Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

Luke 24:13-35 When we think of intervention, does the first image that comes to mind that of someone being confronted about their behavior by a group of friends and family members?  I know God does intervene, convicts me, when I need to make a change for the better. I also believe that intervention happens when we're in a situation that is beyond our capabilities  to solve a problem.  You know, those times when we're up to our arm pits in alligators and someone shows up with a boat.  In the same way, God intervenes when we need guidance and help. In Luke 24:13-35, we find the story of the walk to Emmaus.  It had been a confusing and difficult morning for Jesus' followers, including Cleopas and his friend.  Was Jesus alive or dead?  Had the body been stolen or had Mary gone  to the wrong tomb?  So Cleopas and his friend decided to leave Jerusalem and go home.  Scripture doesn't tell us why.  Passover was over, and wi...

Whether a change is expected or unexpected, good or bad, there is always a period of transition when we adjust to our new circumstances.  In many ways, it's like recovering from surgery or an illness -- we are recovering from change while moving into a new normal, a new place of wholeness.  But before we can get to that promised land of the new normal, it is necessary to journey through the wilderness of change with all its feelings of grief, pain, dislocation and disorientation.  This is the first in our new five-part series, "Living into 'New Normals'."   Job 1:13-22 John 14-15-21, 25-28 No matter what the change is, no matter how strong our faith is, there is a sense of dislocation and disorientation where we need to figure out where we are and where we are now going.  It's like being lost in a wilderness without a compass. When my husband and I moved to Cedar Rapids in 1999, we were excited.  Tom was starting a new job as a software engin...