Month: May 2026

“But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me;”

John 15:26 (RSV)

The Holy Spirit has many names, the Counselor, Comforter, Helper, and Advocate. Whatever name we call Him, He is always eager to bear witness to Christ, and He finds interesting ways to do it. He seems to work mostly through conversations and occasionally will redirect the topic to center on Jesus. 

When I was still working, I used to pray a short prayer before starting the day. I asked the Holy Spirit to come into the room that I was working in. If I remembered to pray that prayer, He never failed to hijack a conversation, turning it to a topic about Jesus or God. If people try too hard to do this on their own, they could become obnoxious, but when the Holy Spirit does it, it’s not only amusing, but awesome as His Presence enters that room.

He gives us our cue to say a few words at the right time. Jesus gave His church a mission, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15)

That mission is not only for clergy, but for everyone who believes in Jesus as their Savior. His words were not meant to burden us with a difficult responsibility, but a call to listen for our cue each day.

Bearing witness to Jesus is the Holy Spirit’s job, since it’s His area of expertise, not ours. He lives in us now, so we can listen for His gentle nudge and say the right words in season with His perfect timing. To start the day by inviting Him into a room with us is not a vague, general request. It’s a specific invitation to a specific place, and He will come.

I can remember one time when the Holy Spirit came into a room and took over a conversation, suddenly making Jesus the main topic. I did not initiate it, nor did I plan it, but I received His cue.

A conversation at work landed on a topic of mass murderers and one coworker was adamant that mass murderers, including tyrants who commit genocide, will never be forgiven by God. It’s a topic that triggers emotion but when I heard him mention God and forgiveness, I knew it was my cue. I just said, “But Jesus forgave all of His murderers from the cross.” 

My coworker rejected my answer, but how often do we have a segway to present an image of Jesus on the cross, forgiving all of His murderers, especially in the midst of a busy work day. Not often do we have a chance to share the boundless mercy of God and His forgiveness in a routine day at work. 

That conversation took place inside an operating room as five or six of us were setting up for the next case. 

The Holy Spirit so desires to be with us, to partner with us and bear witness of Jesus, but He still depends on us to listen for our cue and speak with complete reliance on Him. 

There was a godly Christian man named John of Avila who lived in 16th century Spain. He said that the poor in spirit, is the one who mistrusts their own opinions, their own strength, and their own gifts, but places all their reliance on God and His Holy Spirit. 

That’s what we do whenever we ask the Holy Spirit to come into any room with us each day and take over. It’s a way of saying that we do not depend on our own abilities, gifts or strengths, but on Him. Jesus said “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

(Matthew 5:3)

The Holy Spirit came into a specific operating room that day. He has been coming into rooms ever since He came into the Upper room on the day of Pentecost. He intervenes in our conversations and bears witness of the mercy and forgiveness of Jesus. He does all the work as we pray and then listen for our cue. 

Lord, help us to invite you into every room and to listen for our cue, to draw others to your love and mercy. Amen

“Uphold me according to thy promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope! Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for thy statutes continually.”

Psalm 119:116-117 (RSV)

A newborn baby is carried out as the lone survivor of her family. A father continues to hold the hand of his deceased fifteen year old daughter. An entire family is rescued, as several children survivors are carried out of the rubble. 

These were the tragic scenes and images on the world news the night after an earthquake struck Syria and Turkey in 2023. 

Those images of lost lives and destruction are contrasted by images of miraculous saves, and reunited family survivors. The scenes of first responders holding up people of all ages, lifting them from the rubble and into safety, fits what this scripture verse is saying, “Uphold me that I may live….” Thank God for all first responders who tirelessly labor to uphold survivors and save lives. 

The images of the earthquake  evoke a dichotomy of emotions. We feel great sorrow in seeing the extent of the wreckage and loss, but at the same time, we feel deep gratitude for the lives that are miraculously pulled from the rubble and saved against all odds. 

Feeling sorrow and gratitude at the same time may be God’s way of helping us cope with tragedy. Every person can think of a time when a situation evoked feelings of sorrow and gratitude at the same time. 

My husband, Stephen, found the most rewarding phase of life to be those years, after retiring from his sales job, spending time coaching youth golf leagues and giving golf lessons to the younger population. It was a fulfilling time of his life, throughout his latter years until he became ill and passed away. 

Ryan was one young man that Stephen coached for a few years who received a golf scholarship. He was away at college when Stephen died, but he sent me a sympathy card with a hand written note expressing his feelings that Stephen was more than a golf coach to him, but a life mentor.

Though it was sorrowful to watch a debilitating illness like ALS, remove so much quality from his life, I also felt deep gratitude for the help and support that he received from friends, family and therapists. His family and friends were so supportive, that we had someone visiting him in our home, every single weekend.

Among the blessings of regular visits by friends and family, there were occasional coincidences that stirred feelings of gratitude. 

In looking back, I know there really are no coincidences, but only blessings sent by God at the right time. 

Nurses and different kinds of therapists were coming and going from our home every week. One day the physical therapist sent to him that day, turned out to be the mother of a boy who once was in his youth golf league. It was a pleasant surprise and she told him how much her son benefited from his coaching, which lifted his spirit for the day. It appeared as a coincidence, but I know that God sent her to be his therapist that day.

Gratitude is readily felt in the small things and small things leads us to be grateful for all things. In the end, it’s God’s way of upholding us spiritually and emotionally, as we combine our sorrow with gratitude. 

The earthquake survivors were physically upheld by the first responders and volunteers who lifted them out of the rubble. God spiritually upholds us by sending  small coincidences, which lift us up from whatever weighs us down.

In all things, we can be sure that God’s got us. He is holding us up and lifting us out of the rubble of distress. Scripture confirms that God loves to receive our gratitude, since gratitude draws us closer to Him, keeps our perspective on Christ and gives us peace in the storm.

Lord, thank you for helping us to find the small things to be grateful for, as you uphold and strengthen our spirit each day. Amen

“He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.”

Acts 10: 3-4 (NIV)

This scripture passage is lengthy but necessary in order to understand that Cornelius, though a gentile, was not like the typical Roman citizen of his day. 

He was a centurion who was part of an auxiliary group of archers of the Roman army, called the Italica. Being successful and wealthy, he had many servants and soldiers serving under him. Although raised in the polytheistic faith of Rome, to believe and worship multiple gods, something changed Cornelius. 

He began to seek the one true God, possibly after hearing the disciples preaching  about Jesus, the Messiah, crucified, but risen from the dead. Cornelius is described as an upright God fearing man. He influenced everyone in his immediate circle to believe in God as well, even though he knew very little about Jesus. God’s heart was moved by Cornelius and He sent an angel to him to commend him for his prayers and giving. Then the angel told him to send for Peter, who could tell him all he needed to know about Jesus. 

Cornelius shows us that any man or woman can move the heart of God, even without knowing all the facts of the faith. Since Cornelius hadn’t yet grasped the full gospel message or every detail about Jesus as a sacrificed Lamb, Peter was sent to help give him clarity in his faith and to baptize him and his household. This was a great challenge for Peter, since he never before entered a gentile home, so he had to step outside of his comfort zone to obey God. 

Cornelius and Peter both put their faith into action, in different ways, but both were pleasing to God. Cornelius did it by daily prayers  and generous giving.  Peter did it by opening his heart to go into the home of a gentile, which was a first for him.

Cornelius inspires us to seek to move Heaven through steadfast prayers and giving. We can also be inspired by Peter, to recognize who the “Cornelius” is, in our lives. It may be a person who is not from within our particular faith, or who is of a completely strange culture or ideology, which would require us to step outside of our comfort zone, as Peter did. 

Reading about Cornelius and Peter, inspires me to put more faith and love into action, since we have such an awesome, beautiful God, who has put His love into the greatest action of all, by sending His only son to die and rise for us.

Lord, help us to put our faith into action, and to recognize the Cornelius in our lives, that we may do your will, whether inside or outside of our comfort zone. Amen

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 14:27 (NAB)

The “Prince of Peace”, is one of many titles in the book of Isaiah, referring to Jesus, who made it clear that His peace is not the kind of peace this world offers. The peace Jesus gives us may not always change the situation we are praying about, but it will change us, because it’s the kind of peace that “surpasses all human understanding.”(Philippians 4:7)

While we continue to do our best as peacemakers, to care for the weak, for the least among us, and to stand against injustice, Jesus was trying to tell us in today’s scripture that His peace is not the kind the world offers. It’s a peace that transforms a human being, from within and changes the world, one heart at a time. For centuries, His peace has brought comfort to the poor in spirit, and victims of war, tragedy, suffering and injustice.

There have always been godly believers and heroes of the faith, beginning with the early church in the book of Acts, and it continues through to today. People have found His peace in the valley of the shadow of death, or random moments of danger, and have survived to tell their stories and give glory to God. 

I know of one such story, about a young female rookie pilot, who was taking off in a small plane one day, in Pontiac, Michigan. It was only her third solo flight, and after she took off, a veteran pilot noticed that her front landing gear fell off. He immediately contacted her by radio to tell her what happened. 

With a calm, confident voice, and years of skill, he guided her step by step to make a safe landing, even without landing gear. She was shaken up but followed his instructions, listening to his calm, confident voice as he guided her to a safe and successful landing. If she had tried to land the plane on her own, it could have flipped upside down and burst into flames. 

Having a veteran pilot there at the perfect time, to guide and help her stay at peace, was a miracle. Peace comes from God, and His Spirit was speaking through that veteran pilot on her radio. Jesus also speaks to our hearts as we tune in to Him. He might speak to us in prayer, or through a certain scripture, or through people that He sends to us at the perfect time. There is an unseen kingdom of Heaven within all of us who believe, and the ruling Prince of that kingdom is Jesus. 

He is not only the Prince of peace, but our veteran Pilot who can identify with every type of stress or problem that we have, since He lived a human life and went through the same struggles. He connects to our spirit and speaks to our heart, guiding us through every crisis with a calm, confident voice.

It’s easy to forget that His Spirit dwells within us, whether we are on a plane, having a medical procedure, or at the bedside of a critically ill friend or loved one. Jesus is always with us and in us, no matter what is happening around us.

A few years ago, I was visiting a  friend who had Pancreatic cancer. Her husband died of a cardiac arrest three weeks earlier. They had no children and her cancer advanced so that she was placed in hospice. We were friends for over fifty years, and her hospice nurse called to tell me that she became unresponsive, so I was hoping to get there before she passed away. 

As I arrived to her room, I reached for the door handle and said to myself, “Here comes the Prince of Peace”, believing that the Spirit of Jesus was entering the room with me. I went to her bedside, took hold of her hand, and she immediately opened her eyes and looked at me. She couldn’t speak, but there was no doubt in her eyes that she knew who I was. I was surprised, since the nurse told me she would not respond, but I was thankful to get there in time.

I spoke to her about the Prince of peace, and then prayed for her. Two days later she passed away, but I trust that God gave her His peace in that transitional moment. I often wondered if she saw Jesus at her bedside, but I trust that she did. 

Jesus is the veteran pilot, who speaks to our soul and quiets our fears in the chaotic moments of life. His calming voice can help a pilot land a plane without landing gear and His Presence can bring peace to any human soul before breathing their last breath.

In some sense, we are all like rookie pilots, navigating through life. It may feel like we’re flying solo at times, but the Prince of Peace is always with us, speaking to us and guiding us with a confident, calm voice, leading us to a safe landing through any crisis that we face. If we tune our ears in to listen, His voice is speaking to our heart every day, offering us His peace, which the world cannot give or take away. 

Lord, thank you for being our veteran pilot, and help us tune in to hear your voice of peace above all the chaos of this world. Amen