Job 12 My desk sits near a window in our old farmhouse. It allows a good view of the side hill and woods and, if I lean back enough, the old apple orchard where the deer meet each morning. There's a Christmas tree graveyard in these woods, where my boys have dumped our old trees … Continue reading Ask the Beasts, the Birds, the Trees…
Bible
A Broken Record
Job 11 Does it seem as though Job's friends are stuck in a loop? As if they keep telling the same story and the listener is expected to nod and smile as if it was new information? My mom calls this being "a broken record." I heard that phrase a good bit growing up when … Continue reading A Broken Record
A Little Cheer Before I Go
Job 10 Ah, a cup of strong coffee in the morning. Or, a cup of peppermint tea to warm the heart after dinner in the evening. A glass of wine with friends, where the laughter and conversation is more heady than the wine. A good book on a quiet afternoon. Just a little cheer before … Continue reading A Little Cheer Before I Go
The Testimony of Orion
Job 9 He is my favorite constellation. In Winter, Orion stands in the southern sky. Which means, when I pull into the farmhouse driveway on a clear night and shut off the car lights, I have a pretty good view of the Hunter over the closest corn field. Some nights, the sky takes my breath … Continue reading The Testimony of Orion
When Words Burn
Job 8 Let's talk about words. Let's use words to discuss the power of words, the power of the tongue. A tiny part of the human body with a megaphone attached. Let's string some words together in a fine pearl necklace to explain how words can heal or wound. Not a long strand of pearls, … Continue reading When Words Burn
Targeted – Job’s Reply
Job 6 **I couldn't fall asleep the night I wrote the following in my journal. I was awake, worried about my son, who was recently diagnosed with a very difficult and rare auto-immune disease. He can live with this disease, but it will be a daily challenge, no let-ups, no breaks from it. I was … Continue reading Targeted – Job’s Reply
What Friends Say – Part 2
Job 4 & 5 **When Job's friends speak, I have a hard time sifting out the truth from their limited understanding. I keep reminding myself that they didn't know the whole story, that they were not aware of God's purpose in all of Job's suffering. I try to imagine myself in their shoes. The following … Continue reading What Friends Say – Part 2
What Friends Say – Part 1
Job 4 & 5 Oh, Eliphaz...so pious! You speak from your place of health and comfort into the misery and sorrow of your dear friend. Could you not sit silently just a few more days? "If one ventures a word with you, will you be impatient? Yet who can keep from speaking?"Job 4:2 Eliphaz summarizes … Continue reading What Friends Say – Part 1
A Simple Bible Study Method
One Chapter a Day Each New Year, Christians throughout the world start new Bible reading plans. It's a wonderful opportunity to start fresh in God's Word. Some make the commitment to read through the Bible in a year. Some choose to follow a longer plan, reading one book of the Bible for a whole month, … Continue reading A Simple Bible Study Method
I Wish I Was Never Born
Job 3 Seven days of silence, sitting in the dust with his three friends. No words. Just being together in Job's time of grief and suffering. Did Job's wife make food for them, some bread or meat? Did it rain? What about bathroom breaks, a place to sleep, bugs, heat, cold? So many questions. Maybe … Continue reading I Wish I Was Never Born
Christina Grubb 