The Plumbline

Try as we might, there are just times we don't hit the mark spot on. We miss, sometimes by a mile, and other times, just barely - but a miss is a miss, is it not? The moment we set out to do anything at all, we run the risk that we will not get to the end result that we imagined or desired. We fall short, or the desired result is just not what it should have been. This is all part of living on this planet - sometimes you get nuts, other times you don't! Sometimes you do okay in the realm of obedience - other times you just plain screw up! I am so glad to know that no matter how far away from the mark we end up - we are never too far away for God to set us back on target again! No matter how far away you end up, GOD, your God, will get you out of there and bring you back…GOD, your God will cut away the thick calluses on your heart and your children’s hearts, freeing you to love GOD, your God, with your whole heart and soul and live; really live.  And you will make a new st...

We all have "relationship" issues - no one is really immune to them - even if they only last for a while. One such 'issue' is something referred to as worry or anxiety. What does worry have to do with relationship? Glad you asked! Worry must be understood in order to see the impact it has on us - both in our relationship with God and in relationship with others.  Worry can be defined as those things (thoughts, attitudes, actions) that choke or strangle us - consuming our energy, and thereby choking the "life" out of our relationships. Worry impacts relationships because it is a behavior that "takes away from" the time or energy one puts into relationship - because our attention, thoughts, and activities are directed toward whatever it is we are worrying over.  Worry weighs us down; a cheerful word picks us up. (Proverbs 12:25) An old-fashioned definition of worry is to touch or "bother" something repeatedly. The idea of "bothering...