About Barbara Harper

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When People Are Late to Church

Posted on August 17, 2025 by Barbara Harper

There was a period of time in another church and state when I was sometimes late to services. One man in particular noticed and commented. For instance, one day when I walked in before the service started, he handed me a bulletin and said, “Once in a row!”

I honestly wasn’t late that often. I don’t know if he was teasing or meant his comments as a prod or jab. I don’t know why it didn’t anger or hurt me. I had to work with him in various capacities, so maybe subconsciously I didn’t want there to be trouble between us.

What he didn’t know was that during that time, I started developing IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). I didn’t know that’s what it was at the time. I just knew I was having unexpected, unexplained digestive problems. No matter how much extra time I gave myself to get ready, I couldn’t count on my body cooperating with me.

Granted, I was sometimes late for other reasons. But all too often, my lateness was due to physical issues that I didn’t want to explain.

In fact, the pressure of trying to get there on time, not wanting to draw attention to myself, not wanting to distract anyone by being late, all made the physical issues worse.

Friends who have traveled to other countries talk about the different regard for time in various places. Seeing someone you know and stopping to talk to them is considered more thoughtful and respectful than rushing past them to get somewhere on time.

But in our Western culture, lateness is regarded as disrespect for those you’re meeting with and a lack of discipline.

And that’s often true. It is frustrating to go to a meeting that doesn’t start for fifteen to twenty minutes because several people weren’t there on time. Then the meeting gets done twenty minutes later than planned. Plus, people streaming in late can be distracting.

But sometimes it just can’t be helped.

Once in another church in another state, we were waiting on one of my sons to get done in the bathroom so we could leave for church. We lived in a split-level, and the door leading downstairs was open. As my son in the bathroom upstairs flushed the toilet, we saw water pour from that bathroom floor through the ceiling below in what was our laundry and workroom. The toilet had clogged, and I guess we had never told my son not to keep flushing the toilet in that case. Somehow we mopped up the mess and miraculously still made it to church on time. We hadn’t told anyone about our morning scenario, but the only thing I remember the guest speaker saying that day was “We just don’t know what it takes for some people to get to church.”

While we don’t want to have a casual attitude about arriving at church (or anywhere else) on time, we shouldn’t have an overly judgmental attitude, either.

Sometimes when I am running late due to stomach issues, especially in the first church I mentioned, I’ve thought, “You know, if I am late, everyone is going to notice. But not many will notice if I don’t show up at all. Maybe I should just stay home.”

I saw a meme recently that went something like this: The writer was late to church, and people scowled and frowned at him for disturbing the service. But when he was late to an AA meeting, everyone was concerned and asked, “Is everything okay?” They realized that his lateness may have indicated he almost didn’t make it, and they knew how desperately he needed to be there.

Hopefully we can find a balance between encouraging people to be on time for church for smoother functioning of the body, yet not judging them when they’re not. We should do our best to be at church on time, just as we would for our jobs or catching an airplane (for me, I’ve found I have to get up four hours before leaving in order for medicine to kick in on time). But, as the guest speaker at my former church said, we don’t know what some people go through just to get to church. A latecomer needs to be met with welcoming smiles of “We’re glad you’re here,” not frowns, scowls, or remarks that make them feel they should not have come.

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

Posted on August 16, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Here are some of the posts that stood out to me this week:

None Too Old to Serve the King, HT to Chalmers Blog. “I love this scene with the feeble follower and the deposed king. What a touching moment for David, and a beautiful invitation to Barzillai. It reminds me that I serve the greater King David, and stirs in me the desire to “appear with him in glory” as he rides across the Jordan (Colossians 3:4). Does it do the same for you? I want us to imitate this elderly saint by meeting the King in the wilderness and serving him until our dying day.”

Reading the Bible for the Ten Thousandth Time. “By instinct we know that first-time readers of the Bible need guidance. But long-time readers need help too. In this article we’ll explore some of the ways to combat boredom and lethargy for experienced Bible readers.”

A Biblical Template for Prayers of Confession from Daniel 9. HT to Knowable Word. “For God’s promises and sure word aren’t a reason for inactivity and passivity. They’re fuel for confident prayer.” Though the author makes a case for corporate confession, these principles are true for private prayer as well.

All Those Things We Never Did, HT to Challies. “There remains a powerful temptation in midlife to nurse and rehearse dreams unfulfilled. The loop snags and captures with: We never did this, we never went here, we never bought this . . . The all those things we never did is a thorny and fruitless path, often culminating in a sour, self-centered existence. For the Christian, all those things we never did may humbly be replaced with: Your kingdom come; your will be done.“

The Picture on the Nightstand, HT to Challies. “When a marriage is strong, it is a fortress. It shields what is fragile. Spouses are safe. Children thrive. Its strength creates overflowing benefit into entire communities. When a spouse breaks the marriage covenant, the impact is brutal. It exploits vulnerability. Spouses bleed. Children bear the weight. And the effects ripple outward.”

Should You Take Your Children to a Funeral? “Whatever the size or venue, here’s a question for parents to consider: should you take your children to a funeral? My answer is a sure yes, and here are several reasons why.”

The Rare Jewel of Contentment in Childlessness. “Paul’s testimony of contentment encouraged Bethany and me to ask God for that kind of contentment in our state of childlessness. Jeremiah Burroughs describes Christian contentment as ‘that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.’”

Silent Women, Speaking Women, HT to Challies. This is one of the clearest explanations I’ve seen on the Bible passages about whether and when women are to teach in church.

Beware the New Notebook Energy. “A new planner gives me an avenue to blame my lack of follow-through on a bad system. If I can blame the system, that saves me from the day-in and day-out-ness of life. I call this New Notebook Energy: fleeing actual responsibility and good habits in favor of reorganizing and starting again.”

Ways to See and Support Foster Families. “All of a sudden, we were a part of the foster system, which came with all of the staff, the rules and regulations, the visits with social workers, the paperwork, the doctor’s visits, and so much more. I quickly realized that before this happened, I didn’t understand how much support the foster families in our church probably needed from me but hadn’t been getting. So I thought I would outline a few things that each of us can do to help foster families in our churches.”

Ten minutes’ praying is better than a year’s murmuring. Charles Spurgeon

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on August 15, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Another week has flown by! I’m joining Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story to share the week’s blessings.

1. Jeremy is home! My oldest son flew in from RI yesterday. He was delayed a day when bad weather caused his first flight to take off late, missing his connection to the last flight of the day. But even the process of finding a hotel and shuttle bus went smoothly, and he arrived the next day without any further issues.

2. Messages from Timothy about tornado sirens he had seen and made, from Jeremy about his trip (apparently you don’t have to take your shoes off for security any more!), from Mittu asking to bring dinner over, from the whole family with observations and thoughts to share.

3. An overdue haircut. I was getting pretty shaggy.

4. A visit with the cardiologist PA. He was very apologetic about the delay in getting scheduled for the cardioversion. Their whole floor only gets so many slots at the hospital’s operating rooms next door. And their scheduler was pulled somewhere else in the office when they were short-handed, so she was unable to get to her work (which doesn’t seem wise to me, but I guess in a crunch you do what you have to do to process the patients there). He answered my questions well and felt we could stay at my current medication level.

5. Eating out and take-out. is always appreciated, but especially on a busy week. We’ve always gone to the Kern’s Food Hall with family but ventured out by ourselves this week. Then we got Wendy’s one night and Mexican food another.

How was your week?

Review: Wildwood Creek

Posted on August 12, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Wildwood Creek is the fourth and final book in Lisa Wingate’s Shores of Moses Lake series. Unlike the others, this is a dual-timeline story.

In the 1850s, Bonnie Rose O’Brien and her family were captured by the Comanche. Her parents were killed, and Bonnie Rose and her younger sister, Maggie May, were held captive for years. Upon their deliverance, Bonnie feels soiled and shameful, even though nothing that happened to her was her fault. When the missionaries she’s staying with recommend her for a teaching position in the wilderness, she sees it as a chance to start over.

In 1861, a man named Harland Delavan is starting a new community called Wildwood to search for gold in Texas. He hires Bonnie as well as others to fill the town’s needs. But he rules with an iron hand. Soon individuals and then whole families disappear without explanation. Rumors and myths spread like wildfire, creating legends that linger through the centuries.

In 2014, Allie Kirkland is following in her father’s footsteps. He was a film director, and her earliest memories involve being with him on set. When he died, Allie’s life was never the same. Her mother remarried a lawyer, and they both urged Allie to work in his firm and major in law. Allie feels she doesn’t fit in with her step-siblings and half-siblings.

When Allie learns of a summer internship for a reality TV show, she jumps at the opportunity and is hired. A famous filmmaker wants to recreate the town of Wildwood near Moses Lake Texas, and have actors represent the townspeople and live as they did while exploring the mysteries of what could have happened to them.

Before long, mysterious things begin to happen in this Wildwood, too. Allie feels a kinship with the young teacher, Bonnie Rose. Can she find out what happened before it’s too late?

It was fun to see some of the characters from the previous books again. That’s one nice thing about reading a series one right after the other–I recognized people I might not have otherwise. I think there’s enough explanation in each book that they could be read alone, but they do build on each other.

Each of the Moses Lake books involves someone whose plans are upended in some way, causing them to reconnect with a faith they’ve neglected. Each story also contains some level of mystery and the importance of community.

Reading four books of one author in succession also brings to light an author’s quirks. I think in every book, someone is said to “flash an eye tooth” at someone. I’d never heard that phrase before–I suppose it’s an idiom for a wide grin.

I listened to the audiobook, which had two different women reading Bonnie Rose’s and Allie’s sections: Morgan Hallett and Heather O’Neill. Then I checked the ebook out via Libby to look at some passages there.

I think this book is the best of the four. My only disappointment is that I was looking forward to the author’s notes about her inspiration for this series and whether any of the details or characters were based in fact, yet there were none. At the end of the third book, the author says her husband, like one of the main characters there, got an unexpected job offer in a small Texas town. So I imagine many of the details of the Moses Lake community came from that experience. I did find a guest blog post from Lisa about the book here and an interview here.

What I Learned from a Traumatic Illness

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Barbara Harper

September 1 will mark thirty years since I contracted transverse myelitis. TM is an auto-immune disorder in which a virus attacks the spine, triggering the body to attack not only the virus, but the myelin sheath around the nerves of the spine. An attack low on the spine might bring just a little numbness and tingling. But an attack high on the spine can result in quadriplegia, ventilator-dependency, and even death.

I was affected in the middle, in the thoracic region. My symptoms began with a vague feeling of numbness in my left hand, like I had slept on it wrong. Within three hours, my left arm was numb up to my shoulder as were both legs up to my lower torso. I couldn’t walk on my own. I was having trouble going to the bathroom.

I thought I was having a stroke. That’s the only thing I knew of that would cause parts of the body to suddenly go numb.

As it turns out, a number of ailments can cause sudden numbness. There was no one test to diagnose TM. Instead, tests were performed to rule out any other possible related illness. That took eight days in the hospital.

I was sent home with a few prescriptions and a plan for physical therapy.

Thankfully, I progressed from a wheelchair to a walker to a cane to walking unsteadily on my own over the course of a few months. My ability to walk has improved, but I still can’t run, jump, hop, or walk very well on uneven ground. Oddly, my balance is often affected the most when I am standing still with no support. This is due to TM’s effect on my proprioception. I’m usually fine if I can hold on to or lean against something stationery.

I am not as numb as I was, but I still don’t have full feeling in my left hand or lower legs. I have odd little nerve sensations–feeling like something is touching me when it isn’t, feeling a sudden hot sensation where there is no heat, etc. I can’t wear my wedding ring because it causes a pinging, funny-bone sensation in my hand.

But overall, I am thankful that I recovered to the point of being able to function as I needed to, to take care of my family, and to lead a relatively normal life.

I’ve been jotting down several things I have learned through this experience, and I thought I’d share them with you. I know many of you are going through physical trials or have in the past. Though our details might vary, I hope you’ll find camaraderie and encouragement here.

The unsteady trajectory of healing. It seems that often healing is a one step forward–two steps back process, feeling better one day and worse another. Often in the first couple of years after TM, I felt my symptoms were increasing to the same point they were in the beginning. Though TM is usually a one-time event, some people do have more than one attack. But repeated attacks are also signs of multiple sclerosis. So that specter was in view whenever I felt worse.

The hidden work of healing. Sometimes assessing healing is like watching paint dry. There doesn’t seem to be any progress day by day. But over time, healing gradually takes place unawares, until finally one day we can see definite progress from the previous week or month.

Riding the waves. When my husband and I were taking childbirth classes, our teacher invited a couple from her previous class to come in and share their childbirth experience. The new mom said something like this: during labor, when she wondered how many hours she was going to have to do this, she felt weary and defeated. But if she only concentrated on one contraction at a time, she was able to get through them better. She likened it to riding each wave of a surf as it came in.

That illustration has stayed with me all these years through many applications. When symptoms flared up or I had a bad day, I thought, I only have to deal with this day, this moment.

The value of rest. The first few months after TM, if I wanted to go anywhere, I would have to rest up the day of the event. Afterward, it wasn’t a matter of making myself rest: my body crashed and I couldn’t have done anything else anyway.

But I noticed I hardly ever had a cold or any other sickness during that time. I realized that maybe rest was nipping any other colds or viruses in the bud. When I began having heart rhythm issues, I couldn’t take decongestants any more. So rest and Tylenol and cough drops at the first sign of a cold became my go-to treatment. Most of the time, I got over them much faster than usual.

The need to strive. This sounds like a contradiction to the need for rest. It’s hard to balance sometimes. Usually we don’t know we’ve overdone it until it’s too late. But we don’t generally make much progress unless we stretch ourselves beyond what’s comfortable.

The value of an ordinary day. When I was in the hospital and recovering at home, one of the things I most wanted and missed was just an ordinary day like I’d had and hadn’t appreciated before.

The value of my work. As a homemaker, I can sometimes feel my work is not as important as other people’s. But when I couldn’t do my work and saw the extra pressure it put on everyone else to do what I always did, it helped me realize that I did have a helpful contribution to making family life go smoothly.

The value of help. People from church brought meals, cleaned bathrooms, babysat, prayed, sent cards, and let us know they cared. A group of men installed a handrail on the stairs and safety bars in the bathroom.

People often wonder what to do to help in a crisis. It varies according to the person and the situation. But I’d encourage praying about it and then doing what the Lord lays on your heart. For instance, one lady brought over a puzzle, and she and my oldest son sat and worked it at the kitchen table while we talked. We’d had to go back and forth to so many doctor’s visits, either taking the kids with us or to babysitters, and that quiet activity was a balm. Yet if someone had asked me what I needed, I never would have thought of a puzzle and quiet conversation.

The mental cost. This is something I didn’t realize until a few years ago. I was reading of a woman who had been in a horrific accident where she was hit by a bus, flying through the air until she landed on the street with multiple broken bones. On the one year anniversary of her accident, she wrote that she had healed physically, but still suffered triggers that affected her mentally and emotionally.

That statement was like a light bulb coming on in my mind.

For maybe a year or two after TM, I suffered from panic attacks. I didn’t tell anyone. This was in an era when many Christians were adamantly against psychiatry. We had seen a documentary about the dangers of Xanax. I was afraid of being shipped off to a psychiatrist and being put on psychotic drugs.

In fact, I was given Xanax while in the hospital, but no one ever explained why. I don’t remember that it had much of an effect. But I didn’t want to continue it.

So even as I healed physically and enjoyed time with my family and getting back to church, I didn’t realize that I was still shaken up mentally and emotionally. I think part of it is that the world no longer felt secure. We know that anything can happen any time–but when it does, life doesn’t seem safe any more.

In truth, this world was never meant to be our safe place. Our shelter and security comes from God. But it takes a while to remember that, or to apply it in new ways, when our lives are severely shaken.

Mental and emotional healing may take just as much of an up-and-down trajectory as physical healing and may leave us with limps, scars, or tender places.

Things evened out over time, but I wish I had talked to my neurologist or primary care doctor.about all this while it was going on. Thankfully, we understand mental issues better now than we did then.

Lessons from limitations. I’ve written about this before, but one of the biggest lessons was that even though I couldn’t do everything I had done before, that didn’t mean I couldn’t do anything. We all face limitations of some kind–physical, financial, relational, season of life, etc. Our limits don’t hinder our ministry: they just define it.

Happy stress is still stress. A nurse shared this with Mittu when Timothy was in the NICU for 10 1/2 weeks. It rang a bell with me, too. Even with events I am dearly looking forward to, I have to pace myself.

Faith during uncertainty. For the first couple of years after TM, I never knew what my symptoms and capabilities would be any given day. I felt bad when plans with the family had to be canceled, though they were understanding. I didn’t know how long symptoms would go on or what level of recovery I would eventually reach. I was used to getting medical problems fixed, either with medication or a procedure. Living with the unknown for so long was wearing, but it caused us to rely on God moment by moment and trust Him for the future.

The joy of finding others. We got our first family personal computer about six weeks after my diagnosis, and transverse myelitis was the first thing I looked up. I found an email subscriber list of TM patients and caregivers. No one else I knew outside of the medical community had ever heard of TM. To find people who knew what I was talking about, who could answer questions and compare notes, was a godsend.

Dealing with “what ifs.” We lived in a split-level house, and I couldn’t use the stairs at first. Would we need to move? I had three sons, the youngest just two years old. Would I be able to take care of them? We had just started our second year of home schooling. Would I be able to continue? About a third of TM patients don’t regain anything they lost at onset. What if I didn’t? Or what if it got worse? What if I developed MS? What if the doctors missed something? Living with uncertainty isn’t comfortable, but God’s Word assured me He was with me and cared for me. I didn’t know what the future held, but I could trust Him to meet my needs and lead us day by day.

It’s okay to have bad days, to cry, to lament. I used to think that in order to be a good testimony, I had to project “victory” and positivity all the time. That’s not only inauthentic, it’s unrelateable. In the psalms, we see people pouring out their confusion, questions, anguish, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual pains. Eventually they remind themselves of what they know to be true about God’s character and ways, and they rest in Him even though the circumstances may not have changed.

The comfort of Scripture. Finding help and hope in the Bible was not new to me, but God’s Word helped me in special ways during this time. For example, the night before I was scheduled for an MRI, nearly every medical person who came into my hospital room asked me if I was claustrophobic. I didn’t know–I had never been in a position to feel claustrophobic before. I wanted to tell them that their questions were making me feel claustrophobic! I was told that they could give me something to calm my nerves, but it needed to be done a certain amount of time before the MRI. I opted not to take anything.

They stressed to me the importance of being still in the MRI machine. Before the MRI, the verses from my Daily Light on the Daily Path devotional were all about being still: “Sit still, my daughter” (Ruth 3:18); “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10); “Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still” (Psalm 4:4), and others. Those words kept running through my mind while I was in the MRI machine, and I remained calm. I even dozed off.

In the following months, other verses stood out to me. “The Lord strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness” (Psalm 41:3); “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old” (Isaiah 63:9); “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9), “Though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men” (Lamentations 3:32-33), and so many others.

How about you? What has God taught you and how has He helped you in illness?

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

Posted on August 9, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Here are some thought-provoking reads found this week:

The Change Along the Way, HT to Challies. “Ever since mankind was in the Garden, and that fatal first sin was committed, we have tried to shortcut the goals set before us. As with our first mother, we are fickle creatures, seeking always the final product without the process in between. . . .Even our Saviour was tempted in the wilderness to escape the way of the cross for the kingdoms of the world, for the devil knew this inherent weakness in mankind. We long for the glory, and if we can avoid the cross, all the better.”

Can Faith and Fear Coexist in the Life of a Believer? “What separates a person of faith from the crowd? It’s not a lack of fear. The faithful choose to listen to their faith instead of their fears. Faith assures us that God’s invisible presence and power accompanies us as we obey His voice.”

How to Have a Soft Heart. “You can probably think of women who have been cut by life and now wear their pain as sharp edges. But you probably also know women who have walked through as much difficulty and somehow emerged softer. Gentler. More gracious. More trusting. Have you ever wondered how to end up like them?”

Do You Talk Too Much, or not Enough? “The danger in too much talking arises when the entertainment value lies in the drama. And when we enjoy talking, it’s easy for the conversation to drift there. Here are some danger zones where many words can lead to sin.”

Does God Really Care What You Wear This Summer? “Perhaps you’ve wondered it too: does God really care what I wear this summer? Before diving in to answer that question, it may be helpful to consider another: do I really want to know the heart of God on this topic, or am I merely looking for affirmation of my already-formed opinions? In other words, what do I want more? An answer to the question ‘Does God really care what I wear?’ Or am I more concerned with how close I can get to a perceived line of immodesty without going over? “

Dear Weary Caregiver, HT to the Story Warren. “But for those (like me) who need regular reminding, here are three lessons God is teaching me about himself and his ways as I care for my boy. I hope they encourage you as you continue to lay down your life in the service of another.”

Ten Reasons Why I Love Verse by Verse Exposition, HT to Challies. “What is verse by verse exposition? This is when a pastor preaches a book of the Bible, reading and teaching each verse in order to expose it’s meaning. Sure, this can be done poorly, but I think that this approach is super helpful for the church and really beneficial for the preacher. I want to outline ten reasons why I love verse by verse exposition.”

How to Guide Your Children Through the Digital Age, HT to Challies. “Technology is everywhere. There’s no escaping its influence—not only in our own lives but also in the lives of our children. Here are three powerful ways technology is shaping your children and how you can help them respond with wisdom and discernment.”

A Plea to Biblical Counselors Regarding Autism, HT to Challies. “Recently, I’ve heard biblical counselors make unhelpful comments about autism, namely that it’s just a “Big Pharma” money-making scheme. They insist that diagnostic criteria are too vague, making an autism diagnosis too subjective. They even say that biblical counselors have better answers, as if they are better suited to “treat” autism. Biblical counselors, I beg you, do not go down this road, as it will lead to irreparable damage to individuals and families impacted by autism. This road represents a profound misunderstanding of what autism is, how it is diagnosed, and the medical side effects with which these families suffer.”

God sees trouble and grief, which we can lay in His hands where it is safe,
and where we are safe. Corrie ten Boom

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Barbara Harper

I’m sharing this week’s blessings with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story.

1. Cardioversion. Last week I shared that I had been in atrial flutter since July 16, but the cardioversion to correct it wasn’t until Aug. 22. I woke up in atrial fibrillation Saturday, which continued to Tuesday. I called the cardiologist’s office Monday, but they said there was nothing else they could do medicinally, and I could go to the ER if I wanted to. So I did on Tuesday. They did the cardioversion there. It feels very good to have a heart rate in the 50-60 beats per minute range rather than the 90-140 range. My heart is still a little erratic, but hopefully will settle down soon.

2. Good ER staff. The main ER doctor was very helpful and gave clear yet succinct details of what was going on, what the cardioversion involved, etc. Our nurse was really sweet.

3. Texts from Timothy. He texted Wednesday to ask how my heart was and then to ask if he could come over Thursday and make me lunch.

4. Lunch and flowers. Jason, Mittu, and Timothy did come Thursday. Timothy (and Mittu) made lunch. They brought some lovely pink roses, and we visited for a couple of hours.

5. Phone calls done. I had a whole list of phone calls to make to schedule and reschedule various things. I tend to put that kind of thing off until I can’t any more. I got them all done one afternoon. All but one of them involved leaving a message for the other person to call me back. So they’re not totally taken care of yet–but at least the ball is in someone else’s court for the moment.

Bonus: Free produce. A neighbor gave us some of their yellow squash abundance.

That was my week–how was yours?

Do You Need a Fresh Word from the Lord?

Posted on August 3, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Have you ever heard anyone say they needed a “fresh word” from the Lord?

I pondered recently what would prompt someone to say that.

Perhaps they’re bogged down in Leviticus.

Perhaps the old truths just seem . . . old.

Perhaps they haven’t felt the fervency they used to when reading the Bible.

Perhaps they have questions they can’t find the answer to in the Bible.

Perhaps they haven’t seen God move in life like He did in His Word.

It’s good to ask ourselves these questions and try to figure out where the problem is. I want to encourage us that the Bible is living, active, sharp, piercing, discerning (Hebrews 4:12).

The Bible is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).

God has granted to us all things–all things–that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises (2 Peter 1:3-4).

All of these and other passages show that we don’t need something new and fresh from God. What He has given us is more than sufficient for our spiritual needs.

Why doesn’t it always feel that way?

Well it could be something as simple as not getting enough sleep. I know what it is to battle drowsiness all through my Bible reading and not get anything out of it. Going to bed earlier or moving devotions to later in the day might help. Doing something active before reading can help wake us up.

Distractions are a problem. I don’t know how many times I have started to pray or read and had to keep bringing my mind back from other thoughts. Sometimes I treat my thoughts like my phone and mentally swipe away all the open tabs. I pray for God’s help and then perhaps read out loud or change my position or location. I keep a notepad nearby to jot down thoughts about things I need to take care of.

Something might be blocking our communication. In any relationship, when something is wrong, our communication isn’t what it should be. If we ask God to search us and show us what is wrong, He will. We can then confess any sin and put away anything that is displeasing to Him.

What about Leviticus–what a friend referred to as the place where Bible reading plans go to die? Someone said all of the Bible is inspired but it’s not all inspiring. It helps to remind ourselves of the verses above, that this is part of God’s Word, too, and He has a purpose for it in our Bibles.

Studying some of these difficult passages with others, or using a good study aid or commentary, helps as well. They can open our eyes to things we missed in our own study.

When our ladies’ Bible study went through Hebrews, someone remarked that it would be good to study Leviticus and Hebrews together. Hebrews explains a lot of the symbolism in the Old Testament systems of worship.

Also, after reading from Leviticus or Chronicles, it might help to spend time in the psalms or in passages that have been especially meaningful to us in the past.

What about those unanswered questions? Sometimes the answers are there, but we haven’t found them yet. Asking a friend who is further along in their Christian walk or a pastor or Bible study leader can shed light.

But sometimes the answers just aren’t there. Deuteronomy 29:29 says “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” God wants us to know Him well enough through the Word He has given us we can trust Him for what He hasn’t shared.

In New Testament times, people called Gnostics taught that there was a secret, special knowledge that only a few people knew. Though Gnostics are not named in the Bible, the epistles warn against their teachings. Mark Howell writes “The proclivity of many Christians is to be constantly on the lookout for some new thing to breathe life into the church. But according to Paul, the answer will not come by finding something new; it will come when the church renews its focus on something old—the Scriptures.” (Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Thessalonians [Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary], p. 238)

If we’re feeling bored, maybe we need to change our routine. Or we may need to pray for God to wake us again to the wonders in His Word. I love the King James word “quicken,” often translated “revive” in other versions. Many verses talk about God’s Word itself quickening us (Psalm 119:25, 50, 93; John 6:63).

We need to remember, too, that feelings aren’t always the mark of spirituality. Nothing beats those times in the Bible when God speaks to our hearts in a special way and we’re encouraged, our hearts are warmed, and we’re ready to face the day with hope and love. But just like any relationship, those warm, close times will come and go. Many of our conversations with loved ones are filled with necessary but mundane everyday details.

Every meal won’t be a Thanksgiving feast. But even the tuna casseroles and peanut butter sandwiches nourish us. Similarly, every time in the Bible won’t bring 4th of July sparks, but every reading benefits us. It’s that faithful everyday adding to and building upon what we know that strengthens us. And that in turn lays the foundation for those special, eye-opening, heart-warming moments.

We’ll always find new insights as we keep reading the Bible. But often what we need is the reminders of what we’ve learned before.

The hymn “How Firm a Foundation” begins with this stanza:

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

Dan Forrest’s arrangement of this hymn weaves that phrase from the first stanza–“What more can He say?”–between each of the other stanzas that focus on specific passages from the Bible. .

He’s already given us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” What more can He say?

(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)

Laudable Linkage

Posted on August 2, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Some of the noteworthy posts found this week:

Your Fig Leaves Are Showing! Why Your Christian Home Is not as Close as it Should Be. Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together to cover the shame they felt after they sinned. “That ancient impulse hasn’t changed. Sin still causes shame. Shame still creates barriers. And we still reach for fig leaves. Today, our fig leaves are more sophisticated.”

Transhumanism, Christian Productivity, and Why I Don’t Use the Term “Second Brain.” I’ve been concerned about the transcendence of AI affecting our ability to think and process. But I didn’t realize those behind it have a larger plan. “Forte’s ultimate vision for personal knowledge management is a digital Tower of Babel. This is the philosophy of transhumanism. And it might sound a little kooky at first until you realize he is far from the only one who thinks this way about technology and personal improvement.”

Everything Matters. “Just mark it down right now: the devil is a liar. He says our sin is so small that it won’t affect us, and our good works are so insignificant that they won’t impact anyone else. But there is no such thing as an action without a reaction. In God’s kingdom, everything matters. Here’s how…”

Did Abraham Get Away with Lying? I had never realized all these ramifications of Abraham’s lies.

Ansel Adams, AI, and the Essence of Creation, HT to Challies. “It seems to me that part of the essence of true creation is labor, striving, wrestling, and overcoming. It calls forth the virtue of courage to beat back the doubts and insecurities and fears, and surge up something fresh and true. It demands a presence in the world, a willingness to interact with creation and people, to touch things and be affected viscerally. This is true whether your creation is painting or photography or film or poetry or fiction or nonfiction. The human element matters.”

Singing Anyway, HT to Challies. “I do not doubt that each of the kids singing on stage had reasons not to sing. There were likely moms who forgot to make Easter baskets, dresses that felt too tight, shirt tags that itched, parents who were fighting in the kitchen that morning, and siblings who were annoying during the ride to the service. But they showed up anyway. They sang anyway. And because they decided to show up and sing, countless people were moved toward a posture of praise.”

Christian Cultural Bias in Missions is a Real Challenge. “Missionaries are tempted to recreate the church culture they admire back home. One reason this happens is that they have not taken the time to understand the differences between their cultural Christian experiences back home and what the Bible actually teaches. They don’t realize how much their idea of what a local church should look like comes from cultural expectations or simple habits (often unconscious).”

What’s Going On In Your Pastor’s Mind? “It is one of the strengths, or perhaps one of the weaknesses, of the human mind that it can have different “tracks” playing at the same time. Even as one series of words is emerging from a person’s mouth, an entirely different series of words may be flitting through his brain. He can have an entire monologue playing internally, even as another is playing externally.”

What if God ruined your plans
so your plans wouldn’t ruin you?
J. C. Ryle

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on August 1, 2025 by Barbara Harper

Here we are in August already! I’m joining with Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story to share our blessings of the week.

1. A helpful neighbor. This happened last week, but I forgot to mention it. While we were celebrating Jason’s birthday, a neighbor noticed that Jesse’s brake lights were on and called us. Jesse went out to turn them off–but they remained on. Jim went out to look, and there was some problem with the fuse box. They removed the fuse–which meant having no brake lights for the drive home. But God kept him safe. We were so thankful for the neighbor, because at least we were able to keep Jesse’s battery from running down.

2. Car fixed. Jesse made arrangements to have his car worked on at a place near us. We loaned him one of our cars while his was being worked on. While it was in the shop, he asked them to change the oil and investigate a weird noise upon starting (a frayed fan belt) as well as replace the fuse switch. They got all that done in a day, so he came back the next day to get his car and return ours. It helps to know his car is in a safer condition than it was. Bonus: getting to visit a little with him both mornings. He lives farther away than Jason and Mittu and has a weird work schedule, so we don’t see him quite as often.

3. An impromptu visit. Jason, Mittu, and Timothy came over one afternoon.

4. The last boxes from the shed have been cleaned out! Out of three boxes, I only saved about a 7-inch stack of papers. Some of those will likely be tossed out as well, but I wanted to look at them a little further. There are some cabinets I need to go through out in the shed when we have a cool day. And we have a big trunk that one or the other of us used in college that Jim’s going to bring in to go through one day. Then he wants to finish the walls, put in shelving, and make it a more workable space.

5. Cardioversion scheduled. Atrial flutter began July 14. It took almost two weeks for the scheduler to call me about setting a date for a cardioversion. And then earliest time available is Aug. 22. That’s when Jeremy will be here from RI. I almost rescheduled it for after he leaves but figured I’d better go ahead and get it done. Atrial flutter can resolve on its own, and I am praying it will soon.