Category Archives: Thoughts and Reflections

I Thought She was Wrong

Posted on February 16, 2016 by rstaples2013

The memories that stick with me from childhood are interesting. As a child, I noticed that when my mother read a book she always read the last few pages before she started the book. I somehow took it upon myself … Continue reading →

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Throwing a Red Flag

Posted on January 29, 2016 by rstaples2013

The line between excitement and anxiety is thin when watching a -football game. All of that changes if we are watching a recording of this same game now knowing the final score. Let’s consider this scene: Our team is behind … Continue reading →

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Comfort Through the Eyes of a Child

Posted on January 26, 2016 by rstaples2013

Jesus is clear in His teaching that we are to come to Him as a child. It is helpful to nurture relationships with children so that we can gain insight into what it is about a child that Jesus desires … Continue reading →

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Read Your Own Stuff

Posted on January 10, 2016 by rstaples2013

This afternoon my heart was troubled by a phone call from a friend who said she was in a “Spiritual Crisis”. The tone of her voice and the words she used evidenced deep distress. I didn’t find much success in … Continue reading →

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I’m so Glad it’s You

Posted on January 2, 2016 by rstaples2013

Years ago I had a good friend who was dying of leukemia. She lived nearby so I would often walk to her house, ring the doorbell, but let myself in. Her response, in the later months, would often be, “I … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Footprints in Chaos

Posted on December 22, 2015 by rstaples2013

Many of us love to pray or sing “Open my eyes, Lord, I want to see Jesus.” What we aren’t as quick to acknowledge is our expectation that the Jesus we see be accompanied by comfort, order and tranquility. Those … Continue reading →

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Maybe this Burden is not Mine

Posted on December 18, 2015 by rstaples2013

I have often prayed for a burden to be removed from mine, or a friends’ shoulder. I was impacted this morning by the wording of Psalm 81:6 “I removed his shoulder from the burden…” I would have expected it to … Continue reading →

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My Thanksgiving Feast

Posted on November 27, 2015 by rstaples2013

I woke up early on Thanksgiving morning to find that I had received a text in the middle of the night. The text was simple: “Woke up at 2:56.” Isaiah 25:6: “God is preparing a feast” The sender is a … Continue reading →

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How does God Spell “Healing”?

Posted on October 30, 2015 by rstaples2013

Today I visited a man who has what doctors call a terminal case of cancer. A white Mercedes-Benz is parked at the entrance of the driveway. He told me he was selling it to pay for his funeral expenses. A … Continue reading →

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Grieving a Loss That Does Not Leave

Posted on October 25, 2015 by rstaples2013

No one who is grieving compares one grief to another. Pain and loss are personal, not categorical. Pain is what the suffering person says it is. It is experienced as such and there is no comfort in hearing about someone … Continue reading →

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