D-V's Desk

              1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Psalm 23:1-3 (KJV)             Psalm 23 is a familiar and favorite psalm for many of us.   Psalm 23’s words are full of comfort and assurance.   Generations have found hope in the reminder of God’s faithfulness and love, even in the most challenging of times.   Sheep and shepherds are not a common image for us.   We are far from our farming roots.             Shepherds and sheep were common in Jesus’ time.   They are still frequent sight in the Middle East and in parts of the British Isles.   In the Hebrew Scriptures, as in Psalm ...

  Grief                             Shock Doubt                            Fear Uncertainty                     Anger These are just a few of the emotions that I’m sure filled the Upper Room that first Easter afternoon.   The women have come with their strange report- the tomb was empty.   But those gathered together do not yet believe.   Suddenly, the resurrected Jesus is with them behind the locked doors of the room. In the midst of pain and confusion, in the middle of fear and doubt, Jesus offers His friends the gift of peace.   We tend to think of peace as an absence of war or conflict.   Pea...

  In the Greek myth of Pandora, Pandora is given a box.   She is told NOT to open the box under any circumstances.   Curiosity eventually gets the best of Pandora, however, and she opens the box to see what is inside.   All the ills of the world come flying out: envy, sickness, hate, disease.   Quickly, Pandora snaps the box shut. Too late, the only thing that is left inside the box is hope.   Hope, that fragile thing with feathers. [1]   The Pandora myth teaches us about the persistence of hope.   Even in the face of challenges and obstacles, hope endures and pushes us on.   Hope encourages us with the way things should be as opposed to the way things are. What brings you hope?   What keeps you going in the face of life’s obstacles?   Maybe it is the support of family and friends.   Perhaps it is the promise of a fresh start a new day brings.   Maybe it is the joy of an ocean breeze and the tang of salt in the air. ...