your burdens I will also carry you, You are not strong, I am All in all, Trust me, it is true.  Weary one, stop striving, I will give you peace within. The Comforter is in you,  Depend on Me and God and Him.  We shall never leave you, Three Best Friends are We, so lay down the griefs and take my hand We are with you forevermore and constantly. 

People are lonely. Sometimes I'm tempted to think that my sister in Christ who has a husband and children could not possibly be lonely, but that's not true. People in all walks of life are are lonely; single, married, children, elderly, all different types of people are lonely.  "No one told me how lonely being a mom with two little kids would be." "I didn't expect to be living alone in my late twenties." "When our youngest moved out and I retired the same year, I wasn't prepared for how quiet the house would be, for how lonely I am." Have you ever said something like that?  I moved out when I was twenty, first living with my brother (who was always gone on the weekends) and then living with a couple other girls. At this point I've lived alone for four and a half years. There are times when I have known that sad desperation of feeling like I was friendless.  The first thing to do is to tell God. "God, I am lonely." It's ok...

 "One of the things that I wasn't prepared for as a wife and mother is how monotonous life is. Every day I do the dishes and vacuum and fold laundry and sometimes its hard to be content with the same old, same old." So said the young women before me, with our other friend nodding in agreement.  "And your toddler doesn't thank you for folding the laundry again, does he?" Both smiled.  I guess that's something most of us haven't been prepared for; the monotony of life. The fairy tales and hallmark movies all end with the prince sweeping the princess off her feet...they don't have anything to say about waking every two hours to feed a baby or paying the same bills. In her autobiography, Isobel Kuhn says     "Life does contain moments of adventure, but these times are interspersed with long periods of plain, unvarnished hard work. The real things of life are attained at these monotonous level periods, so to      speak, more than they are at the...

Bible reading and prayer are the two bedrock spiritual disciplines. How do we know who God is unless we read His word? And how do we have a relationship with Him unless we talk to Him? Simply put, private worship is the foundation of all other Christian activity. Yes, private worship is the foundation from which all other spiritual disciplines can either flourish and wilt. When private worship is in place, family worship and public worship are given the soil they need to thrive.  Perhaps it is helpful to liken the necessity of private worship to the necessity for spouses to spend time together. If the only time a wife spoke to her husband was when their children or friends were present, it would result in a shallow relationship. So too with God. On my side, there are sins to confess and experiences to relate and feelings to share that are  not appropriate or helpful for others to be party to, and from the Lord's side there is affection and rebuke and encouragement to be given ...

 Grief is a strange beast. Sometimes it lies sleeping in the sun like a large cat, content to leave you alone, and sometimes it springs itself on you from out of nowhere, leaving you no time to recover before the tears or anger take over and you're lost, swallowed whole by the tabby that turned out to be a lion. You can go about your life on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with a spring in your step and then wake up on Friday overcome by sadness. Nothing has objectively changed, the grief that lives inside of you has simply decided to wake up, stretch, and come out.  I say all that in order to let you know that if you have these feelings, you are not alone.  Just before Christmas I encountered a sleepless night. Finally, at 3:30am I got up, made a cup of tea, and sat on the rug in my living room to talk to God. I told Him all of it. I told Him that I don't understand how the last six months (or the last two years) could be for our good and His glory. I to...

New Years is here and Christmas is over. But Christmas cards and letters from family and friends keep appearing in my mailbox. Often, stashed within these bundles of good cheer and blessing, there's a family picture. I like that. I take those pictures and stick them to my fridge.  This morning, while retrieving some milk for my tea, I looked at all those pictures; church family, biological family, "adopted" family, the children I used to care for, and other friends, and I rejoiced. How incredibly gracious and kind of God to give me so many people!  He knows that I need people and He has provided the perfect amount of varying individuals to challenge and encourage me where I am, right now. Some of them drive me nuts and some are like a glass of cold water on a hot day. Both are important so that I can grow in godliness.  At the start of 2017, I met for a breakfast date with a dear friend who had a joyful face . Last night I ended the year with a couple who...