Come with Me!

Is there any way to step off the treadmill a minute? The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:30-31 NIV). Let me ask you to read those two verses again before reading any farther. In fact, you have my permission to read those verses and disregard the rest of this article. Pay special attention to the last sentence. Read it out loud. Apparently, you chose to continue reading. Since you did, let me ask: Did you see the invitation from the Son of God? “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Would getting away by yourself with Jesus appeal to you? Would you accept the invitation if you didn’t have so much to get done today? Here’s how Eugene Peterson writes it: Jesus said, “Come off by yourselves; let’s take a break and get a little rest.” For there was constant coming and going. They didn’t even have time to eat. (Mark 6:31 MSG). “There was constant coming and going.” Sound like your family? Get up early. Get ready for work. Get the kids ready for school. Kiss your husband good-by as he rushes out the door. Get the kids to school. Rush to work. Work hard all day. Call your husband and ask him to pick up the kids so you can go to the gym. Rush through your workout. Pick up dinner on the way home. Feed the kids. Help them with homework. Get them to bed. Plop down on the sofa with your husband while half watching the late news. You both share some of what you did during the day. You kiss each other good night. Just before you drift off to sleep you pray, “Lord, I’m so tired. Please let me get a good night’s sleep.” The next thing you hear is the alarm reminding you that it’s time to start it all over again. Maybe your situation is different. You wake up in the morning to a quiet house. There is no one there but you. You are alone. You are almost always alone. Alone. But busy. You have things to do. You have bills to pay. You have phone calls to make. You have several errands to run. You have a boss to please. You find yourself rushed and weary and worn-out at the end of every day. As you lay down you pray, “Lord, thank you for helping me get through the day and to accomplish everything on my list.” Then, you ask yourself, “Did I eat dinner?” It’s just the two of you. But, you are considering expanding your family. So, you’re both working hard to get ahead and stay ahead, and build the nest egg. In the process of making it all happen you find that you are feeling pressure to do more and spending fewer and fewer evenings at home together. When you put your head on your pillow you pray a silent prayer, “Lord, protect our marriage. Please don’t let us drift apart.” Take a deep breath and read those words again. “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Take another deep breath. Read those words again. “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Breath again. Close your eyes and say the words. “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Take another deep breath. Don’t allow guilt to spoil the moment. Sure you are busy. We all are. Maybe you are too busy to eat, or to rest, or to be quiet, or to spend much time alone with the Lord. That’s why Jesus said what He did to His disciples, and to us. He knew we are prone to get overcommitted and stressed-out. Take another deep breath and read those words again: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Feel that? That’s what it feels like to take just a moment to answer the call to be alone with the Lord, just for a moment. There’s a good chance that you have other things to do, so take another deep breath and take these words with you as you go through your day: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you as you go through your day with Jesus. About the author: Tom Norvell is the author of “A Norvell Note” — Thoughts and reflections on God, life, people, and living as a follower of Jesus. He has ministered with followers of Jesus for four decades and loves Jesus, his family, and those seeking Jesus, passionately.

Daily Prayer for February 23

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Revelation 7:9-10, NIV Lord God, we turn to you, praying that your kingdom may come. May your Jerusalem really come on earth, with all those blessed ones who are allowed to gather around Jesus Christ through forgiveness of sins and the resurrection. Come with your light into our time so that sins may be forgiven and people may find salvation. Remember those in great distress. Come with your help to those struggling with sin or death, for help can come from you alone. Nothing can help us except your fatherly love in Jesus Christ. Praised be your name! Amen.   Recent articles on Plough A Day in the Life of a Military Mennonite in Ukraine William Fleeson In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, I made the rounds with a pacifist army chaplain. Read now What the Prophets Knew About Meals Swapan Samanta The ancient wisdom of five religious traditions anticipated the gross inequities of modern economics – and offers a way out. Read now Temptations in the Wilderness Christopher Snook On the first Sunday of Lent, we remember how the devil tempted Christ, and how Christ foiled him. Read now Unwelcome Pruning Norann Voll Lenten lessons from a crop of grapes ruined by Australian wildfires. Read now Bake and Pray Kendall Vanderslice Discover the messy beauty of rolling up your sleeves and making bread – recipe included! Read now

Our Assurance of Reunion

Can you be sure you will see them again? I was just a little knotty-kneed bur-headed kid, stuck inside a hot Oklahoma white clapboard church building. People were crying and carrying on, especially my grandmother, whom we called Granny. The congregation sang a few ol’ toe-tapper songs of heaven and then when the preacher was done, we went out back and buried somebody that was one of my relatives. After a few words and a prayer at the graveside, we all hugged and went back to the church building. People set out food – lots of food, real good food like fried chicken, potato salad, and pie. Then everyone sat around in the shade and visited, drinking sweet iced tea and laughing at old jokes and enlarged tales of family members I never knew – many of whom my parents weren’t sure I should know. I remember this event as a happy time. I also remember it was the first time I ever played washers – kids like me and old guys, playing washers under the shade of the trees. I never doubted after that day why my Granny loved funerals and cemeteries. What about you? Are you like Granny? Do you love funerals? I’m not sure I can say I love them, but my view of them was forever changed by that life-altering event in early childhood … and one other event. I stood before the casket of my own father at 25, at a resting place just two exits up the highway from where I now preach. I read these words of comfort from the apostle Paul: And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died.I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) I’ve read those words more times than I can count since then. I’ve stood before over-sized caskets and tiny ones, boxes for great saints and ardent sinners, young and old, tragic deaths and grand ol’ saints relieved of suffering and going off to glory. I really do believe Paul’s promises. Every time I read those words, I think of the old white church building in Oklahoma and seeing interesting relatives. I remember toe-tapping to the beat of songs about heaven. I remember eating fried chicken, and chocolate pie. I remember the smell of freshly dug dirt and the clink of washers. I remember the raspy chuckles of great uncles and my G-daddy as they smoked under those trees and laughed with us as we played. Because of Jesus – because of our faith in him, because we were buried and raised with him – funerals now remind me of our promised reunion with loved ones we haven’t seen a long time and reunion with relatives we’ve never known except through stories! Jesus is coming for us so we can have reunion! But don’t trust my word for it, look what Paul gives us as the reasons for this future: Vs. 14 – our faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection Vs. 14 – those who die in Jesus (those who are “asleep in him”) will never have their relationship with him severed Vs. 15 – the Lord’s own word Now look at the end of this little passage of graveside encouragement. Notice that Paul gives us two promises … two certainties … two truths that give us the assurance of reunion! We’ll meet Him and them in the air We will be with Him, together, forever We are a Sunday people – each week brings us the reminder of the Lord’s resurrection! Because of that resurrection, we have the assurance that our resurrection lies ahead. Because of the Lord’s resurrection, we have the gift of the Spirit. Because of the Lord’s resurrection, we have each other … forever. Jesus’ resurrection is our assurance of reunion. Better, more glorious, and more fun than that clapboard church picnic beside the cemetery, our future is secured and our party is planned. Reunion awaits … and if you will listen, you can hear the clink of washers, smell the fried chicken, and tap your toes to the distant sound of the songs of future glory. About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.

Romantic Faith

How can faith be romantic? The two words don’t often get put together – romance and faith. I think we tend to hear the word romance of relationships in blossom. So we speak of a friend who is in a romantic relationship. We even use the word in verbal formulations to talk of someone who is “romancing” or “being romanced.” On the other hand, faith seems to have connotations of either a religious experience (i.e., a life of faith) or an identifiable set of beliefs (i.e., the Christian faith as opposed to the Muslim or Buddhist faith). Maybe we should work to bring these terms into proximity. My personal opinion is that both would be blessed at the end of the process. Have you noticed how many people are declaring their rejection of religion nowadays? They point to tribal divisions, arrogance, and judgments passed not only by Christians against non-Christians but within the larger Christian camp. Maybe all this traces to the fact that we have turned a Jew’s teachings into those of a Greek and thereby confused faithfulness with a spirit of condemnation. The Greek view of reality, meaning, and truth demands rational explanation. So Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle set the agenda of defining and explaining things to the mind. The goal was to put explanations into claims that could be worded precisely, studied in minute detail, and debated for ever-increasing clarity. On that view, truth is static and inflexible, focuses on “essences” deemed more real than day-to-day experiences, and is often deemed cold and impersonal. The Hebrew idea is not necessarily hostile to definitions and the attempt to figure out how ideas and words correspond to the world we encounter. But it is more fundamentally about value, function, and relationship. Thus God himself is Truth. His words are “living and active” – dynamic, not static. God’s word ultimately became flesh in Jesus and is meant to be enfleshed by his followers. Thus truth is more a matter of right relationship with God and neighbor than definitions and dogma by which we judge each other – and sever relationships. Pilate’s “What is truth?” (John 18:38 NIV) was more a category mistake than anything else and better would have been cast as “Who is truth?” But he was a Greek-speaking, Greek-thinking Roman bureaucrat, not a son of Israel. God is truth. So the one who is simultaneously the Way, Life, and Truth was before him unrecognized. Being a Christ-follower is thus more a journey into unknown places, a process of ongoing transformation, or a romance than a seminary lecture. The time is long past due to allow faith to be a love affair rather than a war of words. The Word became flesh and lived among us … (John 1:14 NIV). About the author: Rubel Shelly preached for decades and served as a professor of medical ethics, Bible, and philosophy at multiple universities. He was a former president of Rochester College and Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Lipscomb University. He was the author of more than 30 books and hundreds of inspirational articles. His commitment to a non-sectarian presentation of the gospel touched countless lives.

Sheep and Cats

Can cats go astray? You will find a lot of discussion in the Bible about sheep and goats, but there just doesn’t seem to be a good passage on sheep and cats. For that, and other good reasons we will just have to do without an opening text for this discussion. The Word of God was wise when it chose sheep as a type of lost man. Sheep are such simple animals. When you find a lost sheep it looks lost. It knows it’s lost. You know it’s lost. There is just a simple openness and helplessness about lost sheep. So when God says in Isaiah 53, “All we like sheep have gone astray …” it isn’t really hard to relate the picture to lost man. On the other hand, if He had said, “All we like cats have gone astray …” we would have a totally different problem. Cats just don’t like to think of themselves as strays. They never seem to be able to admit that they have made a mistake. There is a certain air of pride about a cat that sheep just don’t have. The cat may know that he is lost but he is not going to let you know that he is. Cats seem to always be saying, “I know who I am and what I am doing, and it is just exactly what I intended.” He can fall in the pond, nearly drown, and barely make the bank alive, but he will crawl out, look you square in the eyes and say, “I meant to do that.” Sometimes I wonder if we aren’t more like cats than sheep. We seen to do such dumb things and then our pride makes us say, “I meant to do that.” I pray that we will not really turn out to be that way. I hope that we will realize that we are in fact sheep that have gone astray. After all, the Savior is a finder of lost sheep, not an admirer of proud cats! Once you were wandering like lost sheep. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls. (1 Peter 2:25) About the author: Bill is a long time minister in Nacogdoches, Texas who loves world missions. His passion for ministry has led him all over the world. In addition to his work as a minister, he is also a licensed professional counselor. Bill’s family is also involved in ministry and service to the world and community.

Listen to Your Teacher

Have you been listening lately? Vann and I had come in early for a pre-office hours meeting. We were both exhausted from a busy weekend and not really in a place to emotionally be very valuable to each other, but we were there anyway. We both admitted that we were too tired to be ready to do much productive thinking. Then Sam came in to say, “Hi.” Sam is the precious son of another person on our staff. His dad comes in early to start his work, then runs Sam to school. Sam came in and visited with us a minute and lifted our spirits. Vann and I both told Sam we were a little bit grumpy and asked him what we needed to do to be nice to the people we would meet that morning. Sam smiled sweetly, and replied very matter-of-factly, “Listen to your teacher.” Vann and I made eye contact and both had that expression on our faces that said that we had gotten the God-sent message from our little prophet. “Listen to your teacher.” In the rush of ministry, of life’s demands, of paying bills, of taking care of families, of pursuing goals, of fulfilling commitments, and a host of other demands, this is the ultimate reminder of what is important. We can get so caught up in doing our “Jesus stuff” that we lose track of Jesus’ voice in our own lives. We can forget why we do what we do. We can forget how we should treat people. We can get so self-absorbed or goal-absorbed or schedule-absorbed that we forget that we are to be Jesus to the people we meet each day. And to be Jesus to the people we meet each day, we’ve got to listen to our Teacher! A student is not better than his teacher. But when the student has fully learned, then he will be like his teacher. (Luke 6:40 ERV) About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.

Finding Contagious Joy

How can we move from contingent joy through courageous joy to contagious joy? Everyone is looking for joy. Marketing companies know this. Every commercial promises the same product: joy. Want some joy? Buy our hand cream. Want some joy? Sleep on this mattress. Want some joy? Eat at this restaurant, drive this car, wear this dress. Every commercial portrays the image of a joy-filled person. Even Preparation H. Before using the product, the guy frowns and squirms in his chair. Afterwards, he is the image of joy. Joy. Everyone wants it. Everyone promises it. But can anyone deliver it? It might surprise you to know that joy is a big topic in the Bible. Simply put: God wants his children to be joy-filled. Just like a father wants his baby to laugh with glee, God longs for us to experience a deep-seated, deeply rooted joy. The joy offered by God joy is different than the one promised at the car dealership or shopping mall. God is not interested in putting a temporary smile on your face. He wants to deposit a resilient hope in your heart. He has no interest in giving you a shallow happiness that melts in the heat of adversity. But he does offer you a joy: a deep-seated, heart-felt, honest-to-goodness, ballistic strong sense of joy that can weather the most difficult of storms. Peter referred to this joy in the opening words of his epistle: Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls (I Peter 1:8-9 ). Who was Peter addressing when he spoke of unspeakable joy? He was speaking “To God’s chosen people who are away from their homes and are scattered all around the countries of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1 NCV). Peter was speaking to persecuted Christians – people who had been driven from their cities, separated from their families. Their rights had been taken. Their property had been taken. Their possessions had been taken. Their futures had been taken, but their joy had not been taken. Why? Go back to Peter’s Epistle again – this time in another translation: Although you haven’t seen Jesus, you still love Him. Although you don’t yet see Him, you do believe in Him… (1 Peter 1:8 The Voice). The source of their joy? Jesus! And since no one could take their Jesus, no one could take their joy. What about you? What has been taken from you? Your health? Your house? Have you buried a dream? Have you buried a marriage? Buried a friend? As you look at these burial plots of life, is your joy buried there, too? If so, you may have substituted courageous joy for contingent joy. Contingent joy is always dependent upon a circumstance. Contingent joy says I’ll be happy when… or I’ll be happy if… I’ll be happy when I have a new house or a new spouse. I’ll be happy when I’m healed or when I’m home. Contingent joy depends upon the right circumstance. Since we cannot control every circumstance, we set ourselves up for disappointment. Envision the person who buys into the lie of contingent joy. As a young person they assume, if I get a car, I’ll be happy. They get the car, but the car wears out. They look for joy elsewhere. If I get married, I’ll be happy. So they get married, then disappointed. The spouse cannot deliver. This ritual goes on through a series of attempts. If I get the new job… if I can retire… If we just had a baby. In each case, joy comes, then diminishes. By the time this person reaches old age, he has ridden a roller coaster of hope and disappointment. He or she becomes sour and fearful. Contingent joy turns us into wounded people. Courageous joy, however, turns us into strong people. Courageous joy sets the hope of the heart on Jesus and Jesus alone. Since no one can take your Christ, no one can take your joy. Think about it. Can death take your joy? No, because Jesus is greater than death. Can failure take your joy? No, because Jesus is greater than your sin. Can betrayal take your joy? No, because Jesus will never leave you. Can sickness take your joy? No, because God has promised – whether on this side of the grave or the other – to heal you. Can disappointment take your joy? No, because though your plan may not work out, you know God’s plan will. Death, failure, betrayal, sickness, disappointment. They cannot take your joy because they cannot take your Jesus. And Jesus promised, “[N]o one will take away your joy” (John 16:22). Is that to say your life will be storm-free? Is that to say no sorrows will come your way? No. Jesus reminds us of the truth: In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world (John 16:33). Is that to say you will never cross the drylands of sorrow? No. But that is to say your sorrow will not last forever! Jesus promises us: You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy (John 16:20). Years ago, I lived on a houseboat that was docked on the Miami River. The level of the river would rise and fall with the tide. The boat rocked back and forth with the river traffic. But though the level changed and the boat rocked, we never drifted. Why? Because we were anchored to a concrete sea wall. Courageously joyful people have done the same. They have anchored their hearts to the shoreline of God. Will the boat rock? Yes. Will moods come and go? No doubt. But will they be left adrift on the Atlantic of despair? No, for they

Daily Prayer for February 21

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:25-27, NIV Lord our God, remember us even though we are only a few. Protect us from all evil, from all inner harm, which threatens us every day. Let your hand be over us so that at last a great power may stream out from your church into all the world, bringing the fulfillment of your promises. We thank you for all your goodness. Watch over us, we pray. Keep us in the right spirit and purpose, and help us resist all that is wrong and harmful. Grant that we serve you and not the world. Protect us this day and every day. Amen.   Recent articles on Plough Temptations in the Wilderness Christopher Snook On the first Sunday of Lent, we remember how the devil tempted Christ, and how Christ foiled him. Read now Unwelcome Pruning Norann Voll Lenten lessons from a crop of grapes ruined by Australian wildfires. Read now Bake and Pray Kendall Vanderslice Discover the messy beauty of rolling up your sleeves and making bread – recipe included! Read now The Flaming Heart of Danko Maxim Gorky In this Russian legend, a young man sacrifices his life to save his people. Read now Not All Right Tish Harrison Warren I heard the girl kneeling next to me whisper to her mom: “Does my ash look all right?” Read now

Storm Peace

Can you rest securely when the storm winds blow? Years ago I heard the story of the farmhand employed by a man who lived in the city. Every evening before nightfall, the farmhand would secure all the gates and close down all the sheds and outhouses. Nothing was left to chance. There were no open doors left to bang around in the wind and no loose gates to accidentally swing open and cause trouble. He did his work thoroughly and made everything under his control as secure as he possibly could. If storms blew in during the night, they would not do any damage due to the faithful farmhand’s oversight, diligence, and faithfulness. Late one evening, the owner visited the farm and heard a weather report of an unusually severe storm approaching. The wind gusts were frightening and such a storm had never been experienced in the area before. In the dark, alarmed at the report, he sought out the old farmhand down at the cottage. “There’s a terrible storm coming,” he said, banging on the door. “Why aren’t you out there making everything secure? What needs to be done?” he asked in a panic. The old farmhand opened the door and held his lantern high. He looked at the owner and replied in a measured and dismissive tone as he turned away, “I sleep well on windy nights.” The Old Testament tells of a man who did not wait until the storms raged. Like the farmhand securing the farm, it was his custom to secure his family every day. Early every morning, as was his “regular custom,” Job took each one of his grown up sons and daughters to a safe place with God and secured pardon for any sins they might accidentally have committed. (Job 1:5) Have we done everything in our power during the good times to secure our loved ones against whatever tragedies and difficulties might threaten them? We, too, can sleep well on windy nights when destructive storms and gales threaten our families after we have placed them in the Lord’s keeping. Make it a “regular custom” so that we have peace even in the midst of storms. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (Jesus in  John 14:27 NKJV) About the author: Elizabeth is a team writer for “Just a Minute” e-zine.

Country Chicken

A Texas city slicker? I have just spent the last few days at a friend’s ranch in the Hill Country. It’s about 450 acres of gorgeous land, fabulous trees and about 30 longhorn cattle. The cattle, not unlike many of us Texans, boast quite an attitude. They are a handsome yet prideful lot. As usual, I was accompanied by my faithful Labrador, Valentine. She had a temporary identity crisis and attempted to be a herding dog instead of a retriever. Fortunately, the sound of a one ton bawling animal with horns the size of a compact car was enough to rattle her back to reality and she retreated. I am a native born Texan – third generation on both sides of my family raised in the Lone Star State. I like to think of myself as fairly well balanced and flexible, able to manage effectively both in high heels and boots. I was raised in Fort Worth, a good sized city that’s also called “Cowtown,” well in touch with my state’s ranching, cattle-raising and horse-loving roots. Fact is though, I can saddle a horse, but only if you give me enough time, and I can ride as long as the animal stays in low gear. Push it to a trot though and I stiffen up like a mesquite branch in a hard freeze. I confess that I am truly a city girl. No escaping that fact. I do own a pair of boots but they are five years old. Unless I have some mid-life growth spurt, they will last me until I face the grave. I am strong enough to heft a bale of hay, but not because I’ve ever done so. Those back muscles come from a pristinely clean fitness facility with gym rats wearing fancy workout clothes. My nails and cuticles are in much too nice shape to ever convince anyone that I might have scrubbed out a stock tank or helped deliver a foal. Yet, I love to escape the hectic pace of my urban life and pretend I am a rural cattle queen or high falutin’ horse rancher. As the old song goes, “The stars at night Are big and bright, Deep in the Heart of Texas” and I thrill to see them glitter in the black night sky. I love standing on the edge of a mountain (not a mountain by Colorado standards, but by, let’s say, Dallas standards) where I can see for miles – nothing but hills and trees and patches of pasture dotted with cattle or goats or horses. The verses from Psalm 50:10-12 seems to sum up that view: For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine … for the world is mine, and all that is in it. Honestly, I jump at the sound of deer tromping through the trees at night when I let the dog out. I rush back in the warm cabin when I hear coyotes yapping in the not too distant woods. I stay on the trails and rutted roads so as to not get lost when I go for a mid-day hike. I’m a city slicker and a country chicken. But the God I serve and worship from this hilltop sanctuary reminds me that this world – His earth – is in the palm of his hand. The 30 some-odd ornery longhorns eyeing me on my morning walk are a drop in the bucket of his creation. The birds flitting from feeder to fence that catch my attention and thrill my heart – he knows every feather of their wing and their chirp by heart. He knows all that and more and yet loves me beyond comprehension. He did not allow his only Son to die or send his Holy Spirit for those lumbering cattle or flighty feathered ones. He did all that and more for me. His hand of protection and his heart of love extend to me whether I’m safe in my seat-belted, security-system-ed city life or way out in the midst of this wide-open wilderness. I will return today to the traffic, the voice mail, a high-speed internet and infomercial life. It will be back to a ringing phone, a hungry washing machine, and the standard demands of family time. But after these few days away, I will take back with me the memory of those cattle on a thousand hills as well as the mind’s eye view of the rugged scenery and pleasant pastures. My citified stroll through the mall and my favorite well stocked grocery store will be tinged for a while with a bit of cowgirl swagger. Most important though, I will carry with me the reminder that God in His infinite creativity and immense love for humanity made this remarkable world for me to enjoy. He set up his system of creation and creature to rattle me from my self-imposed busyness and refresh my heart. There may be oh so many cattle on thousands and thousands of hills, but there is only one you … and only one me. And God’s love for us is as immeasurable as the shades of color in a Texas sunset. About the author: Amy C. Baker is an author and speaker. She’s a former human resources executive at Dell and now a full time wife, mom, author and communications consultant. Her first two books, Slow Dancing on Death’s Door and Seven Lessons for Career Success. She’s also recorded an audio CD of drive time devotionals. For more information on her ministry and the passion that fuels it, see www.amycbaker.com