Heart Hope by Olga

It had been raining that day, which made it a perfect setting to reflect on the death and burial of our Lord and Savior. We had stopped to take a look at what many people think is the place mentioned in all four of the Gospels as the place of the Skull where Jesus had been crucified alongside the two criminals. Previously we had been to the place that most scholars believe is the most accurate place for the burial site of Jesus, but since it has been enthroned with a massive church building it doesn’t look like what our minds and hearts expect. Then we found ourselves in the spot that we envision the Garden Tomb setting to look like, beautifully landscaped, quiet and peaceful. Our group had gathered under a pavilion to celebrate the Lord’s Supper together. The bread and wine in tiny wooden chalices were served as we were reminded of the evening that Jesus had gathered with His disciples and the ultimate sacrifice that He had made for us. It was a somber moment and one of ...

“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities” – Stephen R. Covey  There are places where people seem to have been cut out by cookie cutters. The people all dress alike, talk alike, think alike and act alike. There is not much room for people who have different opinions; they would be ostracized in that type of environment. On the other hand there are places where people do not feel any need to conform what-so-ever. They simply do what ever they want whether it is good, bad or otherwise. I have lived in both kinds of places. At church one Sunday, I was reminded of the diversity in our small little church. As we were singing the phrase “Worship His holy name” in the worship song 10,000 Reasons a voice cried out in worship and praise to our God. At first it seemed rather out of place, but quickly brought tears to my eyes, a smile to my face and joy to my heart as I realized that we can all worship in different ways. Our church literally has people from all over the country ...

While visiting with my friend last week, it was decided that we needed to pray about a project that we were involved in. Since her 4 year old daughter was present we asked if she wanted to join in with us. She came and stood by us and then climbed into her mothers lap as we prayed. When the final amen had been said the precious little girl glanced at both of us and announced, “I didn’t really pray.” I burst into laughter and loved the honesty of that child. She has learned at a young age what many adults have not—that just because you bow your head and close your eyes it does not necessarily mean that you are praying.  There are many other things that can be going on in our hearts and minds during times of prayer. Our thoughts can be turned towards our plans for later. We can be distracted by other things going on around us. We can be daydreaming. We can be absorbed in ourselves. When these are the focus instead of our Father in heaven, we are probably not really praying either....

Charlie and Sadie-Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Tommy and I are dog sitting for the next few days. Our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel grand-dogs, Sadie and Charlie are great dogs, but very different. Sadie, the tri-color is the older of the two dogs. Being the “first born baby” of Lynn and Matt, she was spoiled rotten. She is a beauty and draws attention wherever she goes because of her regal appearance. But…she can be snooty because she thinks that everyone should do exactly what she wants them to. She will not eat her food when first given it, but several minutes later will bark, demanding it to be given to her on her own terms.  Sadie is also the “Eddie Haskell” of the “kids.” If you are a part of my generation you know exactly what that means, but for those of you who are not familiar with that term, I will elaborate. Eddie Haskell was the best friend of Wally Cleaver in the Leave It to Beaver TV series of the 50s and 60s. Eddie always said and did the right thing in fr...