“Happy birthday, Jesus. But Lord, as the song says, ‘I have no gift to bring, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum.’”
There’s no greater gift to give or receive than the message of Truth wrapped in Love. The babe born in a stable, laid in a manger, who later lay down His life to save us as the perfect sacrificial Lamb of God. Jesus. King of kings, God incarnate—the most priceless gift offers Himself, new life and eternal life, free to all. He is the Prince of Peace and His peace is not contingent on circumstance. Jesus binds up the broken-hearted. He gives help to the helpless, hope to the hopeless. He is the Good Shepherd and the Way home for wayward. Come, let us adore Him.
“God, please don’t take Grandma from me yet,” I frequently prayed. Though I’d moved to the USA and Grandma remained in Jamaica, the world felt a little less scary and lonely because she was in it. “But when you take her home, Lord, I promise I’ll give her eulogy and tell those in attendance about her and how she pointed me to You.”
One day God whispered to my heart, “It’s time to let her go.”
Feast on a banquet of truth from one who greets life’s challenges with grit & grace. Michael Duncan: author, pastor, master of the one-line sermon returns as my guest interviewee. Undeterred by threats, he shares wit, wisdom, and some wild stories including the unlikely setting in which Jesus saved him.
Jesus told us not to worry because he knew we would and thus need this counsel. God gave us His Word not for us to use it to bludgeon ourselves or each other, but to instruct, encourage, correct, redirect our missteps, and draw us to Himself.
I hate being hurried but struggle to be still. “The Sabbath feels more like a day of stress than a day of rest,” I’ve said. “How do you cease from work, as God says in His Word, when you’re a woman, especially when you have young children? Where is the rest in the rush to ready your little ones to get to church, then home to feed the family, clean up, and barely make it back in time for evening service?”
Have we forgotten that the difference between America and dictatorships is we have the freedom to think and feel differently and choose accordingly? And we don’t have to cancel or kill each other because our opinions contradict.
I’m doubly blessed this week and pray you will be too. Blessed to share my salvation story titled “Three Men, Jesus, and Me” featured on the Heart of Flesh Literary Journal site.
2025 Selah Winner Essays Online | Three Men, Jesus, and Me by Rachael M Colby
“Heart of Flesh is a semiannual, online and print literary journal that seeks quality writing and art with Christian themes.” Owner, author, and editor Veronica McDonald publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, photography, and art, and features Christian salvation testimonies online throughout April and October..
Blessed to offer encouragement with my article “The Power of One In a Writer’s Life” on The Write Conversation.
The Write Conversation blog is a ministry of Edie Melson, author, editor, writing instructor, and director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. The Write Conversation hosts encouragement and instruction for writers on the craft and in their faith from a variety of contributing authors including Edie’s frequent offerings.
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Resources to encourage for #PastorAprpreciationMonth
In the year of our meager manger, a snowman made of sand, a lone shepherd, and two sheep showed up for the annual frenzied day-of-decoration at our home.—Sans Mary, Joseph, Jesus, or anyone else.
Tattoo It On Your Heart 