We Need One Another

As our youngest searched for someone to help us retrieve patio cushions perched on top of a huge box on the very top shelf, my vertically advantaged husband was scaling the miles-high racks of the home store. By the time the associate arrived, my mighty hunter had already procured the cushions. Scott --chest out, feeling pretty satisfied, I'm sure --turned the employee away; but he'd barely returned to parade rest when I began placing the hard-won cushions on a lower shelf. A confused look morphed into full-on dismay when I wheeled our cart toward "the prettier ones" a few aisles away. "Don't get married," he teased a young couple walking past. 

My husband and I will be married eighteen years, and it's been an adventure. A lot has changed over those years, and we have certainly changed from who we were when we first met. What has always remained, in good times and bad, is our love for one another and our commitment to this relationship. What began as exploring interesting quirks, laughing over similarities, hearing those stories for the first time, has become familiar, sometimes irritating, but a part of life and a part of who we are as a couple and as individuals. We don't always feel in love --that can be difficult on our best days --but that "piece of paper" everyone poo-poos, that covenant with God, that name-taking oneness... It never changes. We are one. And our love for one another remains constant.

As Mother's Day approaches, however, I'm thinking of other relationships as well; my relationships with our children. I've struggled with parenting. As a young mother, I was hopelessly in love with my children. I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to them. I enjoyed every moment with them. That is, until they threatened independence. Their rebellion was to me a personal threat, a commentary on my failure as a parent. I found myself in a constant state of grief and worry; so much so, I further alienated them with my insecurities.

When my husband and I met, combining his children with mine, I'd matured quite a bit. I imagined an idyllic life with a raucous, laughing brood. It wasn't. We had more than our share of wonderful days, but difficulty and tension always lurked. Children leaving. Adolescents changing. Exes to consider. It all amounted to trips we never took, cookies we never baked, days that never came to fruition. Always because "someone spoiled it." Often that someone was me. So much unfinished business.

And here we are in this season. Not the usual season for folks of our age. And I still find myself struggling. You'd think, by now, I'd be more at ease. But every child is different, right? How do I know what is best for this one? And our adult children are in different seasons. How do I let them be adults without giving them the impression I don't care? And there are grandchildren to love. How to be close without being overbearing? And our marriage is in a different season. Can we please just get a moment ALONE??? And I say all this to say, BUT GOD.

He is for His children, not against them (Psalm 56:9). He will never leave us our abandon us (Hebrews 13:5-6). He loves us with an everlasting love (John 3:16). He is faithful (2 Thessalonians 3:3). And He has given us brothers and sister in Christ to lift us in prayer and encourage us in the way (Galatians 6:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:11). We are not alone in heaven or on earth. We are not alone as husbands and wives or as parents. As believers in Jesus, we run this race together; we are given to one another in community, as members of the body of Christ. We are compelled and commanded to love and lift one another; to pray, pray without ceasing for each other! And the peace of God will guard your heart and mind against fear, against doubt, against those temptations that would destroy your marriage, against the grief over your children gaining independence, against the pain and bitterness of blended families, against anything that would come against you gaining glory for God through your choices!

So, I welcome your prayers. And I'm happy to pray for you as well (Just drop me an email or add a comment). We need one another. For prayer, for words of encouragement, for tears turned to laughter, for sharing one another's burdens, and for those cushions waaaay up there on the top shelf!

   

Midweek: The Sketchbook Bible, NKJV

I was intrigued. When I received the offer from the folks at Thomas Nelson to peruse a free copy of The Sketchbook Bible, I could not resist. I was expecting lots of blank pages on which to sketch, much in the same way others journal. That is not what this is. In fact, as lovely as this Bible is, The Sketchbook Bible is something of a misnomer. The group of teens I asked to assist me with my review concur; this is more of a "Coloring Bible." Full of sketches drawn by artist, Paul Mignard, it would make a wonderful gift for those who enjoy coloring as well as those who are seeking to literally make the Scriptures personal. The Sketchbook Bible provides the opportunity for the reader to personalize their Bible in a way that is unique. 

Let's first dispense with the specifics. From the protective sleeve in which my copy arrived: 

FEATURES INCLUDE:

• Over 275 line-art illustrations by Paul Mignard (@sketchysermons) including:
• 150 biblical figures such as Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Hannah, and more
• 30 items including swords, chariots, foods, and items from the Temple
• 25 key verses across Scripture
• 25 biblical metaphors, such as shepherd, scroll, the fruit of the Spirit, and vineyard
• 20 animals found in the Bible
• 12 biblical structures
• 12 visual summaries of key books of Scripture
• 7 two-page spreads of Bible art
• Hand-drawn book titles designed by Paul Mignard
• Embellishments and landscape imagery scattered throughout the Scriptures
• Short introductions for every book of the Bible
• Complete index of illustrations
• Clear and readable 9.5-point NKJV Comfort Print®

My copy came in teal Leathersoft™ with a silver satin bookmark that complements the silver stamping on the cover and spine. The Sketchbook Bible is covered by Thomas Nelson's lifetime guarantee. This is a red-letter edition. The front matter is typical --a presentation page, Table of Contents, a word about The Sketchbook Bible, and an introductory explanation of the New King James Version, the translation which will be available in a hardcover edition on May 12, 2026. The back matter contains an index of the illustrations, a few pages for notetaking, and full-color maps.

The artist, Paul Mignard, is an illustrator and web developer. He maintains the popular "Sketchy Sermons" social media account. Those facts, too, are from the sleeve as I was not at all familiar with his work. But there are illustrations in this Bible that I would gladly, eagerly color, and others I would want to leave just as they are. For instance, Mignard's rendering of biblical feasts is so beautifully done, so full of content, it's difficult to resist coloring the page right now (but, as I'll be passing this on, I probably shouldn't). His depiction of Ezekiel 37:4-6, the dry bones, says all it needs to say without a hint of color. 

In short, I would say, if you have passion or talent for drawing, if you have your own concepts and can form your own word pictures, this may not be the Bible for you. If you appreciate the ideas and images of others and would like to link them with your own personal touches, you will probably enjoy this Bible immensely. As I mentioned previously, this might be a great way for someone who is artistically inclined (but, perhaps, not endowed or trained) to make the Scriptures come alive and create a Bible that is uniquely theirs.

It is available for pre-order on Amazon for $35.68, at christianbook.com for $35.58, and at Cokesbury for $35.79. 

  

One Thousand Yards

Prayer is one of the most precious commodities God gives people. It is the means by which we first reach out to Him, we first acknowledge Him and give our lives to Him, and, if given the opportunity, may be the last thing we are doing before we see Him face to face. The whole of Scripture is God teaching us how to commune with Him. We see it in the comfortable relationship Adam and Eve had with Him in the garden, the passion of the Psalms, the template of The Lord's Prayer, and in Hope's victory in Revelation. I have learned to appreciate the cadence and patterns in the prayers of others and join with them in tearful intercession and triumphant praise. It is a privilege that matures as we grow closer in our relationship with God. It is in the instructions given in Joshua 3:1-6 that I see a tremendous aspect of prayer begin to develop --specifically, verse 4:

Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.

The Ark of the Covenant represented the presence of God, and there were some very specific rules regarding it. It was not to be thought of as common, familiar. Scripture is clear about the way we approach God in prayer as well. But the thing that caught my eye in Joshua 4 was the distance. God did not give instructions for His people to "follow as closely as you can." He did not encourage them to move when the Ark (His presence) moved. He said, keep your distance --about a thousand yards according to scholars. And God gives them the reason: so you will know where to go. The Ark was to be their guide, and as they traveled with it waaaay out in front, it would have been visible to all. Every Israelite could keep their eyes fixed on God. Not the back of Levi's head. Not Saul's donkey. Each individual fixed on God.

But there's more, and as I mentioned, it's got to do with prayer. Have you started praying God prepares a wife for your 10-year-old son? Have you begun to pray God softens the heart of you great-great granddaughter? Have you prayed for the pastor of the church you'll be attending when you retire in twelve years? Have you prayed your infant child resists temptation at that graduation party he will one day attend? Now, I could go down a HUGE rabbit hole on this one, but a) there is never a lack of things to pray about if we are praying "God's will be done", and b) God's presence will go before us --and our great-great grandchildren --if we ask. Just as the Ark of the Covenant cut a path for God's people to follow into a Promised Land, God will prepare places and people for His glory and the good of His people. God is not bound by time and can do those things now!

Additionally, have you prayed enough? I don't mean this as a currying favor, legal sort of thing, but have you half-heartedly offered up a request before going about and doing your own thing, putting into effect your own designs? In his commentary of Joshua 3:4, Alexander MacLaren wrote:

In a shipwreck, the chances are that the boats will be swamped by the people scrambling into them in too great a hurry. In the Christian life most of the mistakes that people make arise from their not letting the ark go far enough ahead of them before they gather up their belongings and follow it. An impatience of the half-declared divine will, a running before we are sent, an acting before we are quite sure that God wills us to do so-and-so, are at the root of most of the failures of Christian effort, and of a large number of the miseries of Christian men. If we would only have patience! Three-quarters of a mile the ark went ahead before a man lifted a foot to follow it, and there was no mistake possible then.

Prayer is power, privilege, access to the presence of God. It is made to be developed and utilized for our good and our God's glory. Our gracious Heavenly Father wants to teach us, but we must fix our eyes on Him alone, rest in His sovereignty over all things and His freedom from worldly restraints, and slow down, listen, wait on Him.