Yearly Archives: 2026

The Blessing of a Gift

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another blessing Sunday. Traveling with me on this path are

Lynda Lambert

who shared the idea with me, and

Abbie Johnson Taylor

Child sitting surrounded by gifts

Niv 12

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.

5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.

6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

Lois Gibson, a notably successful forensics artist from Houston, set aside her 5-year retirement this week to offer help in the Nancy Guthrie abduction case. That’s not striking. What did strike me initially was the incredible compassion she expressed. She said the amount of torture families of kidnap victims endured was “insane”. She also said she was willing to “take the hit” if her guesses about the kidnapper’s appearance were incorrect–she just wanted to help.

Some might say she was just trying to capitalize on the situation and get some publicity. I don’t think so. I think rather that this lady knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that she has been given a gift, and she wants to use it to help those in need. Unlike others in this case, she requested no money, so far as I can tell, for the service she provided

Everyone is given at least 1 gift by their Creator, usually more, to benefit themselves and those around them. That last part is important. Our gifts are how we co-create with God, serving as His hands, feet, and mouthpiece to do His work on this earth. That’s not because God’s is incapable of doing it on His own. Rather, He allows us the privilege of working with Him to accomplish His purposes. The child in the picture is blissfully unaware of this. Unfortunately, so are far too many adults.

It touches me greatly when I see people coming forward to use the gifts God has given them to help others. I think it also makes the Great Father happy too. If everyone did it, this would be a far happier world. Indeed, it would, I believe, be very much like heaven. Ms. Gibson, in my opinion, has learned a valueable life lesson, and that is when you use your gift to help someone else, you receive a blessing. It may not be a material blessing, but it is a blessing nonetheless.

Lord, please help us all to use the gifts you’ve given us today and throughout the week, to make this world a better place. Amen

The Blessing of Small things

Song at Midnight Posted on by
Picture of Tilly Smith

Hello and welcome to another Sunday on my blessings journey. Participating with me on this path are

Lynda Lambert

and

Abbie Johnson Taylor

Andrew Kearney was an elementary school teacher at Danes Hill School, in the small village of Oxshott. Assuredly he’d seen his share of spitballs and endured plenty of disrespect, not all of which was from students, more likely than not. Maybe he even wondered some days–perhaps many days–whether his efforts were worth the trouble. Might he even have wondered at times if his life really meant anything? Those are questions we all ask, I think. Sometimes it all just feels so small, so inconsequential.

But here’s what Jesus had to say:

GNT Luke 16:10 “Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in large ones; whoever is dishonest in small matters will be dishonest in large ones.”

But 1 day a small girl, his student, took his teaching seriously. Tilly Smith was on a Thailand beach on Dec. 26, 2004, when she noticed something strange about the ocean. It had lost its rhythm. It jarred her back to a lesson she’d learned just a couple weeks before in Mr. Kearney’s class. He’d showed a video about the 1946 tsunami in Hawaii and talked about the warning signs, specifically irratic ocean behavior. She warned her parents. A Japanese man recognized the word “tsunami” and told them he thought the girl was right–that there had, in fact, been a 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra. The beach was cleared. Over 100 lives were saved that day. All because a teacher persisted in his efforts and taught the signs. All because a small girl had actually paid attention to a small town teacher in a small town’s school and persisted in warning her parents and others nearby. Small day-to-day acts that normally go unnoticed. But on that day, they didn’t. Perhaps saving 100 people seems pretty small in the face of 230000 souls disappearing from the planet as the result of events that occurred on a single day. But I suspect to those 100, as well as a small town teacher, it didn’t seem small in the least.

All we can do in our lives is plant seeds–seeds of love, and light, and joy, and peace, and other good things. And then hope to reap at least a little of the harvest we’ve sown. And who knows? Maybe in Heaven we’ll see the results–the answer to a prayer we whispered when we heard an ambulance siren; the prayers we offered earnestly for a family member in trouble, the value of our charity although it was small.

Matthew 31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

Small Mustard Seed

By Sanjay Acharya – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=905237

And here’s what comes out of that seed.

Mustard Plant

By Hopeoflight – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23670673

Meanwhile, I guess, even when it’s hard, persisting in the small things has important consequences. Thank you, Andrew Kearney and Tilly Smith for doing so.

Many blessings for your Sunday and throughout the week.

Communion of Saints

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Welcome to another episode of “Blessing Sunday”. Participating along with me are:
Abbey Johnson Taylor
and
Lynda Lambert
who shared the idea with me.

Woman surrounded by cloud of faces

This Sunday I’m writing about something that’s not often talked about among Christians. It’s a concept called “the communion of saints.” Husband Karl and I this past week both observed the anniversaries of the deaths of close family members. My grandma died on Jan 25, and Karl’s brother on Jan 30.

Heb 12:1 says, in part, “we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses”

Those who have died before us are not gone. When we worship God, our prayers join with theirs. Our love and God’s love join with their love. I find solace, when things feel messed up, that loved ones who’ve gone before us are still thinking about us, loving us, and praying for us, uniting in thanksgiving for God’s work on our behalf thus far, and in pleas that His full purposes will come to fruition. I’m also comforted by the knowledge that there will one day be a great reunion with loved ones, as well as with those we haven’t even met but are yet somehow kindred spirits. It’ll be the only chance I ever get to meet Jessica Fletcher–uh, I mean Angela Lansbury, after all. And Moses and Peter and Elijah and Paul and Jesus’s mom and too many others to mention.

So, although I still miss my grandma, and Karl likewise misses his brother, we are consoled because the separation isn’t entirely a separation. Our spirits are united in love, by God, and the absence we feel, when seen in the light of eternity, is a mere instant–not even enough to be consequential. Jesus said in His sermon on the mount that those who mourn will be blessed,because they’ll be comforted, and so we are, by the knowledge that love never fails and never dies.

It’s almost too wonderful to believe that God’s people, whether in the flesh or in the spirit, are united over space and time, but it’s true. I hope readers will find some measure of consolation by pondering this miraculous truth over the next week.

The blessing of Needing Help

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Jesus Ascending into Heaven

Welcome to another episode of “Blessing Sunday”. Participating along with me are:

Abbey Johnson Taylor

and

Lynda Lambert

who shared the idea with me.

Jesus ascended into Heaven. But His body remains here–in the form of the church. Not necessarily *a* church, but *the* church, the body of believers the world over, and each has a vital part to play.

People were never meant to live alone. God said that in the beginning: “It is not good for the man to be alone” Gen 2:18. With individualism deep-rooted as it is in the American spirit, living in community can be a difficult concept to grasp, especially in large cities where you may not know your neighbor in the next apartment much less in the next block. So sometimes God has to show us the advantages of needing help.

This past Wednesday I got sick with a stomach virus. I had to ask Hubby to do the chores I normally do, i.e., feed the cats and take out the garbage because I was having to stay too close to the bathroom to do it myself. I didn’t exactly like having to ask for help, but I was glad to have someone to rely on when I needed to.

We can always ask God for help, of course. But far more often than not, the Red Sea doesn’t part, and the sun remains in motion. Instead, he puts people in our path who serve as His hands, feet, and mouth for carrying on His work.

Many think that because they’re old, or disabled, or poor, or 101 other excuses, they can’t do anything. Others, like Lynda Lambert, take a different view. She often looks out the window and prays for those she sees walking down the street, or when she hears the sound of emergency vehicles. Does it really do any good? I’ll bet she’ll have a harvest waiting for her in heaven she never expected! We may never see the results of all that we do. But God knows. And may He bless those abundantly who respond willingly and eagerly when help is needed. Needing help, whether or not we ask for it, is a humbling experience. And which of us couldn’t use that occasionally?

May God bless you this week, and give you help whenever the need arises.

The Blessing of Struggle

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Martin Luther King Jr. 1964

This past Thursday was the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., and we celebrate the occasion on Monday the 19th. Throughout the centuries, there have been men and women who have struggled to advance humanity’s greater good. Some of their names are well known. Others are not. But famous or obscure, their work has moved us forward and made the world a better place to live. Their struggles have conferred blessings on us all.

Gen 32:24-29

24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.

25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.

26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered.
28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[a] because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

I pray that I, and all others who long to do so, will find their assigned place and be able to participate with our Creator to be His hands and feet and mouth here on earth.

Blessing of Blindness

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another sunday of my 2026 blessings journey. Participating with me in this are:

Abbie Johnson taylorand

Lynda Lambert

Blind person searching for lost object

First let me be very clear. I hate being blind. I absolutely, positively, unequivocally hate it! This image shows just 1 of the reasons why. For anyone who can’t see it, it shows a person searching on the floor for a lost object that’s just out of reach. I feel as though I spend more time in my life searching for things I can use than I do anything else. Touch screens are out. Things that indicate their status by color only are also out. Just about everything takes longer to do, and even then you’re not sure it’s done right. In case you have any doubts, try closing your eyes and vacuuming the floor. How’d you do? A friend once called and, when I answered, asked me what I was doing. I told him I was cleaning the house. He asked me if it looked like a blindy cleaned it. The only thing I could think to say was that I hoped it looked like *somebody* cleaned it.

Being blind also makes participating in so many activities difficult, or at least not very much fun. Think family game nights, trips to the zoo or aquarium, holiday light shows/fireworks, etc.

So having said all that, why do I say that blindness is a blessing?

Isaiah 42:16
“I will bring the blind by a way that they don’t know. I will lead them in paths that they don’t know. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. I will do these things, and I will not forsake them.”

Because, for all the frustrations blindness engenders, I think we’re also given a little bit of special attention by the Great Father. I’ve often heard that God protects kids and fools. I add blind folks as well. I also think it gives me a little more tolerance for others’ weaknesses than I might otherwise have. My family members might disagree, you understand, but I do think it does. And I think it makes it more likely that I look to God for help than I would if I could see.

So, very begrudgingly, I count being blind as a blessing. And I pray I can serve God even better without eyesight than I could have done with it. Because, after all, when all is said and done, all of us walk by faith and not by sight. 2 Cor 5:7

All Things New

Song at Midnight Posted on by

Hello, and welcome to another Journey of Blessing Sunday. Also participating with me in this endeavor are
Lynda Lambert
and
Abbie Johnson Taylor

2Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Adam and Eve's first day on Earth

The gentle breath of their Creator filled their lungs and spirits. Suddenly Adam and Eve found themselves in a place they’d never been before. They stood there staring at the wonders around them–the grass, the trees, the waterfalls, the animals, the singing birds–and most of all each other. It was all completely new, utterly unfamiliar. They had to devise names for everything, and God graciously agreed to use the names they had supplied. Just imagine how that might feel for a minute. What is all this? Who are all these other beings? What are we supposed to do here? Anyone who’s raised a baby has seen the same awe and wonder as they discover things that, to you, are old and familiar, but for them are something they’re experiencing for the very first time. Their eyes light up, they smile and laugh and coo–it’s delightful to behold, truthfully.

And then suddenly something happens. More and more things become familiar. They escape our notice. They’re not new anymore. Wonder and awe have left the building.

The truth is, if things never become familiar, we could never learn. From an evolutionary standpoint (and yes, as a Christian, I believe in evolution), we’d constantly be wondering if that butterfly might want to eat us–or at least take a bite out of us–rather than figuring out it was harmless and then going about our day.

We’re promised that in Christ, we are new creations, just like what Adam and Eve were seeing for the very first time.

Lamentations 3:22 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;

23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

I pray each of us can find the wonder of the blessing of newness. We’re new creations, God’s mercies are new every morning, we have yet another chance to get it right–or not. My prayer is that in 2026, I’ll see the awe and wonder more, rejoice in the newness of His mercies–and hopefully get it right more often than I get it wrong.

Through a Mirror Dimly

Song at Midnight Posted on by
Woman looking in dirty mirror

1Cor 13-12 “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”

Matthew 6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[a] your whole body will be full of light.

23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[b] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Alternate translations for healthy and unhealthy are generous & stingy, respectively, designated by the footnotes.

Like my friend Lynda Lambert, I came up with a word to guide my life in 2026. My word is “clarity.” “I can see clearly now, the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way.” says the song. Without clarity, we can’t see our purpose, much less focus on and accomplish it. Jesus had incredible clarity regarding His mission. Without it, he wouldn’t have gone to the cross. As it was, He was able to power through the agony to reach the glorious resurrection on the other side.

I will look more carefully at my actions. I’ll ask myself, “does what I’m doing now align with my goals and desires? More importantly, does it align with God’s goals and desires for my life?”

Lord help me in all areas of my life to see those things you’d have me hold onto, as well as those things I should jettison. Help me obey when you reveal them to me. Light the path you’ve laid out in front of me, that I may see it clearly, and not go astray from it. Thank you for this upcoming year. May I glorify you in my living. Amen.