Pat's View: Inspirational stories

Have you ever experienced an electric fence? When my oldest granddaughter, Karyn, was a baby, I was invited to speak at a church in a rural community. They booked a room for me in a gorgeous bed and breakfast in the middle of farmland. The land adjacent to the house was a pasture with cows and a donkey. Saturday morning Wayne brought Karyn and joined me for the remainder of the meetings. That even...

Elisha trusted God and his life proved it. The king of Syria carefully developed a surprise attack strategy against Israel, but when it failed...again and again. It seemed obvious that there must be a traitor in his inner circle. He summoned his officers and demanded answers and explanations. Who is the traitor? One brave man finally spoke up, "There is no traitor among us. Elisha, the prophet in...

Samaria the capital of Israel's northern kingdom was under siege. Ben-hadad, the Syrian king and his powerful army's presence had resulted in a disastrous famine. Israel's king was walking along a wall when a woman cried out to him for help. His answer expressed his sense of utter helplessness. I quoted from the New Living translation, but the Aramean is translated in most places as Syrian.  2 Kin...

The cuckoo doesn't build a nest. A mama cuckoo bird doesn't need a nest  and the story behind the "why" is absolutely cuckoo! Cuckoo means crazy as a Bessie bug in Southernese. A Mama Cuckoo Bird is able to incubate her eggs inside her body at least 24 hours longer than most birds. While many mama's have finished laying their eggs and are sitting contently or so it would appear, on their nest, the...

Whatever   If you are a parent I know you've heard it or maybe you've even mumbled it to your spouse...   most of the time it's used to end an argument it's only a single word and when it's spoken it is barely audible... actually it more of a mutter, just a quiet, defiant mutter... I'm referring to the word "whatever."   It depends on how you use it. But I'm not referring to the way the word was i...

Preserved Forever The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson. It declared independence from England in 1776. It is 29 3/4 inches long and 24 ½ wide. Strong light and careless handling caused excessive fading in America's founding document. This founding document was far too valuable to lose. Something had to be done to preserve it. American leaders decided to display it in a s...

The Sound of Music Julie Andrews stole the hearts of Americans and Canadians with her passionate "The hills are alive with the sound of music." The music, the heart wrenching story and yes, even the magnificent Alps contribute in making "The Sound of Music" a classic. She seems totally lost in the beauty around her. While I've never seen Mont Blanc or the Alps and I certainly can't sing, I find my...

What are you doing with your sword?   While I understand that Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; it is more than exquisite beauty, extravagant design or even the intricate craftsmanship that made the Napoleon Bonaparte sword the 2nd most expensive sword in the world. The supporting story that the golden studded handle was held in the hand of the French emperor and used on the battlefield was a...

My teacher challenged me. Do remember when your Sunday School teacher or maybe your children's church teacher challenged you to memorize God's word? If you were like most of us that first verse was "Jesus wept." And probably the second one  was either John 3:16 or Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.    Wrapped with a prize.   My teacher's challenged was usually wrap...

Prayer is a responsibility and a privilege. But is it really a priority? How do you make or keep it a priority? I am so thankful to be a child of God. Belonging to God's family means that I have the privilege of coming boldly into God's presence. I can open my heart and share it with Him without shame or fear. Because there are so many different kinds of families, some great and some dysfunctional...

I really want to know... "How is your race going?" It's so important to me that I struggled over this post for two days. While you think about your answer...and will you please share it with us in the comment section below. Will you take a walk with me? Washington D.C. is one of my favorite places to walk...especially for a prayer walk. The Thomas Jefferson building, one of the four Library of Con...

The mighty Colorado river, known historically for its disastrous Spring time floods, zigzags from the gleaming snowcapped mountains of Colorado southward all the way to Mexico. There, it finally empties into the Gulf of California. The lofty dreams of actually wrangling and harvesting the flood waters that would produce power and reclaim the bleak wastelands of the dessert began with the construct...

Download Podcast In 1996, the Olympic summer games were held in the United States. The Olympic torch traveled across America to communities containing 90% of the America population. Ten thousand Americans were given the high honor of carrying the Olympic torch before it reached its final destination in Atlanta, Georgia. People, of diverse ethnic groups and ages carrying the Olympic flame, ran, wal...

Is Living Water Flowing Out of You? We were in Sedona AZ and I was looking for places to visit when I spotted the words Montezuma's Castle National Monument. I had to see it. The next morning we made our way through the doors of the visitors center and onto a  winding path shaded by giant sycamore trees. I was anticipating a king's castle. Not What I Thought! I quickly realized that Montezuma's Ca...

Instead of asking "Do you want to hear God better?" some people are unsure whether He speaks in this age or not.   But aren't you glad that He does. His most common way to speak to speak to us is through Scripture. Although we can understand the words with our mind, we need the revelation of Precious Holy Spirit to help us grasp the meaning of Scripture.   He also speaks to our spirit.   I remembe...

While I agree bonsai trees are both beautiful and treasured, still I find them to be profoundly sad. Trees are designed to be big! You climb in them, swing on their branches, or rest in the shade of their bushy canopies. The bonsai trees are too small for any of those activities. Mature trees will reach heights of 50 to 150 feet, but a mature bonsai tree will only reach 12 to 14 inches. Bonsai tre...

I can't wait to tell you about some new projects that I am finishing up. It's been such a busy few weeks. Because I am in the process of finishing them this won't be a regular blog. It is mostly a podcast. So please, please listen to the podcast so you can hear my heart.    In my prayer time this morning I felt the need to share some Scripture with you that I know will encourage your heart-that's...

Download Podcast Hey! I hope you are doing well. Thank you so much for taking to time to join me. Maybe you are in the middle of a busy day, we all have those kind of day, can I tell you about one of my busy days. I remember that day so well. I was getting ready for a family conference and I hadn't finished my blog post. In the middle of my hurry mode, I stopped and why I stopped is what I want to...

Download Podcast This podcast is a combination of this post and the blog post entitled "Jesus Changed the Meaning of the Cross"      If you are reading the post only and not listening then I want to encourage you to read both posts. Exchange your money! One of the first things you do when you arrive in a foreign country is to exchange your money for currency that can be spent there. Sometimes your...

Download Podcast Life is fragile. People are fragile and sometimes life breaks their hearts. Luke tells about a broken woman. His story is concise. No name. No history. Just the bare facts. Some people have tried to name her by tying her to other stories in scripture similar to hers, however, most commentaries agree this story found in Luke 7:37-50 is unique to the book of Luke. I wish I knew more...

Download Podcast Have you ever wondered what that little nugget tucked in 1 Corinthians 2:16 means...the one that says "for we have the mind of Christ"? Let's look at   the  NLT "For, "Who can know the LORD's thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?" But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ." "We have the mind of Christ," what does that mean? Isaiah 55: 8 ESV For my thoughts...

Why do I always have to be to one to forgive? On so many occasions, I've told my children and people that I've talked with, "You have to forgive."  And time after time, I've seen the look on their face or heard the words, "Why me? Why are you getting on to me? Do you know what they did?" And  dozen of times (especially my children) I've answered, "I'm talking to you, so let's focus on what you nee...

Download Podcast Don't worry! Have you ever felt like... "If I hear "don't worry" one more time I think I'll scream!" While the picturesque words peace and rest sound so inviting,  most of our lives are more like a hamster wheel of work, worry, repeat. Work is healthy and necessary, but worry is not. Worry steals your peace. Worry makes you indecisive and less productive. No one enjoys worrying, y...

Download Podcast Toxic Words Ever been dumped on with fiery toxic words that burn you beyond explanation or sometimes just frustrating and irrational words.  For me...I need time to process things and cool off so I can think more clearly and Pinterest is my favorite distraction. I love Pinterest! When I want to relax, really relax, I go to Pinterest. As I was glancing through the pins on my feed,...

Download Podcast God wants you to be whole...mentally, physically emotionally. And the best way I know to talk about what wholeness looks like is to tell you a story! CRAYONS! A new box of crayons along with a few other supplies signal the beginning of a new school year. Pencils, pens, paper and notebooks were always simply BORING! But new crayons were wonderful, especially when I got the big box...