Bloom with Jesus!

My granddaughter, Reagan, helped me decorate the Christmas tree this year. She had only put a couple of ornaments on the tree when I heard a crash, which happens every year. She even commented that there had been another casualty and that an ornament fell off the tree. No worries, we have lost more valuable decorations in the past when she and her sister were much smaller. This particular bulb was one that the grandkids made, and I have since learned to purchase plastic bulbs and not glass ones for them to make ornaments. Decorating with small children can result in broken pieces, but the memories are far more precious than any broken decoration. Today I wrapped a few Christmas presents, and when I put them under the tree I could still see remnants of the glitter which had been inside the broken ornament. The floor in that area had a slight copper-colored sparkle to it. Knowing where the glitter came from reminded me of our brokenness. Our lives are sometimes shattered just like the bu...

  I still remember the phone call I received from my sister while on vacation several years ago. She called to inform me that our nephew Heath had embezzled money from the family farm to support his addiction to prescription narcotics. Though many of us were suspicious or even knew there was a problem, we ignored the signs. We did not realize how horrible his addiction had become. Now several years later, if you ask Heath about this day, he will describe it as the best and worst day of his life. The fall—The moment Heath’s world crashed down as the truth was revealed. Since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit there has been sin in the world. You and I are no exception. Though it seemed Heath’s sin was huge at the time, we all fall short of the glory of God. As the day unfolded Heath was given two options. He could leave the family farm and admit himself to rehab, or he could face criminal charges. With the unbelievable grace shown to him, he wept a sigh of relief. His drug addicti...