My Father's Voice

In the early 1970s when my husband was finishing up his undergrad degree at Hampton University, then, Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia, we would often go to the Naval Air Station at Dam Neck. This small naval installation located near Virginia Beach, Virginia had the most beautiful beach and we would slip away from the studies and take the kids and make a day of it.  I love the water, but never really learned to swim proficiently. Most of my experience was at the shallow end of the local public swimming pool, so my familiarity with the ocean was non existent. I had just purchased this cute little black and white swimsuit with a jazzy red belt attached. It really didn't have straps, just two little holes on the sides, which when I slipped my arms into them... voila, it became a backless swimsuit. So cute! My idea of a fun day at the beach was to sit serenely in my cute little swimsuit and watch the antics of my kids and husband, and dole out the goodies.  ...

My family and I were bird watching in our back yard one day and saw an interesting sight.  We live in the country and my husband has made our place like a Club Med for birds.  There are countless feeders and a spectacular variety of birds who drop in on seemingly rotating schedules.  The redheaded Woodpeckers and Blue jays seem to compete for the same time slot.  The Woodpeckers are more aggressive, so the Blue jays usually don't challenge them. We have Sparrows, and brown House wrens, Yellow Finches and of course Robins.  Huge black birds swoop in and command the area, and  the doves are cooing on the ground.  There are also Red-winged black birds and a  host of other birds I don't recognize. This particular day, we saw a shadow darken the yard and watched the birds all scatter to the surrounding trees. We wondered what caused the commotion, when just about that time we saw a large hawk circling the tree line.  He ...

I was visiting a church with a friend and heard a message from the man who would become my pastor. He preached a message on Leviathan, taken from Job 41. The whole chapter is about a formidable beast that is impervious to almost everything.  He talked about the improbability of taming Leviathan or making friends with it.  It is impossible to pet it without losing a vital part of your anatomy; he also spoke about the scales, or shields that cover and protect this creature from attempts to kill it.  As this pastor drew a picture of this living armor-clad, natural annihilator, destructive as a tank, he then connected the subject of his message--pride. Pride is a fierce, terrifying opponent built for battle and all but impossible to destroy.  It glides along, smoothly, under the surface like a crocodile. Dangerous, deadly and not at all willing to be denied. It's strength is legendary; it's fierceness is unequaled.  It lies deceptive,  j...

As we approach the sacred season of the ressurection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, my heart leads me to share a piece I wrote many years ago.  The study of this event continues to captivate me and ever increases my love and devotion to my loving Redeemer. Grace & Peace  I remember attending an Easter play several years ago and I was quite disturbed by the portrayal of Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane the night he was taken captive.   This particular actor made Jesus seem like a wimpy, sniveling whiner who was mainly concerned about how he was going to suffer and how much pain he was going to experience.   His blubbering about what was going to happen to him sent my spirit man into orbit because Jesus was depicted as being primarily focused on his physical torture.   Not to minimize the agony of his passion and the gruesome crucifixion, but I don’t believe his anguish was entirely over physical pain. I left that evening grieved at h...

One day as my husband and I were praying and asking the Lord to meet a specific need, I heard in my spirit, 'Speak the Word only'.  Then the Holy Spirit reminded me of Matt 8:8, when the Roman centurion told Jesus to 'speak the word only, and my servant will be healed.' He recognized Jesus' authority over time, distance and circumstances.  The Lord reminded me of the scriptures, Ezekiel 43:2b and Revelation 1:15b which tell us that the voice of God is as the sound of many waters,  I had just recently viewed a video clip that described how water from the Great Lakes feeding into Niagara  created the Niagara Falls. The falls were formed when melting glaciers began to form the large freshwater lakes now known as the Great Lakes. The water in Lake Erie ran downhill toward Lake Ontario, forming a river. This river crosses a ridge known as the Niagara Escarpment. The area where this river falls over the cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment is known as Niagara Falls. N...

Have you ever energetically waved to someone you thought was waving to you, only to realize to your chagrin, they were not waving to you? There have been times that I could sense someone looking at me, and especially if I did not know the person, I felt uneasy, and uncomfortable, even defensive, until I discovered they were not looking at me, but past me to someone else! This is what God does regarding our sin, salvation and redemption.  He is not looking at us.  He is looking past us to the One who represents us, Jesus. Jesus made a declaration as He hung on the cross.  The last thing He uttered was, "It is finished!" The demands of a Holy God had been satisfied.  The full weight of sin, poured out, was laid on Him as He willingly took our place.  That was so we could be with Him in the presence of God forever.  Judgment had been meted out, the price has been paid, once for all; and grace has been released to all mankind.  The barrier between G...