My Essential Companion


I thought I was alone, figuring out 
how to navigate this world. 
Sometimes I walked in burning sun, 
seeking shade or longing for sunset. 	 
Or blasting winds would throw debris 
over the path, hiding the way forward. 
Crossroads scared me. Right? Left? 

But then I sensed eyes on me, 
a presence by my side. 
Who was there, tracking me? 
And I learned that I had a friend, 
a companion and counselor 
sent to me to share this journey. 
He cares! He knows the master plan!  

All I need to do is trust and listen, 
holding his hand. Chaos cannot 
tear us apart. His strength holds me 
and since he has the map, 
our shared purpose keeps us on track 
in inclement weather or twisting paths. 
He’s my Companion of the Road, always.

Sometimes learning another language opens up new worlds of understanding. Nyarafolo, spoken in a region in northern Côte d’Ivoire, certainly did that for me. One word that immediately nestled in my soul was kodanʔanyɛni: companion of the road. It means you have a close friend who is walking a certain path with you, sharing the experience. I thought of each special friend I’ve had over the years who has traveled a certain phase of my journey with me, often helping me carry my load—it sure made it easier, handing off some of my baggage! Then it also applied to the way the Nyarafolo believers sometimes took off walking in a parade from one village to another, coupled in a long line, singing as they went, a praise walk to testify to others of their joy in knowing Jesus. And I began to use the term as the salutation on all my prayer letters, sensing the true partnership of those who would be reading them and praying.

But most of all, I began to think about the “fellowship of the Holy Spirit” as I made my pilgrimage through life to the Promised Land:

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Cor. 13:14 NIV)

I understood Jesus’ grace, shown by his self-sacrifice to offer me unending life with him. And God’s love for the world and for me is what planned it all; it’s why he reached out to make me his child. But what did it mean to fellowship with his Spirit?

The Greek word behind “fellowship” is κοινωνία, which has a touching breadth of meaning depending on the context:  association, communion, fellowship, close relationship, fellow feeling, participation, sharing.[1] Another lexicon adds close association in shared interest and shared community life.[2]

That describes a “companion of the Road!” When applied to the Holy Spirit, it means that he has a close relationship with you. Well yes! He lives in you! And then there is that close association in shared interest, and shared community life. You share an ultimate goal and all the “dailies” too. This close relationship is the most intimate ever!  It is actually described on one of my life passages in  the Psalms:

You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. 5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.  (Ps. 139:1-10 NIV)

No matter where I go, he is there with me. I could live in West Africa or in Michigan, flying east or west, north or south; he is in every place, not just beside me or following me, but holding me steady with his hand and guiding me! What a wonder this is!

I have felt that reality of having him for a walking partner here in Detroit. I have human walking partners for a short while during my morning walk, but the majority of my time I am alone with him. I ask him for prompts about how to vary my route so that it is never predictable to any bad guy (warned about that by neighbors). I am currently also walking a little Yorkie dog in order to help out a sick friend. Tiny “Hermione” runs up to almost every tree to sniff the trunk, runs out into the road to investigate a pile of stuff thrown out. Is a car coming? Is that a big dog across the street? So one day I chose to walk a different loop on Chicago Avenue since it was so busy with construction work the direction I usually take. I came up to a young man standing by a car, taking notes as he looked up at a mansion that was for sale. We greeted each other, as is the custom here in Detroit. Then he began asking me questions about the neighborhood, and shared that he recently got out of prison and is looking for a way to make some money, perhaps by rehabbing old houses. So I told him that we live on Burlingame (turns out he does, too!) and had that we had purchased our rehabbed house from a non-profit called Central Detroit Christian. I surprised myself when I added that they help people like him, just out of prison, find a way to get back into life and business.

As he wrote the name of the company down he walked back to get into his car, and I was prompted to say, “May the Lord guide you!” (I have never said that to a stranger before!)

He answered, “I think he just did!”

Wow! I thought about that as I walked home. My essential Companion of the Road had changed my normal route, using my instinctive protection of the Yorkie for a reason. He had wanted me to encourage this young man looking for hope!

As I walk the neighborhood without a human beside me, I try to use the time to pray: praise for his creative genius all around me, prayer for those on my heart, and stretches of quiet listening for my Companion’s guidance as I face the day. He knows my thoughts before I think them. He knows what is coming up in the next hours, when I can only guess. I may look like I am alone, but I am not. He is always with me, protecting me in front and in back, holding me steady with his hand, in conversation with me. An intimate relationship does require two-way communication!

The awareness of his promptings and his guidance comes with practice: it is spiritual formation that he wants to accomplish in us. We have to open the ears of our heart, because he is not visible and his voice is rarely audible. But that spiritual dimension is not just theoretical! It is unseen but experienced, and I can say with the psalmist, no matter where I am on the road:

“Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.” (Ps. 73:23 NIV)

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. (Rom. 8:9 NIV)

The Spirit of Christ truly is the constant Companion of the Road for God’s sons and daughters–we live in the realm of the Spirit, even while we walk this earth!

[1] Gingrich, Greek New Testament Lexicon

[2] Danker, Greek New Testament Lexicon

Like the Air that I Breathe

So much sharpness in the world today: 
bare tree branches that pierce the sky 
like forked lightning, 
zebu* horns poking the air 
like staples, 
headless palms erect as straight pins. 
Hawk wings slice the atmosphere, 
machetes crack through vines, 
bike spokes whirr. 
Even the blades of grass 
have a cutting edge. 

If air were solid it would be in rags:  
knifed, torn, poked to bits. 
Instead, intangible, it yields, evades, 
readjusts, moves into new spaces, 
stays whole. 
Rigidity has its price. 

Words cut, too:  sharp retorts,  
assumptions gouging holes 
in my assurance. 
Quills of self-defense and anger 
hook deep into my heart. 
All too solid, I bleed. 

I must learn the art of  
reframing the jibe, 
evading the rancor, 
yielding the unessential point. 
See the razor edge for what it is: 
just one side, 
and useful in its place. 
Surround the perpetrator  
with empathy. 
Move into spaces of emptiness 
left in the wake of the thrust. 

Do what is necessary 
for life and healing, 
like the air that I breathe, 
like the One in whom 
I live and move and have my being: 
love my enemy.

I wrote this meditation 24 years ago during a dry season, and it is still humming in my prayers when sharp challenges continue to hurt. Yes, we become new, reborn, when we come to Jesus, but complete transformation is a progressive ongoing journey. And I have seen God empower me to react to “razor edges” in increasingly peaceful ways that reflect his light. I am often amazed—that was not how I used to be! I am even learning to “love my enemy”!

Dallas Willard is an author I consider one of my mentors. His book Living in Christ’s Presence is one that I return to often, to review. He makes a point that the kingdom of God is among us, we are already citizens in it. Here is one key truth about how we are to live:

“Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, ‘Seek above all the kingdom of God and its righteousness’ (paraphrase). . . Our first priority then is to seek that kingdom and its righteousness. Find out what God is doing where you are, and identify with it. Follow what you know to be the case, what you know to be true, of the righteousness of the kingdom. . . Let’s remember that God’s kingdom is God in action. . . It’s what God is doing where we are. . . What is God doing now where I am? I am in a face-to-face relationship with an individual. What is God doing there?”[1]

Maybe you make a remark that the other person takes as a political stance they disapprove. Their reaction is to label you. Or maybe they take something you say to mean something you never intended. How to respond? What is God doing in that situation? He loves that other person, whether they are in his Family or still broken in this broken world. Remember this, Dallas says:

“I am seeking the kingdom of God when I am in a face-to-face relationship with another person. It doesn’t matter if this other person is my enemy. I am given, under God, the ability to love and bring blessing to that person, no matter who it may be. The most important people are the ones closest to us, and that’s where we can know the kingdom in a way we cannot know it anywhere else.”[2]

I am breathing kingdom air wherever I am—the Spirit, Breath of God, Counselor, is in me. So it’s like walking in muggy air that weighs you down, but you feel a cool breeze soothe you. He is there. Call out to him and ask what to do. As you practice kingdom values, it will become more and more natural to:

Surround the perpetrator 
with empathy.
Move into spaces of emptiness
left in the wake of the thrust.

Do what is necessary
for life and healing,
like the air that I breathe:
like the One in whom
I live and move and have my being:
love my enemy.

[1] Dallas Willard, Living in Christ’s Presence (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 2014), 74,75.

[2] Ibid., 75,76.

*Zebu: a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in South Asia. Zebu, like many Sanga cattle breeds, differs from taurine cattle by a fatty hump on their shoulders, a large dewlap, and sometimes drooping ears. Wikipedia

Lemon Lesson

Lemon leaves bush the tree, 
newborn limbs reaching out 
pushing past the older ones. 
I pull one of them sideways, 
wondering if there might be 
a round ripe lemon waiting for me. 
Deep in the forest of varied greens 
I catch sight of gold—then suddenly 
I see plump balls clustered together, 
hanging out in camouflage, 
a harvest in the making. 
One, two— wow! Five are huge! 
They pop off into my hand. 
Pruned by lightning years ago,  
one side stripped and broken off, 
the tree is coming to life, 
fruitful as never before. 

I think of you, Lord, coming to see 
if there is anything worthwhile 
growing in me.  I don’t want you 
to ever have to look through the leaves 
only to have your heart sink:  no fruit! 
A certain fig tree comes to mind. 
I want to bring a smile of deep  
content to your hopeful face. 
When lightning strikes and loss 
leaves me momentarily undone, 
may I stay firmly rooted, 
nourished by your love and mercy, 
branches living in your light, 
finally ripening into exponential gold!

When lightening strikes a tree it can look as if all hope is gone. But a miracle can happen: it can recover and be even more fruitful! I saw it twelve years ago in my courtyard in Ferkessédougou, when I noticed that our lemon tree, fractured by lightening years ago, was getting extremely bushy. Yes! Lemons were even hiding inside! It had been pruned and was truly fruitful. That rebirth happened here in Detroit too: our redbud tree was struck several years ago and I personally felt ripped apart. I had given it to Glenn in 2004 on his birthday when we moved into our house, evoking memories of the beautiful redbuds lining the river at MSU when we were dating. The redbud in our lawn has now come back and is growing tall!

These are images of what can happen to those of us who are disciples of Jesus, too. Sometimes a storm hits, crushing us, leaving little hope. It may be in the form of difficult relationships, deep hurts, abuse, economic or medical hardships, losses. Life may seem barren as we trudge ahead, especially if the “strike” has set off a forest fire that seems to keep on burning. But when we are sons or daughters of God, serving our Lord, there can be deep meaning and benefit in such suffering: it is training. A good father does not just let his kids do whatever they want; he trains them up in the way they should go (Proverbs 22.6). He teaches his kids through punishment when they do wrong. But he also teaches them how to live life well and how to get through tough times. They may need encouragement to remember that it will take perseverance to get all their homework done and pass the final exam. If they are getting bullied, he can help them remember who they really are, what they are worth, and how to stand up to it. That is all training, or discipline.

This is a theme in Hebrews 12:

And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined– and everyone undergoes discipline– then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. (Heb. 12:5-8 NIV)

Does that sound like a “word of encouragement”? Let’s dig into it. The Greek text talks about “sons” because under Roman law, a son was the heir, and his father could discipline him but was not allowed to discipline an illegitimate son.[1] In Christ, we are all heirs, male and female. When Father God disciplines us, he is showing that we are valued. And this should encourage us, because this refers to two kinds of formation: growing through hardship that is experienced in this broken world, and being “chastened,” which infers punishment.

We each have rough edges or deeply rooted issues that need to be dealt with. Some tough things can sand off those rough edges. One of my weaknesses was hyper-sensitivity. When I was mistreated by a friend the hurt simmered inside me; tears were uncontrollable. I even felt that way when I failed to be perfect (like in second grade when I misspelled “Wednesday” on a spelling test). But as I went through one failure after another, then also repeatedly dealt with personal hurts, I began to be able to deal with them better. I was maturing. And I was not only growing up, but I was learning to know my Father God better and listen to his loving wisdom, learning to lean on him when I walked through challenges. Those were hardships that are spiritual formation, internal maturation. They have been happening in my adult life too, that’s for sure!

If we are doing what is wrong, then the suffering comes as a consequence. If we pay attention, it can be a learning curve too. Our Father wants us to learn, not to stay stuck in wrongdoing. For example he does not want us to let anger spurt out of our mouths to tear into someone. That damages relationships. Instead, he wants us to love our neighbor—that person beside us—as we love ourselves. As a mom, that was also a learning curve for me. Speaking gently but firmly when reproving my child was far more effective than anger, even when punishment was a necessary consequence. As an adult, gentleness and self-control become fruit that God has been underlining as necessary all along the way:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22—23a NIV)

So when we submit to the “Father of spirits,” which means that he is the “ultimate source of life,”[2]  our spiritual father, we learn how to live according to his Kingdom principles so that we can actually “share in his holiness,” becoming like him, the God of love and peace and goodness:

 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.  (Heb. 12:9-10 NIV)

When we realize that there is purpose in our suffering, that God is honing us to be like him, it incites us to keep on keeping on. We are not suffering for nothing! I appreciated the reference in a church blog this week to a quote from Nietzsche: “He who has a why can bear almost any how.” [3] Yes! None of what the Lord allows in our lives is meaningless. He is able to use it for our character development so that we become increasingly set apart, different like he is, no blemishes: holy! And that is not all, because what he does in us produces fruit. People will find goodness they did not expect, like that lemon tree that took the brunt of the lightening but became full of green leaves and began to produce lemons!

11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Heb. 12:11 NIV)

Righteousness is that inner goodness being grown in us, put there to be lived out. And a harvest of peace will be a wonderful consolation in our hearts but will also feed the hunger for peace in our community, our relationships. We can bring peace into situations where there was no peace—a peace that is not just quietness, but health.

A key truth here is the relationship between the word “disciple” and “discipline.” As my brother Pastor Brent Slater pointed out in his February message on this passage, they come from the same root. This makes it easier to see that a dedicated follower of Jesus, a disciple, has signed up for spiritual formation—discipline that has the goal of making the follower increasingly become more like the perfect example he has in his Master:

He decided beforehand who were the ones destined to be moulded to the pattern of his Son, (Rom. 8:29 NJB)

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,  (Rom. 8:29 NIV)

 What long hard path are you struggling on these days? Or did you suddenly feel battered to bits by a “lightening” bolt? Be encouraged by the “why” that can actually help you to persevere during any tough season. God has purpose in what he is allowing to happen: he will use it as part of the transformation process he has started in you. Maybe you remember this classic hymn.[4] I often sang it without realizing the power of the prayer it sings:

O to be like Thee! blessed Redeemer;
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

O to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wand’ring sinners to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer, others to save.

[1] Luke Timothy Johnson, Hebrews: A Commentary, ed. C. Clifton Black, M. Eugene Boring, and John T. Carroll, 1st ed., The New Testament Library (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012), 321.

[2] F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 342.

[3] “How does Adversity Become Opportunity?”  Jacob Ley, Woodside Bible Church blog, August 20, 2024    woodsidebible.org

[4] Thomas Obediah Chisholm (1866-1960)

Hush My Swirling Thoughts

I calm myself 
and quiet my heart 
hush my swirling thoughts 
and rest 
like a weaned child 
against her mother's chest 
no searching 
no tossing about 
no hungry whimpers 
just breathing 

the pounding waves 
pat my back 
the sound of love 
I rest 
and the salty breeze 
caresses my cheeks 
I'm leaning 
on eternal arms 
that hold me close 
infusing peace

When you feel like your world is in chaos, where do you go? When you long to curl up and go away somewhere, someplace out of the tumult, where do you go?

A beach at an ocean is highest on my list of favorite places to lean back and rest, but I don’t live near an ocean. I can go down to the Detroit River and sit on a bench at Belle Isle; there the geese come to greet me as little waves splash up against the rocks along the shore, and as evening comes, the cricket choir cannot be missed. When I am in my skyhouse (the attic study where I work) with no way to be by water, I can still picture it. Water movement speaks of many things, and over and over it has reminded me of the unending love of my Father, Abba, coming to “pat my back” and remind me of his ongoing loving pursuit of me:

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever. (Ps. 23:6 NLT)

Yes! The Hebrew word that describes the movement of God’s goodness and faithfulness to us means “to pursue” not “follow” as so many translations have put it. It is not just shadowing us. And those versions that say “goodness and mercy” have downplayed the force of the word behind what they call “mercy”: it is his faithful/loyal/gracious love that never ends, חֶסֶד , hesed. Mercy is included in that incredible depth of loving kindness and solid trustworthy love!

So I may be dealing with despair over situations surrounding me, or with unexpected judgmental criticism.  Or maybe even the loss of a loved one. Whatever it is, I just need to realize that Abba is pursuing me (always kindly hunting me down, wherever I am) with love, and he is completely good. I just need to “hush my swirling thoughts” and lay back against him. Psalm 131, that always speaks to me, says that I am to do it like a little child who is no longer searching all over for breast milk; instead, I am to lean quietly against my parent and rest:

LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. 2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. 3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD– now and always. (Ps. 131:1-3 NLT)

Imagine yourself at a beach or beside a river, with a gentle breeze reminding you of the Spirit’s breath. Let go of worries. Let go of the proud need to solve your own situations. Look up to the Ruler of the Universe who loves you in a way beyond your understanding, and trusting him, let him speak peace to you. The pulsing waves keep on keeping on, never stopping. Abba is there, “now and always”—he is there when things are fine, he is there when the world seems to be falling apart. You and I cannot control the storms or the pollution around us. But he is in charge. When it is his timing he will say: “Peace, be still!” and the storm will lose its power. Meanwhile, he holds his child:

The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you. He drives out the enemy before you; he cries out, ‘Destroy them!’ (Deut. 33:27 NLT)

My job, your job, is to let go and trust Abba now and ever. It takes practice. We are prone to worry, prone to focus on the pain of loss or of attacks, sometimes even too proud to let go of handling it all ourselves. It’s hard to go back to that childlike willingness to just be held. But there we can find peace, peace unlike—much greater–than what we can find anywhere else:

I am leaving you with a gift– peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. (Jn. 14:27 NLT)

Jesus said that to his disciples shortly before they would be going through the horrific, unexpected experience of watching their Messiah be arrested, beaten and crucified. Only complete trust in him and his word could give them any peace at all right then. But Jesus knew that what was coming out of the horror was access to life that never ends and an intimate relationship with him: he would be living in them, his Spirit would be with them to guide and console them every moment. And they found it to be true as they walked with him through the rest of their lives, suffering hateful opposition and often physical abuse. The writer to the Hebrews was even able to urge their readers to keep on trusting the God of peace who showed his strength when he resurrected the Messiah, Jesus:

 Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood— may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.  (Heb. 13:20-21 NLT)

Our Father God will equip us with all the we need in order to do what he has as his purpose for us! We just need to trust him. leaning on him—that is indeed already doing what he has told us to do! And he will take us through whatever is troubling us. He will give us peace, and strength to do the next thing he puts before us. We thank him “now and always”!

The Seesaw of Suffering

Dead weight suffering 
drops its heaviness 
on me, leaving 
a depression— 
thumbprint of loneliness, 
harm-pit threatening 
oppression. 

I suffer the moment, 
weighed down 
(way down to the depths) 
knowing the promise: 
the seesaw balance 
works best when 
re-balanced. 

See—my share in pain 
is for your gain! 
My end down, 
I gather comfort 
greedily from 
rich resources, 
unlimited . . . 

Hearts up, friends! 
We’re only downed 
to soak up grace 
and then to fly! 
Abba soothes the hurt 
and lifts us high 
with compassion. 


Your end and mine 
go up, comfort shared 
and lightening hearts, 
spilling over 
with abandon
(chain reaction) 
to soothe others. 

This was the passage that was speaking to me with power while I was going through extremely tough challenges, over  a decade ago.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. (2 Cor. 1:3-7 NIV)

Ah! When I suffer and depend on God my Father, I receive consolation that cannot be explained. It gets me through a rough patch and even longer paths of pain. It comes from my relationship with the God of all comfort. He has a bigger purpose than just getting me through this hard stuff: he is honing me, preparing me to be a source of comfort and encouragement to others! How can that work out?

Usually it is easier to understand when looking back. In the moment, it can seem pointless. But then there comes a time when the Father uses it to reach out to someone else. Here are some personal examples.

Our first baby had reached the seventh month in the womb when things just weren’t what they should be. I felt no movement. And then one day, sitting with a friend over coffee, I began to feel “cramps”. My friend, a nurse, timed them and told me that they were actually contractions. I ended up losing that baby, finding out that she had already been dead for a few weeks in the womb. Heartbroken, I could not understand why the Lord would have allowed us to have that unplanned pregnancy when we were in our second year of marriage, struggling financially, only to then take her away. I memorized John 17 as I tried to reconcile my heart to the suffering. I relished my Jesus’ love for me and his prayers for me as he approached his time of suffering. And eventually we had three other children. But that loss gave me a heart of compassion for others who lost pregnancies or even young children, a different understanding of their pain than I would ever have had otherwise.

I also went through some extremely wretched times while on the mission field, stretches when I felt like a failure or when the hurtful judgments of other “coworkers” made me feel hopeless. Yet, looking back, those experiences gave me humility and prepped me to take time to learn how to coach others through similar situations.

When we walk with Jesus, no suffering is lost. He is sanctifying us—which means he is setting us apart from “normal” earthly values and ties, to make us ready to serve him:

 Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. 19 And I set myself apart on their behalf, so that they too may be truly set apart. 20 “I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony, (Jn. 17:18 NET)

As we know, Jesus was sent into the world to spread the Good News that he is the way, the truth and the life, and that we can freely come to the Father through him (John 8:32, 14:6). He knew we would face suffering. From the beginning of time, faithful followers of God had suffered. He knew that future believers would suffer too.

One thing has never changed: God is ready to protect and comfort his dear ones. He spoke this truth through the psalmist, in the Old Testament, and through Peter in the New Testament:

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. (Ps. 55:22 NIV)

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Pet. 5:7 NIV)

These verses remind me of a time when Glenn was preaching in the Nyarafolo village of Tiepogovogo and wanted to make this truth real for the believers there. He asked a young woman, Victorine, to do a skit with him. She walked across the front of the sanctuary carrying a large basin on her head, symbolizing a heavy load of wood, staggering. Women do this frequently there; they are the burden bearers in that culture. Glenn met her and offered to help carry the load. She resisted; it would be shameful to let go of her load. She kept going but stumbled. He finally convinced her. She set the basin on the floor, and he picked it up for her. She was no longer bent over as they walked together to the exit.

That is what our Master is telling us to do: let him lift our load! He knows we will have heavy loads. He knows we will suffer here on earth—physically, emotionally, in many ways. He is the Almighty, the one with unlimited strength, and he tells us to just throw what is troubling us on him! He will carry it for us, he is ready to help us and give us strength for the journey. We can stumble along, resisting his offer. Or we can give it all over to him! That is what he wants.

That is what I pictured on the seesaw. Weighed down, I could not push hard enough to fly high. But when he lightened my load and lifted me up, I could rise. I cling to that now as I did back then. He sustains me and gives me peace even in the middle of suffering, peace beyond my understanding—where did that come from? It is given to us by the Spirit, who lives in us. He is our “Paraclete,” a word that translators work hard to communicate: Advocate, Counselor, Helper. In French “consolateur” is added to the list, the one who gives consolation. And one of his jobs is to remind us of what Jesus said. He promised us peace, even when we are troubled. Let’s let him take our burden and lift us up, giving us his unique peace that we can never find anywhere else! He is, after all, the Prince of Peace.

 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (Jn. 14:26 NIV)

And the comfort and peace that he gives us can then empower us to bring encouragement and consolation to others. It is a learning curve, down and up.

He Cries Too!

Jesus wept when Jerusalem 
loomed before him, 
ignorant in spite of all 
that he had taught her, 
calling her into his Kingdom. 
But she refused to understand, 
entrenched in her self-rule. 
 
I cry too, with all mothers 
longing to shelter little ones 
from storms they’re bringing on. 
Just like Jesus, I picture 
that  mother hen running 
to rescue her chicks from danger, 
hiding them under her wings. 

Grief hits hard, slam-bang. 
Jesus wept at the toll of grief too. 
Tears fell when his friend died 
and family grieved, no hope. 
He brought life to that corpse 
and offers eternal life to us all. 
But death still reigns below. 

I cry to see his love trampled on,
dismissed as irrelevant.
He gave his life to save us,
but that is being rewritten
as child sacrifice forced
on him by God, his Father.
No! It was done for love.

Arms wide open, longing
to hide us in a safe place,
God waits. He will not force
us to come, he just invites.
Cruel as we are, bickering,
warring, rejecting the call,
he loves us. And he cries too.

I’ll bet you’ve had those moments too, when news comes that tears your heart apart, and tears come. It is not what you expected. Maybe it is just one more piece in a hideous puzzle that you wish could be thrown away. Maybe someone you love is choosing what will only bring pain. As a result, you cry tears of pain like the psalmist:

My eyes pour out streams of tears because people do not follow Your instruction. (Ps. 119:136 CSB)

Even Yahweh, the God of the Universe, mourns the wandering of his people with “tears” because they are suffering the consequences of rejecting his laws:

17 “Tell these people this, Jeremiah: ‘My eyes overflow with tears day and night without ceasing. For my people, my dear children, have suffered a crushing blow. They have suffered a serious wound. 18 If I go out into the countryside, I see those who have been killed in battle. If I go into the city, I see those who are sick because of starvation. For both prophet and priest go about their own business in the land without having any real understanding.'” (Jer. 14:17-18 NET)

Instead of walking with the One who had saved them out of slavery and provided for their needs, they are choosing to “go about their own business.” They reject what matters for their choice of goals, not God’s. And he is full of grief for his “dear children.”

Maybe you’ve been there, watching a friend, a dear relative, or one of your kids, wandering off. Or resisting the Good News from the get-go. Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they were doing that:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. (Lk. 13:34 NIV)

And the loss of a loved one to death is tough, even if they have been suffering. Or maybe you are on your own path to that ending sometime soon. When Jesus was approaching his friend Lazarus’ grave, even though he knew he was going to bring him back to life he was crying. Why?

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the people who had come with her weeping, he was intensely moved in spirit and greatly distressed. 34 He asked, “Where have you laid him?” They replied, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 Thus the people who had come to mourn said, “Look how much he loved him!”  (Jn. 11:33-36 NET)

Death is what Jesus came to conquer, and he understands the torture it brings, especially when you love that person. I am struck, too, by his very human prayers about his own upcoming suffering, those tears in Gethsemane for instance and probably others:

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (Heb. 5:7 NIV)

He did it for us—we are rescued forever if we obey him, trusting in his self-sacrifice for our forgiveness and eternal rescue. He was indeed a “man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.” He was insulted, rejected, tortured, murdered. Why? Because he knew it was the right thing to do, the plan that would offer life that lasts forever to those who would join him, walking his Road.

I wrote the poem “He Cries Too” when I was feeling overwhelmed with grief over the ongoing rejection of Jesus’ offer by someone I have prayed for for years. Writing it brought these truths to mind and comforted me: Jesus cares. Deeply! The Father cares. He understands our response of tears to these kinds of situations—our tears align with his own. And there is this promise that brings hope:

 5 Those who shed tears as they plant will shout for joy when they reap the harvest. 6 The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag of seed, will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain. (Ps. 126:1 NET)

So let’s not give up! When we are hard-hit by sad news, let us keep on walking along, carrying our bag of seed, sowing where and as the Lord directs!  Joy will come with harvest, when it is his timing. What we need to do is follow his instructions with understanding. That brings him joy, and someday we will shout for joy! He loves his dear children, that is for sure.

Prayer Beside Lily Pads

Sitting by the lake, 
your peace rolls in, 
rippling rows 
dancing with 
the water lilies. 
They soak in sunshine, 
pale yellow arms 
reaching up 
into light, 
their green pads 
waltzing with waves. 

I watch and wait, 
my soul-petals lifted, 
loving you 
and your creative love 
of little things— 
like lily pads,  
like me.

I am home in Detroit now—it was a long day yesterday, cleaning up from vacation and driving south. But that time in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula brought wonderful gifts as we spent restful time in the forest by the  lake with family.

 And creation was singing, bringing to mind truths that strengthen and comfort me.

I sat beside the lake alone for an hour while all the others were out boating. I was chilly since the wind was blowing. Our Slater family Chalet is near the lagoon of Piatt Lake, and the unexpected thrill of dancing lily pads a few feet away  was worth a long watch-and-listen moment.

This meditation on creation and God’s attention to detail calms me now as I step back into the busyness of normal life at home. I am grateful!

The poem brings these Scriptures to mind—may they encourage you as they do me:

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (Ps. 37:7 NIV)

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Ps. 46:10 NIV)

11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.  (Gen. 1:11,12 NIV)

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.  (Gen. 1:27 NIV)

The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life. (Job 33:4 NIV)

And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Matt. 10:30 NIV)

The intricacies of the water lilies, the fresh air breathing on them and on me, the complexity of my body and soul: Yes! The Creator, Yahweh, made them all!

13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.  (Ps. 139:13-17 ESV)

These truths are for you too—he made you, he knows you, he gives you life. Be still and contemplate his meticulous attention to who you are and to the beauty of his creation. Be still and be soothed with wonder!

Taste the Glory

Taste the glory! 

The very Breath of God 
inhabits me, 
holds my soul, 
permeates my mind, 
transforms my heart. 

His touch is whisper--  
soft behind the conscious 
verbiage, constant 
inner conversation;  
my appetite is piqued. 

I listen to the wind, 
wait for sentience 
to unlock the starving 
fibers of my soul 
to free delight in Him. 

Heat gradually turns up 
to pulsing flame 
and then I hear my name, 
and hot and sweet, joy 
sizzles in my heart. 

I feel the edge of heaven 
at my feet. Someday 
I’ll float within 
the ocean of his love, 
possess as I’m possessed. 

His radiance will be  
my sun, burn fiery hot 
but never harm, 
just fill the world  
with glory. 

I taste the flame 
from far away
and find it pure
ambrosia fit for
children of the God…

An endless feast
is waiting. Now
I nibble as I can,
his love the flavor
of forever -- 

and I am satisfied.


Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. (Rom. 8:23 NIV)

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. (Ps. 90:14 NIV)

Heartfast!

I want to be 
heartfast. 

Feet flat 
knees flexed 
legs taut 
stand my ground. 
Knocked hard 
breath blown 
wind gone 
still be found 
in place 
intact 
lungs filled 
arms ready 
eyes up 
fixed firm. 
He’s why 
I’m steady 

His hand 
in mine 
lifegrip 
keeping me. 
I grasp  
His Word – 
Truth told 
lovingly, 
not just 
my own 
to hold 
but to share. 
Love's light 
bursts out 
flings fire 
everywhere. 

I want to be 
heartfast. 

Inside 
heart core 
King’s seal 
marks his own. 
Won’t melt 
can’t break 
sure pledge 
from his throne. 
Centered 
anchored 
hearthold 
riveted 
heartsight 
straight ahead 
one prize  
coveted -- 

Heartfast.

It was 26 years ago that I wrote that private testimony to what was my key goal: faithfulness to my King. That had been the driving impetus to my decision, when I was 12, to let go of childish wanderings that focused on other things. I truly decided to follow Jesus with all my heart, no turning back!

When we make a decision like that, we are actually moving into just the right position, one where the Master takes over direction and gives purpose to life. He also shows us what his Kingdom principles are, and mentors us daily so that we can learn to live them out. We are living in his Kingdom!

Contemplating this has given “The Lord’s Prayer” much more depth of meaning this year. I had heard this said before, but now it sings in my heart—especially after hearing Matt Maher’s song frequently:[1]

Father, let Your Kingdom come
Father, let Your will be done
On Earth as in Heaven
Right here in my heart

 Yes! That cry for the Kingdom to come, for Abba’s will to be done on earth as in heaven—through the years had I heard it as a cry out to God to rule the whole world and change it from chaos to perfect order. Adding those words about “my heart” to Jesus’ Prayer, in the song, broadens the impact in a way that is relevant to me right here, right now.

Dallas Willard has been one of those authors whose works have mentored me on my spiritual journey. There was a conference in 2013 to contemplate his teaching, and the book Living in Christ’s Presence was put together as conversations between him and John Ortberg during that time—a kind of resume of key aspects of Willards’ writings. The theme that struck me with renewed impact was this focus on the Kingdom:

“Jesus came as the kingdom bringer. His gospel was the availability of the kingdom. His purpose was to manifest the kingdom. His one command was to pursue the kingdom: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God.’ His one plan was to extend the kingdom. But many people do not understand the phrase the kingdom of God, because it’s in archaic language . . .We don’t have kings in this country.”[2]

The key, then, is understanding that a king has dominion. God rules: he has dominion. We are made in the image of God, so we have some personal dominion and we do love to exercise it: my rights, my property, my space . . . This is why, Willard points out, it is hard to lead people. They resent having their personal dominion infringed upon. Then too, kingdoms intersect. They overlap in marriages, neighborhoods, nations. As we know, this leads to issues. Exercise of dominion leads to conflicts in this world.[3]

So why would we want to be part of God’s kingdom? Why would we want it to rule?  Because it is good. No more brokenness. The King is completely good. As Jesus said, it is like finding treasure. Willard speaks to this:

“The right vision of the kingdom isn’t just theologically accurate. It will awaken tremendous desire in you . . . a vision of what is true that evokes a desire in us that is stronger than our desire for anything else. . . There’s the kingdom of God and there’s the kingdom of earth, and Jesus’ plan is to bring up there down here.”[4]

So when Jesus said that the kingdom would not be coming with signs that everyone could see, he was talking about God’s dominion taking over a person’s life, their personal dominion. He said that the kingdom is right there among them, accessible  (Luke 21:20,21). He also said that it belongs even to little kids (Luke 18:16), those little ones that wanted to come to him.

The kingdom, our King’s rule, is available. It is “in your midst.” What we have to do is become like the child who decides that he does not have to have his own way after all: no, Papa was right, I need to let him tell me what to do. Then the Kingdom takes over our training, and as we learn to listen to the King we become his emissaries, as well as his beloved children! We leave a broken kingdom to become citizens of the one ruled by love, justice, compassion. And it is a kingdom where we have intimacy with the King. We don’t have to go through his brothers, his mother, his other agents. He knows everything about us and still has patience and good purpose in all that he does in us and through us; he invites us to come to him whenever we want. It could not be better!

Now, our part is to be “heartfast!” Devoted to the King. Looking forward to the day when the Kingdom will not only be available to enter, but will be in charge over everything and everyone around us. No more chaos. No more pain. Right now we do all that the King tells us to, cooperating with him to spread the news about it just as his first disciples and apostles did (cf Acts 8:12; 28:23,31).

Since the word “kingdom” is not always understood today in our circles, we can use language that fits the circumstance and the setting. “Wouldn’t you love to live in a nation where there was no racism or favoritism? Wouldn’t you love to know a person who would accept you lovingly for who you are and empower you to leave behind everything that has been dragging you down, entering a new space where you find health as well as rules that bring peace?”

I am just so grateful to have the Father’s Kingdom right here in my heart! Many of you know that privilege too. May others grab that free entry as the good news about it spreads, price of entry already paid—by the King himself![i]

[1] The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours)

Matt Maher • The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours) • 2022

[2] Willard, Dallas. Living in Christ’s Presence: Final Words on Heaven and the Kingdom of God.  (IVP Books: Downers Grove IL, 2014).

[3] p. 56

[4] p. 57,58

[i] Image found at www.pexels.com, credit to pexels-lucasleonelsuarez-22608904

Coming Close!

At last the Tabernacle 
was in place, 
curtains hung, 
priests consecrated. 
And in one awesome moment 
your glory, Yahweh, 
moved in. 

Not even Moses 
(who saw you  
on the mountain) 
could enter now. 
Your presence packed the tent 
with holy danger, 
essence of you 
made visible 
to sentient humans: 
fire, a mass of cloud 
residing, lifting, 
shifting terror into hearts. 

"Don't come too near! 
"Don't touch! 

Perhaps a girlchild, 
curious, 
crept near the tent 
to see what secrets 
might be leaking 
through the violet- 
and red- and blue- 
etched curtains 
holding you in, 
people out. 
But access was barred. 
No way in for her! 

Her mother's hand 
would have pulled her back. 
"Not there, dear one! 
It is Yahweh himself 
come to live among us, 
come to guide us 
with his Presence. 
Any who go near 
undesignated, 
unprepared, 
will die!”  

See the ringing robes
on Aaron? 
See the oil drip  
from his beard? 
Only he can go 
inside, into 
the holy place 
where God lives. 
Stay back -- 
watch from here!" 

Your glory 
was so close, 
so unknowable 
except by peripheral vision... 
but now you have become 
Immanuel, 
God with us! 

And I, girlchild, 
can run into the place 
where you  live 
and, fearless, 
call you "Daddy." 
And you, on  the mercy seat, 
forgive my brazen heart, 
my unawareness of  
your majesty, 
my ignorance of glory 
(pressed down, 
running over). 
You wisely wait to show me 
inklings of the truth 
when I can bear it 
and still come close, 
chosen, set aside for you, 
no curtain now 
between us!

We are free to enter the Holy Place and talk personally to King Yahweh, our Father! It was not that way until Jesus changed the rules.

In 2001 (when I wrote “Coming Close”), Moïse and I were translating Exodus. The construction of the temple brought us multiple challenges as we tried to make the complicated details comprehensible in Nyarafolo. Before that, I had never had to digest how important it was that the place representing the Presence of the Holy One be completely “set apart.” It was literally inaccessible to ordinary people. Only designated priests, washed with water right there at the temple, clothed in prescribed garments hung with bells to announce who they were, and only when they had offered the required sacrifice for sin did they have the right to enter the Most Holy Place behind the curtain—and only at certain times. In Exodus 40 we are told that after the tabernacle had first been set up by Moses, not even Moses  could enter when the glory of Yahweh descended and filled it, confirming his approval and his Presence.

But when Jesus died, an incredible miracle happened that showed that he truly is the Way to God, the one who gives access to the Holy One. He was suffering on the cross, and creation was definitely reacting:

44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Lk. 23:44-46 NIV)

That curtain that separated ordinary people from God’s Presence was torn! His self-sacrifice paid for sin once for all, and now we who have accepted that forgiveness can freely enter his Presence, drawing near to our God and Father! It is because he has made us “holy,” consecrated, set apart for him.  A new way into the Most Holy Place has been created. The author of Hebrews makes this truly explicit:

10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. 11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13 There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. 14 For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. 15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says, 16 “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” 17 Then he says, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” 18 And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.

19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.  (Heb. 10:1 NLT)

That says it all. Let us draw near—go right in—entering freely into God’s Presence whenever we want, delighting in his loving welcome! He is never too busy to receive us. And that applies to us individually and also when we are in a crowd, praying. Ever since the curtain was torn, the one prerequisite is that each person has accepted the complete forgiveness offered to them. So “let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusing him!” There is just one great High Priest, and he is our Abba, “Daddy”!

Did you go in today? He is never too busy to receive you. It is true that his glory as Eternal King is beyond anything we can imagine or handle on our own. But he has made us welcome by Jesus’ sacrifice and our acknowledgement of its essential work on our behalf. What a privilege—not to be neglected or held lightly!