We live in a broken world. The evidence is all around us. Wars. Famine. Hatred. Murder. Cars break down. Clothes wear out. Homes require maintenance. From the largest imaginable issues to the smallest personal ones, everything is slowly falling apart. Physics even has a law that says entropy in a system increases over time. We deal with this brokenness via repair services, humanitarian efforts, the legal system, and straight up replacement of worn-out items. But even these methods are broken and only partially successful. 

True renewal only comes through Christ. He is the One who makes all things new. It is in Him that we die to our old broken self and are reborn as a new creation. But even this is only temporary. Permanent renewal won't be ours until Christ returns in glory. Then the entire creation will be made anew, free of brokenness.

For 10 summers, my husband and I worked as volunteers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park where, once a month, I had the opportunity to sing with the East Tennessee Shape Note Singers. These dedicated amateur musicians gathered in the old churches, preserved by the park service, to sing traditional hymns from an 1840s replica hymnal, following notation in which the various pitches are designated by shapes on the staff. Sitting in those dark churches, singing ancient hymns with fellow Christians, I thought of the many forms of music sung throughout the centuries to convey words of faith.

From chants to polyphony, chorales to contemporary arrangements, music has carried the words of God's grace from generation to generation. As our voices crack with age, let's continue to sing our favorite songs of praise, and let us learn new songs, too, to sing with a new generation.

In Acts 16, Lydia is described as a dealer of purple cloth. But more than a businesswoman, Lydia is also described as a worshipper of God who had gathered with other women at the river. When the apostle Paul began to speak, she listened, and “The Lord opened her heart.”

Lydia’s open heart led to a fresh start — changing her and influencing her household (Acts 16:15). She continued as an entrepreneur but was boldly committed to Christ. She used her gift of hospitality, opening her home to Paul and Silas.

Lydia led her household to Jesus and offered hospitality to others in response to her new life. When we read God’s Word, He speaks to us. Ask God to open your heart to a person or need today. How can you live out the Gospel message and use your spiritual gifts?

During a phone call with my mother, she said, “Yesterday I was feeling down and had a pity party. I realized I had to stop thinking about myself and trust God for my problems. I decided to encourage someone else.”

“What did you do, Mama?” I asked.

“I took chicken and dumplings to a sick friend. When Sarah and I talked about God’s blessings, she smiled. She said my visit perked her up and made her feel better. I think the visit did more for me than Sarah.”

The apostle Paul commended Philemon, “The hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you” (verse 7). Philemon opened his home for the church and demonstrated love for fellow believers as he shared his faith in Christ.

Like my mother and Philemon, we can renew fellow

believers’ hearts with words and deeds.

Golfers will tell you about the “mulligan.” In golfer-speak, it’s a second chance to take a shot, a do-over for those of us who didn’t hit the ball rightly the first time. “The first swing didn’t count. I’ll give you a mulligan.”

If only life came with a mulligan. Harmful words spoken would be erased. Poor judgement, angry actions, your petty, selfish behavior would all be forgotten in the wake of the mulligan. But though we must live with the consequences of our sin, God has a better idea!

Ours is a God of grace, a God of everlasting mulligans, who looks at us through His Son’s death on the cross and while He doesn’t dismiss our sins with a shrug, He wipes them clean with costly forgiveness in Jesus. He gives us endless opportunities to “do over.” Thank God!

I love polishing silver! Why do I find such satisfaction

in cleaning and buffing when I could be outside building a snowman? I enjoy making something that is deeply tarnished look new again, and as I polish, I ponder God’s work of redemption. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to renew us. With loving mercy and forgiveness, He cleanses, restores, and refreshes our tarnished lives. Renewed in the spirit of our hearts and minds, we put on “the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).

Feel the joy! United with our Lord, we shine with His love! Spending time with Him in daily prayer, contemplating Scripture, and doing works of charity keep the shine bright and the tarnish away. May the lives we lead praise God. Let it be so!

Now is the season to focus our thoughts and worship on Lent, the last days of Jesus’ earthly ministry that led to Easter morning. With boundless love and mercy, our Heavenly Father sent Jesus to suffer and die so people could receive forgiveness and be saved. Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem is also personal because His suffering and sacrifice rescued me from God’s wrath, punishment, and death, all of which I deserved. But Jesus delivered me to new life with Him.

Not everyone accepts the gift of salvation; many will not admit their sinfulness and need for repentance. They reject what Jesus did for them. He stood in my place and sacrificed Himself for my sins. Jesus gave me a clean heart and renewed spirit.

I enjoyed playing in the wide, open space on the farm where I grew up. The farm had been in my family for 105 years before I was even born. The land, the buildings, the trees, and the two houses were always there. I figured they always would be.

Over the years, many changes have taken place. Many of the buildings collapsed. Trees got old and fell over. Even my parents passed away. We realize that on earth, nothing lasts forever. Buildings rot and collapse. Trees decay. Loved ones die. Things change. But one thing remains: God’s Word (Matthew 24:35). His Word is the same for me as it was for my ancestors living on the farm 105 years before I was born. God’s Word, God’s promises remain and faithfully guide us through the years.

Ah, cousins! Four in all. As an only child, sharing space with a lively family was a joy and, admittedly, sometimes a challenge; three of those cousins were boys!

We shared joys, challenges, hopes and dreams as we prayed, ate, shopped and played together. We cooled down in a small blow-up pool, made potholders and ate homemade strawberry shortcake ... as if we didn’t have a care in the world. We just celebrated being together.

Then and now, God blesses me with opportunities to make joyful noises with cousins. Last July, my husband and I traveled to Virginia for the first time since pre-COVID. What a joy to see my cousins and their families and renew connections with them! While social media helps connect us, there’s nothing like in-person time as we celebrated, once again, our Schini roots.

In a faraway land where the Gospel is often met with opposition, the daughter-in-law of some longtime friends began an enterprise among a group of unschooled, impoverished women. Using worn, cotton saris and simple sewing stitches, they craft lightweight blankets and other items. The skills they learn and the income they receive from their products lift the women’s sense of worth as well as their standard of living. Interwoven with the handcrafts are hours of patient instruction, prayer, and gentle witness on the part of their mentor. Castoff materials and “caste-off” women are transformed, one stitch at a time. One day they, as we, will exchange shabby earthen garments for dazzling, white robes as we praise the Lamb together — all of us remade for His glory!