The last words of a dying person are important. They can communicate good or ill to those left behind. Why? Because the last words are so final...and so revealing of what was uppermost in the person's mind as he was leaving this earth to face his Maker. I've never been at the bedside of a dying person. But I have been with a few people just days before their death.
Read MoreFrom dust you have come, and to dust you shall return.
Ash Wednesday has taken on a new meaning for me in recent years, since my 91 year old mom passed away early in November 2015. There was something that arrested me right in my tracks the day of my mom's funeral. I was undone by deep sobs of realization. And the depth of it had been helped along by the incense and the reverence afforded the treatment of my dear mama's frail little body being put to rest (or so they say).
But it wasn't the finality of it all. It had already been final when she had breathed her last, days before.
No! It was the Sacredness that came crashing through!
Read MoreI grew up in a liturgical church. So from my childhood into my early adulthood, I observed the church calendar. Ash Wednesday marked a real turning point in the calendar year. It was a turn from comfort, frivolity, and enjoyment (think Mardi Gras) to a time of repentance, self-denial, and mortification called Lent. Ash Wednesday was a day when we all remembered that someday we would each die and face our Maker. The priest would put the sign of the cross on our foreheads in black ashes and say,
Remember, Man, that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return. [based on Genesis 3:19]
Read MoreLent is really about thinning our lives in order to thicken our communion with God.
What if you fasted regret?
What if your friends fasted comparison?
What would be the fruit of fasting stinginess?
40 Days of Decrease is the perfect guide for those hungering to experience God's presence in a whole new way this Easter.
…As one friend said, “It sounds like Vanity Fair.” You know, the town in Paul Bunyan’s classic Pilgrim’s Progress, that contained every worldly pleasure to suck poor Pilgrim in.
Well, I’ve been reflecting. Even though this place was “to the hilt” worldly perfect in so many ways, I can’t help but think that we each have a Vanity Fair all around us no matter where we are. Our Vanity Fair beckons us to chose the world of ___(FILL IN THE BLANK)_____ rather than God.
Read MoreWow, I hadn’t heard that song in years and maybe only then for the very first time…and not since. You see, I was in Indianapolis for an overnight stay because a medical procedure…maybe decades ago. The therapist had invited me to her church that evening, and I heard it for the first and last (or so I thought) time.
Then at the Memorial service for our dear brother in the Lord Mike Sabin on Tuesday evening, I heard it again. And it brought joy to my soul.
Read MoreI pay attention to my waking thoughts.
Ever since I discovered a poem by George MacDonald, tucked away in an old notebook on my husband’s shelf, my waking thoughts have been captured and inspired by God’s Wind-Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God. I have invited Him to do that.
Otherwise, my waking thoughts were being filled with the anxieties of life, the trap of the flesh aided by the enemy of my soul. . .
Read MoreHebrews 12:1-3 NLT
The imagery of the race as a picture of the Christian life on this earth has always held fascination for me. And finishing the race without pooping out is my heart’s desire . . . and more and more as I get older.
I get tired and so I grab hold of my God daily at a slower pace. But still I grab! Otherwise, would I end up not living from who I really am in Christ?
A spiritual father of mine, who is approaching his 90th year of life on this earth, shared this poem with me recently. He said that it is his prayer to make it to “the finish line” faithful to his God.
Read MoreFor everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die...
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a,4a (NLT)
Time, that fleeting commodity that holds us while on this earth! Yet, we can't hold onto it! And for all of us, time is ticking away. We are closer to the end of our earthly journey every second that we live.
Read More“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.
You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities.
Let’s celebrate together!’
Matthew 25:23 NLT
When my husband John and I were seniors at the University of Arizona, the Carpenters were at the top of the music charts. We embraced them as our group who sang our songs as we were "a-courting." Their mellow sound and rich melodies fed our romantic feelings toward each other and toward life in general. At our wedding, we danced to, you may have guessed it, "We've Only Just Begun." Lyrics like "White lace and promises, a kiss for luck and we're on our way" made it the perfect song to start out a new marriage...or so we thought.
But as the years have rolled by and reality and maturity have set in, so has the realization that the romantic expectations of youth are so unrealistic and can only truly be fulfilled by an Almighty God.
Read MoreToday I’m celebrating Cancer Survivors, those brave but suffering souls who have battled and prayed and cried and begged and pushed through . . . or maybe who have suffered in silence and pushed through inspite of it all. All were scared and maybe still are.
I’m celebrating the loved ones who suffered alongside and didn’t run away from the “not knowing” . . . who cried and prayed and begged and never gave up….
Read More♥We are fa-mi-ly...my mother, brothers, sisters, and me! ♥
They have left our beloved New Jersey (home of the famous Jersey shore and my favorite sunrises over the ocean) and have gone over to the “dark side” a.k.a. Florida!
So A Branch in the Vine will be taking a break for a while.
But before I do, I would like to share a post from 2012, after one of our special times together at Nancy's home in Belmar, New Jersey. So may I introduce you to these precious folks who have beckoned me back to New Jersey again and again . . . and now to Florida.
Read MoreBut right now, Janice is suffering. According to a shocking medical diagnosis, Janice may soon see her God, the Lover of her soul, face to face.
Prayers are ascending to the Throne of Grace — for mercy, for healing, for grace to face each day. We, her friends and loved ones, want her to stay with us.
Please, O God!
Read MoreJust for fun as we close out January and some gray days in OHIO, I just have to post this — an almost “flash mob” at my very own Kroger. But by doing so, I’m departing from my “rule” that everything that I post on A Branch in the Vine MUST have a spiritual theme or application.
Well, since everything is spiritual for a child of God, I guess I’m not really “breaking my rule,” am I? So here it is and enjoy with me. I dare you to not at least tap your foot or hum along.
Read MoreLife, glorious life! How we take life for granted, until...
someone we love dies,
our health or safety is gravely threatened,
we realize our days are waning because of the years...
It is then that we value what we've had all along.
But there's a Life that we never need fear will diminish, be endangered, be lost...
In fact, this Life can grow in our experience even in this time-based, fearful, waning physical life.
What is this Life?
Read MoreTo follow up the last post on our Hero — the Holy Spirit — I remembered this amazing song. Even my young grandson William started to “get it” as we sang it last Halloween.
You and I are never alone, my journeying friend. Let’s enjoy Him and His Presence . . . no matter what!
Read MoreBullies don't often give up. They just look for another opportunity in a different place of vulnerability, changing tactics and catching the victim off-guard.
And so true to form, the Bully didn't take long to regroup and sneak up on me in another situation. It sent me into a tailspin of emotion...trying to choke back tears and keep on doing life. But thankfully, my Hero, the Holy Spirit of Christ broke through the emotional cloud I was churning in.
"Ok Jan. Resist! Stand! Say NO! Remember that? Now look at the entire passage and park yourself there."
Read MoreGod’s children are being attacked left and right. Some of us are stuck. Some feel worthless. Some are walking through the trials of our lives, believing that God is against us.
Why, God?
You can be sure that when God is doing something in our lives, the devil is always helping the weakness of our flesh to draw us in the opposite direction.
Read MoreDid you know that praise and thanksgiving to God about everything, everyday can change your perspective on your life. Why? Because HE is our God, our Source. And HE IS WORTHY of every praise and thanksgiving.
Why not begin right here until it becomes the habit of your soul....EVERY PRAISE is to our GOD! Amen!
Read MoreJanet Renner Loyd has been a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ most of her life. Her formal education includes a degree in education from the University of Arizona and also a degree in Bible & Theology from Moody Bible Institute. For more than thirty years, she has been involved in teaching and leading women’s Bible studies, retreats, and meetings…most notably Precept upon Precept and various studies that she has personally developed. Professionally, Jan recently retired from teaching language and writing to GED and adult ESOL students.
About her life, Jan says, “The most important thing about me is my relationship with my Father God through my Lord Jesus Christ. I am forever grateful to Him for His love, mercy, and grace to me and my family and friends...and the world.”
Jan has been happily married to John Loyd for more than forty years. They have two adult, married children and five lively young grandsons.
