She Gives Me Hope

Mark 5:25-29; 32-34

And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

I've been sewing a Mary Poppin's coat for my granddaughter. She wants to dress up like Mary for Trunk-and-Treat. Her mama provided the hat and parrot-headed umbrella, but we couldn't find a child-sized Poppin's coat, anywhere. So Grammy Penny (that's me!) searched high and low to find a pattern and blue wool to create the perfect costume/winter coat. I've stitched for several days and finally come to the finishing touches. Yesterday, I laid the coat out and started pinning the hem. As I rounded the garment, my mind drifted to the woman who touched the edge of Jesus' robe.

The woman, who had bleed for years from a disease no one could heal, placed her hand on the cloth of Jesus' cloak. She didn't ask. Instead she reached out in faith and hope. She believed she'd be healed by the Great Physician. Indeed, her aliment left her body. More important, her healing brought recognition from Jesus. He saw and felt her faith as she touched his clothes. Jesus freed her from her suffering because of her trust.

Jesus wants me to believe. I admit, my faith has been shaken when friends I've prayed for died. I didn't understand. I tried not to question, but I did, yet I'm drawn back to this woman who's faith healed her. She gives me hope. I'm reminded, sometimes the healing comes on earth and sometimes in heaven. I may not like the answer to my prayers. But I have faith in Jesus to heal the wounds the world opens. As the woman knelt down to touch Jesus' garment, I kneel to praise my Lord and my Savior and to proclaim my trust in him.

Have faith in the One who saves.

Flower Friday: Mandevilla Sanderi

The Mandevilla Sanderi, new to me this summer, grows in a variety of colors. My step-daughter has a lovely white one on her front steps. I discovered the pink ones at the Book Loft in Columbus. Also called Brazilian jasmine, this vining plant adds a fun flair to summer flowers. 

What we do not See

Just looking at Lake Michigan, I have to wonder what is under the water. Like the ocean or any large body of water, we can't see what's there. Yet we venture in with the hope all will be well. How much more faith does it take to venture into a life with Jesus? 

Have faith!

Fiction Review: One More River to Cross by Jane Kirkpatrick

Book Description:

In 1844, two years before the Donner Party, the Stevens-Murphy company left Missouri to be the first wagons into California through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Mostly Irish Catholics, the party sought religious freedom and education in the mission-dominated land and enjoyed a safe journey--until October, when a heavy snowstorm forced difficult decisions. The first of many for young Mary Sullivan, newlywed Sarah Montgomery, the widow Ellen Murphy, and her pregnant sister-in-law Maolisa.

When the party separates in three directions, each risks losing those they loved and faces the prospect of learning that adversity can destroy or redefine. Two women and four men go overland around Lake Tahoe, three men stay to guard the heaviest wagons--and the rest of the party, including eight women and seventeen children, huddle in a makeshift cabin at the headwaters of the Yuba River waiting for rescue... or their deaths.

My Review:
One More River to Cross is a musical chorus with high and low chords woven together to create a dramatic melody of fear, faith, and triumph. The folks who pioneered the west were tough people. The men and women in this story showed a strength I can't imagine. As the story jumped among three different groups, I cheered for those who took on the task of leadership and hoped for those who were losing focus. Their faith kept them from giving up. I especially enjoyed Daniel, Beth, Ellen and Mary's stories. If you love historical fiction based on true experiences, you'll want to read One More River to Cross. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Sweet or Stinky, How do you Smell?

2 Corinthians 2:15

For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

Big Apple Bagel serves the best bagels in Cincinnati. They are the perfect balance of chewy and light. If you stand outside in front of the big picture window, you can watch the bakers process the delicious treats. They pull the dough into an "o" shape, boil them in water, then bake them to a golden brown. When you walk in the door, the smell hits you. That luscious fragrance of fresh baked bread.

Research has shown that smells tug at our memory. Every time I inhale the scent of fresh cut wood, visions of my grandpa come back to me. We had an elevator at work that smelled like oil and metal and reminded me of my dad. A fragrance can conjure up a happy moment and bring back sweet memories.

Odors attract or repel.

As followers of Jesus, Paul says we are the "pleasing aroma" for people who believe and those who don't. As the odor of Jesus, we should smell sweet, drawing others to him. Most everyone has gotten a whiff of a skunk. They reek. The stench they give off isn't a pleasing aroma, instead their smell insults the senses. We've all sniffed a flower. Flowers spread a lovely perfume that draws bees and butterflies. Jesus wants his followers to smell like flowers instead of skunks. Our fragrance reflects our behavior and our faith. People will know Jesus by our aroma of grace and kindness.

Are people attracted to Jesus by your scent? Or are they repelled?

Flower Friday: Love-in-a-mist

I was introduced to Love-in-a-mist by a dear friend. This gorgeous flower belongs to the buttercup family. Once you sow the seed in spring, expect these beauties to bloom and produce seed pods for the next year. They'd be a lovely addition to a cottage garden.

Be a Flower!

Why be a weed, when you can be a flower!