Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

"Jesus wept."   John 11:35            During times of loss, this has been one of most comforting verses in the Gospels for me.  Not that Jesus grieved the loss of Lazarus to the point of tears, but  he wept with -- Mary, Martha and their friends.       Jesus knew that there was a miracle coming, that soon all tears would be wiped away and a funeral luncheon would be turned into a celebratory feast.  I think that Jesus in an act of love, empathy and compassion, stopped, sat down with them and shared their suffering.  Not with words, but with his physical presence,       There are times when sorrow is so deep that no words can reach into its depths.  "Jesus wept" reminds us that there is no depth or darkness where Jesus is not with us, listening to our heart break and holding us in the comfort of his love.       Christians, as members of the body of Christ, are Jesus' living presence for the world.  For me, in my time of sorrow, the church, my

Photo by Tom Van "My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness." Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.  2 Corinthians 12:9-10  The Message I am adjusting ...    To the catch in my heart when I forget for the moment that Tom is no longer with me,        and I want to call him to say goodnight;        think, "I should tell Tom about this movie;"        or go to ask him if he'd rather listen to the jazz station. I am getting used to ...      Feeling perpetually sad,      and always tired and foggy-minded,      In other words being okay about not being

Photo by Tom Van The nature of this blog is going to change a bit.  I'll still share my sermons and other devotionals, but I'm also going to use this blog to journal my thoughts, feelings and prayers as a new widow. On June 27, my husband and life partner, Tom, at the age of 65, died unexpectedly from a heart attack.  Our promise to each other was "no matter what, until death do us part."  I never thought that that death would part us so soon, too soon.  Twenty, thirty years from now, yes, but not now.  Not now.  Good Shepherd, You never promised there would only be still waters and green pastures. Like marriage, life is for better or for worse. But how could I be prepared for the very worst to happen? And now, I find muself in the darkest valley of loss I have ever seen as You lead me to the foreign land called widowhood. I feel weak and lost, wandering from room to room. I don't want to believe he's gone. I don't