The Lily Letters

Matthew 7:7-8 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." I once heard a story about a man that was traveling for work. When he arrived at his destination & walking around, he noticed that no one was wearing shoes. On multiple occasions, he approached individuals and asked if they believed in shoes. Every time, they told him “of course we believe in shoes.” “Then why don’t you wear them,” he asked. All but one person answered “That’s a good question.” One man pointed to a building down the street & said “That building is a shoe manufacturing facility. Once a week, we visit the facility, & the owner tells us all of the benefits of wearing shoes. We believe in shoes, but we just choose not to wear them.” Sounds silly, right? But we’re not that far off. Every week, we worship with believers. We beli

“Seek Ye First The Kingdom of God” “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? an any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek fir

"Love, Hope, and Grace Amidst Violence" "These violent delights have violent ends" - W. Shakespeare's  Romeo and Juliet A God who would come to earth knowing the limitations of humanity, subjecting himself to become fully human while fully God (kenosis), and knowing that the shortcomings of humanity would profoundly harm then kill him...is surely something that boggles the mind. That kind of love is virtually incomprehensible. And, yet, that is what we celebrate at Christmas and Easter: this profound Love. This Hope. This Amazing Grace. I recently saw this image on my Instagram feed, and at first, it jarred my "Western" sensibilities. The image titled "an AMERICAN NATIVity" is a modernized block print of reinterpreted, traditional First Nations symbols (native peoples of today's Canada), but its contents highly Christian. The artwork by Kreg Yingst (@psalmprayers) depicts God the Father, Mary, and the Christ Child in a raw, visceral way.

  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:  for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20 KJV For my fellow type A personalities, this is hard to do. We want to have a plan and stick to it. I love having a plan and getting my plan done when I want it to be done and I get super frustrated when that happens. God loves to throw wrenches in my plan to teach me lessons. I have learned that is ok and this passage confirms it.  God’s righteousness is not seen through our anger but our belief in Him! Taking a step back in life to look at the big picture, controlling our anger and believing in Him is the best way to walk through life. The key is to listen to the Word that God has given to us and follow what it says. Part of the Word is that we should keep control over our words and give ourselves over to Him!

An excerpt from Today Devotional.  Thanks to Kelli Anne Gecawich from Sigma Alpha Omega Foundation for the Contribution! Toddlers and teenagers share a common trait. They like to declare their independence and want to prove they do not need the help of their parents, guardians, or others to be successful at life. Striving for independence is often a healthy part of growing up. But it can be unhealthy when people try to “do it all” and “be it all” by themselves—outside the context of community. Then, instead of being a good thing, independence is corrupted and driven by stubborn pride. Living in the power of the resurrection means we recognize our need for God and for each other. God’s Holy Spirit empowers the community of believers with the spiritual gifts and abilities necessary to do the work of growing his kingdom. Individual believers cannot do this by themselves. The power of the resurrection comes in living and working together in unity, recognizing and supporting the gifts, tale

Matthew 6:25-30 paraphrased (NIV):  "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.... Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  ... God clothes the grass of the field, will he not clothe you - you of little faith?"   Who among us doesn't struggle with anxiety?  Compare worry with trying to tuck an octopus into bed.  One tentacle or another keeps popping out from under the covers.  If we're not worried about one thing, it's the other.  If we're not worried about our kids, it's our aging parents.  Or the medical bills.  Or the funny sound under the hood of our car.   In the Bible, Jesus spoke much about worry.  In a nutshell, He told us not to!  Jesus never dismissed the untidy realities of daily life - He knew those troubles first hand, having spent years as a carpenter in Nazareth, probably living hand-to-mouth as He helped to support His family.  But Jesus also knew that, without lo