Consider Lily Articles Gallery

NEW - Y Am I Important? Recently, an unlikely source reminded me of an important Biblical principle. Somehow the Y key came loose and fell off my keyboard. Underneath, where the letter once sat, was a very small rubber circle that if you pressed just the right way and hard enough, it would still produce the letter Y on my page. The problem was that this usually involved poking it very hard, so that I got not only one Y, but I would end up with "yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy" going across my page. I would get so frustrated, because this really slowed me down, breaking any real train of thought I had going. It took me twice as long to type something as it normally would. Read on... NEW - My, My, My Focusing on the Savior Resting outside the heavy metal door at the bottom of the cold brown steps, a colorful palm branch boasted its odd, displaced beauty to a stately downtown work district. Aged a few days and slightly fragile, the branch was likely a leftover from the previous Sunday's early-morning celebration. How it made the journey from a worshiper's (or perhaps a reluctant participant's) hand to the cold concrete outside my office building was quite the enigma, but one that made me laugh a little as I left work on the Thursday night before Easter, known in some churches as Maundy Thursday. Read on... Why It's Okay To Read The Last Page First We find hope in knowing the ending I ruin stories for myself. I skip to the last page of the book, I ask whether the hero of the movie really dies, and I put it down if I find out that the story is going nowhere good. Like anyone who dares to do this in public, I get speech after speech about how I'm missing "the experience," the suspense of getting to the end and not knowing what's going to happen. Read on... Waves Stepping out in faith I often find myself with Peter. Sun-burnt skin, aching feet, parched mouth and crouching against the side of the little boat. Scripture describes the boat as "beaten by waves," (Matthew 14:24) and I imagine Peter clinging desperately and pressing forward against the stormy sea. Read on... Tigger Vs. Eeyore Attitude is everything Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore? I'm sure you're probably familiar with the lovable little Winnie the Pooh characters, even though it's been a few years since you've seen them last. As strange as it sounds, maybe we can learn a little something from our little bouncing friend Tigger. Read on... Tomorrow Is Promised To No One Where Are You Headed? We were still reeling from the shootings at a city council meeting in Kirkwood, MO, when the news broke exactly one week later about the Northern Illinois University shootings. In near perfect replication of the Kirkwood tragedy, 6 lives were lost as 5 students were gunned down before the shooter turned and killed himself. Read on... The Cheese Stands Alone When elementary school meets real life Let me set the scene ... it's more than a decade ago when I'm sitting with 10-15 fellow six-year olds on what was dubbed the "magic carpet." I am vaguely excited about music time when the teacher leans over in the small blue plastic chair to slip the cassette tape into its player and presses play. Read on... Sexually Abused: Victor or Victim? One woman's story I am a statistic. I am one out of every three women who are or will be sexually abused. I believe each woman's account has its own unique circumstances and damage, and for this reason, I will not relay my specific account. Read on... Why Lily7 Exists We care about you It's a simple question, really. I hear it all the time. Usually, it's a question posed from people who are just finding out about Lily7 and curious to know more about what it is and why those of us serving in it care about it. So I've wondered if maybe it's time for me to answer that question for those of you who have also wondered but never actually asked. Read on... Groaning Waiting for heaven to come to Earth Deep in the belly of Louisiana, resting along the banks of the lazy Mississippi, an alley of oak trees dig their roots deep into the rich, wet soil. Twenty-eight oak trees, fourteen on each side, were planted there over three hundred years ago. Through war, hurricanes, lightning storms, and abandonment, Oak Alley endured. Read on... Be The City A light in the dark In July 2000, my small-town family and I vacationed to the big city of New York. This was my first experience in a large city, as well as the first time I saw what a beauty the city can be. Read on... The Potter And His Intricate Handiwork Time and time again I revert back to the analogy of "The Potter and the Clay" because it is such a simple analogy to understand. In doing so, I've realized that when I'm having a hard time trusting God with my future, trusting His plans for my life, it's like saying "God, I'm not sure you know what You're doing ... Read on... The Sparrows Who am I that God should care for me? For weeks, I'd see a man standing in my complex's parking lot, throwing pebbles into a nearby area of trees. Cars would pass, and he'd wait patiently before throwing another. Is he really aiming for the trees? I wonder if he's insane. Perhaps he's lonely. Read on... Victim Let me be real Every time I go to tell my testimony, I get that same sickening feeling, because I know that once I'm finished they will look at me and feel sorry for me. They will try to find the right words to say and will end up saying nothing at all. Read on... The Other Side Of Vanity Whose approval am I seeking? The topic of study at an all-women's Bible study one night was Vanity. I went into it thinking, "This isn't really something I struggle with." I mean, I'm a t-shirt and jeans girl who rarely wears makeup and doesn't spend much time on her appearance. Read on... Feeling Distant But, now I can boast in my weakness For the past few months I have felt so distant from God. Have you ever felt this way? Not only have I been suffering from writer's block, but I've been suffering from something I call "God-Block." Read on... The Valley Of Dry Bones I need a breath of life I barely hear the whisper as I rise from the ashes of my life around me. Read on... The Arrival Of Spring Waiting for a sign It was seventh grade and the students of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Grade School were savoring the premature warmth of early spring that had managed to blur over into the last days of winter. We accepted warmth as a sign — like someone who kept watch for a loved family member due to arrive would accept the honk of a distant car horn. Read on... When God Says No Trusting that His answers are best Have you ever wanted something so much and could not have it? Have you ever earnestly prayed for something and God said no? Read on... The Vine Analogy Rooted in Christ, going to seed Something I was reading a few months ago had these verses in this order on one page. As I read through them, I started to realize that the plant/vine/grain analogies throughout the New Testament really combine to make a rather coherent plant. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. He nourishes us, gives us water, holds us up, and allows us to grow. But as we grow, we grow out from Him — not away from Him, but out to the world. Read on... Check out the archives for all of our other articles.