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As I think of the word Peace and its meaning, I have scattered references and thoughts. As the second Sunday of Advent focuses on “peace,” the second candle is lit in the Advent wreath in church and homes across the nation and around the world. Peace often has an elusive meaning.

Most every evening we watch reruns of the TV show “MASH,” and they speak of peace talks. These affirm that communication often comes before solutions of peace, whether it occurs between nations or individuals. There is the hope that peace will come out of these talks.

Attaching some meanings to the word Peace, I think of calm after a storm, release from stressful situations, being settled into a routine that works, and restful sleep. Just this morning I awoke out of a dead sleep and saw Bill, fully dressed, staring at me from the foot of the bed. My first thought was not peaceful, but awareness of breakfast not being ready. Up and at it through a foggy mind not ready for the start of the day. Peace came later when we sat at the table and Bill offered the blessing.

Jesus came as the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). The angels announced his birth to lowly shepherds: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). But we note that those who first received the announcement (Zechariah, Mary, the shepherds, Joseph) were troubled and had to be told, “Be not afraid” (Luke 1:11, 30; 2:10; Matthew 1:20). Fear and peace do not co-exist. Then Zechariah’s song included a request for God “to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:79), a fitting plea from us today.

As I read Psalm 125, it closes with “May Israel have peace!” At first I questioned the exclamation mark behind the word peace, for it emphasizes what’s active, not calming. Yet peace can be in an active voice, directing us to work at what will accomplish peace in our ordinary lives. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May we also pray and work for peace daily.

In today’s mail, we received a creative homemade Christmas card featuring a dove. Its title: “Peace on Earth.” The inside greeting: “Wishing you a calm and blessed Christmas filled with the true peace of Christ the Lord.” Thanks to Terri & Rick.

Good morning, I’m Kim.  Walking into a season that we know as Advent, longing and expectation captivate us. Our hearts may sense a variety of responses…often the focus is on the goodness of this season, yet for some this season may bring heartache and pain and the anticipation is not welcomed. Together we can enter, bringing whatever we carry into this season and we turn our eyes to the hope of the gospel.  Paul invites us to understand hope as beyond us and within us at the same time when he offer “Christ in you is the hope of Glory.”  (Light the candle.)

I was asked what is hope to me? And I often think of hope as a peaceful, positive, wonderful feeling or experience…when in reality hope can actually be dangerous and painful as I hope for things that feel risky and impossible. I have no assurance that what I hope for will ever come to pass…yet if I do not hope, even though dangerous, I will live in despair. 

So…Hope for me is experiencing the brilliance of humanity as it fights to survive a microscopic killer with adjustments, solutions, and vaccines. 

Hope for me is experiencing the brilliance of humanity as it fights generations of injustices and trauma by confronting it over and over on behalf of people long silenced and offering something different to instill hope in others. 

Hope for me is entertaining the ideas that we might do better in this world with ourselves, with each other, with God.  

Hope for me is being captivated by watching my children experience life in ways I never did or could, make decisions that bring them harm and joy, and find their glory even when it is not what I once thought was their glory. 

Hope for me is being in awe of the creativity of humanity in the midst of times of disconnection, disillusionment, and dissatisfaction. 

Hope for me can be reckless, dreamy, and full of desire. I wonder what you desire today, and what do you bring into this day as deep longing…could it be there without your judging whether it is good or bad?

Will you join me in prayer:

God of hope. God of wonder. God of majesty

You are beyond us, yet within us

You are the very presence of life in us and we carry the weight of your death. Maybe our hope today can reflect the invigorating life and colors of fall while at the same time ushering in the death of winter. 

From the microcosm of cells pulsing and moving through our bodies right now, to the creation of the world outside of us…all chorusing together in a crescendo of life…beauty for our eyes and ears to take in with wonder.

We come before you as your creation, in your image, with all you created bursting at the seams to be seen and known. Our realization of this comes with an understanding of all we are not at the same time. We are known to you, yet not what you envisioned; we are loved by you, yet cannot love the way you wanted; we are light to the world, yet we cast shadows everywhere we go; we are beings of desire and hope made in your image, yet we continue to encounter despair, ignoring the very desire you embed in us. May we know your enduring love in the presence of our humanity.

Would you remind us of your hope…your desire that lives in us. Would you awaken our hearts to understand what longing is, that we might step in at risk…to long, to desire, even when it is painful or makes no sense? We judge the world you created, yet judge ourselves even more harshly; and somewhere in this conundrum is your sweet welcoming of us and all you have created within us to be your very glory. How can that be? Would you capture us with your outstanding presence so we might be captured with ourselves and with those around us each day…maybe as this happens we might catch a glimpse of your hope in us. As we breathe in a moment of silence, would you turn our gaze to the world outside these walls…might you nudge us to be captivated by all of you in it, even the parts we might not typically welcome as your creation. Silence

Oh God of hope, from whom all blessings flow…the weight of your sacrifice with the backdrop of hope is matchless. There is no encore as you are ever present as a seal of love on our hearts. There is no hope without you and we embody the very glory that is the hope of Christ.

God of hope. God of wonder. God of majesty

Let us not lose sight of you…the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen

“Connections.” I like that word for its varied usage. That’s why I chose it for the theme of my blog. And Julie Duncan’s photo of the blue railroad speaks to that theme with beauty and creativity. To add another metaphor, connections are like the string in a pearl necklace that keeps it all strung together.

Earlier this week a friend asked me to pray for a relative in the hospital. I felt honored for her to ask me. We connected with each other in a time of need, but more importantly, we connected together with our Father God who met that need. In addition, my friend had recently moved to be closer to her family. Another connection now being used by God in His timing.

During the marketing aspect of the publication of Bill’s books, I have connected with family members and friends. Some of these I’d not heard from in a long while and they from me. We’re blessed to re-connect. We’ve learned what’s going on in our lives, and found reasons to rejoice.

October’s emphasis for passages in The One Year Pray for Life Bible, was on loneliness. “In our age of connectedness, where social media friends and followers abound, chronic loneliness is growing.” This malady has increased lately for those facing the changes that age brings. “God created us to live in relationship with him and in community with each other.”

Because we lead busy lives, friendships suffer. An article in November’s issue of Reader’s Digest, brought confirmation. In “How I Learned to Make Friends Again,” the author, Billy Baker, discovered that friendships had grown distant. He quoted Richard Schwartz, a psychiatrist, who wrote in his book, The Lonely American: Drifting Apart in the Twenty-first Century: “People are comfortable saying they are depressed. But they’re not comfortable saying they’re lonely, because you’re the kid sitting alone in the cafeteria.” Can you identify? Baker re-connected with long-time friends, and they all appreciated their time together.

During the Covid pandemic, I found social distancing the most difficult mandate to handle. It meant forced isolation, and loneliness followed. However, on the good side, I learned Zoom and now connect monthly on Zoom with my three sibling, for each of us lives in a different state. My two writers groups – Heartland Christian Writers and BookCamp – found Zoom a distinct advantage so we could continue to connect.

Back to my beginning, I’m grateful for how God has connected me with family and friends over the years. Let’s stay connected, for it brings meaning to this adventure called life.

Jules, relaxing in the sunlight, an undistracted moment.

The other night we watched our dog Jules chase the shadows in the setting sun streaming from the dining room windows. Jules is fascinated with light and shadows, distracted from everything else going on in the room.

Every morning Jules meets me at the bathroom door as soon as she hears me open the drawer that holds my makeup mirror. She’s ready for the show of light reflected from either the window or the sink’s overhead lamps onto the mirror and then onto the door, walls, and floor. She sits patiently while I finish doing my hair and makeup, but as soon as I pick up the mirror, she’s alert.

When Jules is focused on light and shadows, nothing else distracts her. She’s intent on getting the best show. Our connection is that I’m also easily distracted when at work – writing or cleaning house. Whenever Jules sees light and shadows, that distracts her from whatever she was doing at the time. Whenever I see a You Tube post or an Instagram notice, I’m distracted from my work and want to watch, for entertainment sake. And generally one photo on a friend’s Facebook page leads me to another and more. I know I should get back to work, but the distraction is more appealing. It’s shear discipline to continue what I’m supposed to be doing.

In a blog post last May, I wrote about being “distracted or dedicated.” My closing paragraph included the following: So I’m back to that ugly word “discipline.” It’s a matter of being dedicated to the best even when I enjoy something good.

Jules and I get distracted, but she also teaches me about the importance of focus – sticking to something without being pulled away by what at the time is less important yet entertaining. That links me to what the apostle Paul had to say about focus: “looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race” (Phil. 3:13, NLT). I join with Mary DeMuth who prayed: “Jesus, enable me to focus on the things that really matter in light of eternity…to finish well.” (Jesus Every Day).

My dad looked forward to retirement because he wanted to travel. Where? I don’t know, only to visit places he’d not seen. But he developed lung cancer, had two lobes removed, and died at age 74, basically from the treatments.

Retirement for me came a short while before I had planned, but I welcomed it. Bill had retired four years earlier, in 2008, and I retired in 2012. In between those years, Bill was hospitalized for 24 days with Legionnaire’s disease, a type of pneumonia. Now he has Alzheimer’s disease, and I’m convinced that the pneumonia and its treatment had some effect on his memory loss.

Unlike my dad, we didn’t have specific plans for our retirement years. But I do know that I did not anticipate reckoning with a husband bound in a fog of loss remembrance. Presently I want him to understand directions and explanations I give, but that isn’t in his mindset.

What could have been is not possible now. And yet it doesn’t mean the good life is not in our sights, because our life does have meaning and purpose. If I were to judge our lives, comparing it to what we had, that would be unfair. It’s different now, not bad, to say the least. It’s good, not better, to say the most.

What Bill and I had then has now become a treasury tucked away in remembrance. And as my friend Everett said, “Memories are to be shared.” While I may recite a long-ago or even a more recent incident, Bill may pretend to know, but it’s lost in his memory bank. That doesn’t mean I quit bringing up memories, but it does mean I can’t expect the give and take of sharing.

I’ve not written this to engage in a pity party for me, Bill, or others in like situations. Reminding ourselves that life is a matter of acceptance, of being in the moment, we can be satisfied with life as is. Love makes all the difference, for we know God is in our midst. “Immanuel–God with us” is a reality. We rejoice for each day as God’s gift for us―to know Him better and to spread the Good News to others. What could  have been, isn’t, but what we do have is God’s good plan, and I give Him thanks.

Guest Blog Post by Rachel Wedding-McClelland (earlier photo of her sons)

I needed this reminder today. Perhaps some of my other mom friends do, too. When mothering sons, heed this advice:

Be home base

You are home to him. When he learns to walk, he will wobble a few feet away from you and then come back, then wobble away a little farther and then come back.

When he tries something new, he will look for your proud smile.

When he learns to read, he will repeat the same book to you 20 times in a row because you’re the only one who will listen that many times.

When he plays his sport, he will search for your face in the stands.

When he is sick, he will call you.

When he really messes up, he will call you.

When he is grown and strong and tough and big and he feels like crying, he will come to you — because a man can cry in front of his mother without feeling self-conscious.

Even when he grows up and has a new woman in his life and gets a new home, you are still his mother: home base, the ever constant, like the sun. Know that in your heart, and everything else will fall into place.

Recently Bill stopped by my desk while I was on the computer. He asked, “What are you doing?” With one word, I said, “Working.” He repeated that several times, yet as a question: “Working? Working? Working?”

It may seem strange to Bill that what I do on my computer is called work. After all, when he’s on his computer most of the day, he’s playing solitaire. So what is my work? Since this is Labor Day 2021, the subject of work is a good topic for a blog post. Right?

For many years I dabbled in writing, never calling myself an author. That’s because while I’ve had articles published in magazines, I’ve not authored a book. Most of what I wrote came under the headings of devotions or personal experience articles.

The one assignment I’ve been most proud of came from a friend, a board member, I’d met while working on staff at Good News magazine, an evangelical voice within the United Methodist Church. By accepting that invitation from Helen Rhea Coppedge, I contributed to The Woman’s Study Bible, published in 1995 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. I wrote annotations for the books of Numbers and Amos along with eight topical notes. I had the privilege of reporting to the editors Dorothy Patterson and Rhonda Kelley.

We had recently moved to Terre Haute, Indiana, where Bill pastored World Gospel Church. While doing the research and writing for this study Bible, I volunteered at the local Crisis Pregnancy Center. Not working for pay, but getting to write most days. A few years later I went on staff at the CPC, but still got magazine articles published.

Bob Hostetler, literary agent, in answer to someone’s query: “When can I quit my day job?” he wrote, “When you’re making as much money writing as you are at your day job.”

This fits me how? I retired in 2012 and we moved to Indianapolis in 2017. I began my dream job in earnest. That’s to get Bill’s messages in print. Currently he has two books on the market―Words of Endearment and Prayers for the People―and a third book, The Scandal of Christmas: Advent Reflections on Four Unlikely Figures, to be published before Thanksgiving this year. That’s my work, yet the money earned goes back into the work.

Bill never said he wanted to write a book. So how do I get his words published? Literally, behind his back. In our study/office, our desks are on opposite walls. He’s playing on his computer and I’m working on my computer.

If you’re like most Christians, your biggest regret in your spiritual growth is your personal prayer life. You know how to pray; you know it’s talking with the Lord in thankfulness and petition. You do spend some time praying, even every day, but you’re not satisfied with the time or content. What steps would move you from being dissatisfied to being confident? Your goal is to please the Lord with your prayer life. What could help you make that transition?

Think about those times when you have sensed God’s presence near and you relished your time in prayer, knowing full well that you connected with the Lord in prayer. Would one of those times be when you’re involved in church worship? You were being helped to communicate with God. Could it be while the pastor (or a church member) led the whole congregation in prayer? During that prayer time, you sensed God near. You put aside your hesitation and doubts and you heard a prayer that connected your desires with the words being spoken by your pastor. You joined in offering prayer for others’ needs and you knew God listened and would answer.

Prayers for the People: from the Heart of a Pastor could be the needed resource to bring you into that sweet communion you sensed when in church worship. This book is a collection of pastoral prayers and includes prayers offered during Sunday morning worship, weddings, funerals, special events, and closes with benedictions. The author was pastor of World Gospel Church, Terre Haute, Indiana, for 19 years. Bill Coker held the conviction that as pastor he knew the needs of the people, so he led in prayer every Sunday. As you read the prayers in this book, you could move from your sense of dissatisfaction to being in God’s presence.

If you are interested in purchasing Prayers for the People, it’s available on www.amazon.com. $13.00 I have sold all my author copies of this book.

How do you view the Ten Commandments as recorded in the Bible? (See Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21.) In the past, they have been posted on courtroom and schoolroom walls. The Commandments have too often been used like a weapon to persuade youth to obey the rules. People even quote particular commands to gain an advantage in an argument.

Personally, you may have viewed the Ten Commandments as coming from a harsh God who rules the universe with an iron hand. Do you see them as commands, rules, and regulations? Do they strike fear in your heart and mind? Or do you ignore them as an ancient creed for past generations?

If you exchanged commandments for “words,” would you consider God’s words as something to help you understand Him better? Could these words even move you to understand yourself better in God’s eyes?

Could you see the Ten Commandments not as rules but as words of endearment?

That’s the position Bill Coker takes in his book Words of Endearment: the Ten Commandments as a Revelation of God’s Love.

The book is written by Bill Coker, Sr., former professor of Bible at Asbury College and former pastor of World Gospel Church in Indiana. With an historic context and careful biblical word study, Bill set his purpose in these 12 chapters to explain what each word (commandment) meant as God intended. These enlarge our understanding about what God said and why. The book begins with a chapter on the Decalogue and then fleshes out each of the ten words in separate chapters, closing with a message on “Rightly Handling the Word of Truth.”

Words of Endearment could move you from fear to trust, from apprehension to love for God, from ignoring the standard God sets for us to accepting the good life ruled by a good God.

Purchase the book from www.amazon.com or from Bill and Ann Coker: al2.coker@gmail.com with free shipping. Only $12.95 and you could have a new and better perspective on the Ten Commandments, God’s loving words for you.

I sat in my car in the faculty parking lot, waiting for my husband. I had finished my day job and we’d go home to prepare dinner and do whatever. Often I had to wait for Bill as his office hours at the college were not 9 to 5. I came prepared, loosing a book from the door’s side pocket, and began reading where I’d left off. Being productive while waiting.

That happened years ago. I’m now reading a book by Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage titled The Waiting Room: 60 meditations for finding peace & hope in a health crisis. It’s taken me back to the 24 days when Bill was in Union Hospital, Terre Haute, Indiana, with Legionnaire’s disease.

Lots of time waiting – for doctors to visit, for Bill to receive diagnosis and care, for his release time. I recall one morning when Pastor Dan joined me as we waited for a procedure that didn’t happen. He had given generously of his time and we shared life stories.

Today’s reading quoted that familiar verse Jeremiah 29:11 about God’s plans for His people. “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (NIV). We tend to make present-day application and don’t consider the context. The people from Jerusalem lived in exile in Babylon. The Lord spoke through Jeremiah to tell the people to be productive during their 70-year wait before returning home. Build houses, grow gardens, marry and have children. And most surprising of all, pray for the prosperity of Babylon.

These days my waiting times look different. Currently I’m waiting for the proof of Bill’s third book, The Scandal of Christmas, four Advent messages. I’ve approved the cover design and illustrations. It’s exciting, but I admit to being anxious about this book being available in time for pre-Advent sales. The first Sunday in Advent is November 28. So how can I make this waiting time productive?

Clean the refrigerator? Tackle the clothes that need ironing? Work on other writing projects? Such as revising my companion book for The Pilgrim’s Progress, compiling my devotions for a new publication, looking over Bill’s transcripts, or reading.

I’m also waiting on Bill, not in the sense that I’m expecting him to do something. It’s like putting aside my expectations and being available for what new changes he makes. What will he forget and what will he want us to do today? He likes to take rides in the country; so will I wait on what I want to do and accommodate his wishes? How do I judge which waiting is more productive?