Prayerful Pondering

by Pat Luffman Rowland

Category: Christianity

  • For many of us it was a marker in our lives to walk down the church aisle and profess our belief in Jesus Christ. It was a proud moment to know that for all eternity we were His. There were those who cried tears of joy. Our parents and grandparents, maybe other family members, Sunday…

  • Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him . . .   Acts 9:5 I remember the day so well. It was late afternoon and I was returning home from my grandparents’ house. I was deep in thought as I crossed the railroad tracks and began kicking rocks as I neared the highway. Running parallel, they…

  • “If any of us would receive an assignment for Christian service, it must come from Christ Himself. If we hope to succeed in that assignment, we must do so while in perpetual, personal fellowship with Christ . . . and never stop working until He Himself comes to discharge us from the service because there…

  • Sometimes I think about Mother at the oddest times–like when I’m in the kitchen and reach for a box of raisins. Just for a moment, I can remember the taste of raisins from Mother’s kitchen. She added them to the Christmas fruit salad, sprinkled them into her homemade cinnamon rolls, and baked them in pies.…

  • On Thursdays, I tutor second grade girls in reading. The school where I tutor is an arm of our church and Bible is part of the curriculum. The time I spend with the girls allows for some chit-chat where I can get to know them better, and I admit this is my favorite part. I…

  • There is an important and revealing lesson on Christ-like behavior in Luke 7:36-50.  The caption over this section in my Bible reads “Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman.”  Before reading further, would you say the word that grabs your attention most is sinful or anointed?  I suspect it is the first, that which describes the…

  • During my years as a patient advocate, I learned a lot about people.   Patients and their families were some of my greatest life teachers.  One of the first things I learned in my days of advocacy was that the term “difficult people” would be more aptly labeled “difficult situations.”  When people are caught in a…

  • The minute I walked into the sanctuary, I knew something was different.  The presence of the Holy Spirit was there, warm and embracing.   The expression on the faces of people I did not know was that of joy and expectation.  Everyone was focused in worship and I was immediately pulled into worship with them.  I…

  • Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear!  Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.”  Isaiah 35:4 I have recently watched a friend’s salvation.  Not salvation of his soul; he already had that.  I have watched him saved from hopelessness, saved…

  • And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth.  John 14:16 When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about me.  John 15:26 But…