23 March 2025

Signs of Spring
My father’s mother—whom my sister affectionately dubbed “Froggy Grandma”—loved to watch for that first crocus of spring. Or since it was one of her favorite flowers, maybe I should spell it like 
this: c-r-o-a-k-u-s.

Besides the usual floral array, weeds also signal spring’s beginning. I doubt Froggy Grandma delighted in that first dandelion to adorn her lawn, but spotting weeds can serve at least one important purpose—to point out what the soil may lack.

In the Christian life, our weedy ways can indicate what is going on in the soil of the heart. For example, reading a certain book brought out a bevy of bitter rants from a reader. Oops! Those are not daffodils; those are dandelions. The good news is that the weeds could then be identified and uprooted. And pulling weeds makes more room for Froggy Grandma’s crocuses to grace that extra space in the yard.

09 March 2025

Plain Rain
What did my bread dough need so it would stick together better? Two extra teaspoons of water. It’s surprising how such a small amount of something so ordinary can make such a big difference in the dough.
 
What is one of the things we need in life to help conform us to the image of Christ? Plain old rain—you know, those circumstances that we dislike in life. Sometimes rain comes as a drizzle; other times rain comes as a downpour. It’s tempting to complain about the rain, wishing it would go away and never come again. But God knows best: For graces to grow, His people need plenty of plain old rain.