Gayl Wright

    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.  1 Peter 1:3-4   Birth and Death, the Beginning and the End -- Or is it? The day I gave birth to my first son was exciting for my husband, myself, and our four daughters. When he was ten years old, he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Years passed, and he did well for a while. Later, he developed congestive heart failure. Then, just five days after his 29th birthday, he died. We were blessed with his life, which was a gift to us for those years. As I think about it, he was only four years younger than Jesus when he died. Jesus was born in Bethlehem many years ago to a virgin named Mary. Joseph, a poor carpenter, was his adoptive father. His birth was a miracle and a big step down for Him. Our C

For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2b HOLY WEEK COMES TO AN END During that last week, Jesus taught in the temple every morning. Every evening, he went to the Mount of Olives to spend the night. As the hatred of the religious leaders increasingly grew, they plotted to get rid of Him. Since they feared what His followers might do, they waited for an opportune time. They must have been happy when Judas made a deal with them to betray Jesus. Then one of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests   and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they weighed out thirty pieces of silver for him. And from that time he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him.   Matthew 26:14-16 While eating the Passover meal, Jesus made known to his disciples that one of them would betray him, but they didn’t understand. After finishing

PALM SUNDAY This week, known as Holy Week in the church calendar, commemorates the week leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus. Yesterday was celebrated as Palm Sunday and called to mind the scene of people throwing coats and branches on the road as Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Some may have wondered why Jesus was riding on a donkey’s colt. This was not how a king came to conquer, but that didn’t deter them from praising him. They shouted: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!   Mark 11:9-10 Had I been there, I would like to think that I would have joined the joyful celebration. Some Pharisees in the crowd must have gotten tired of hearing the shouts because Luke 19:39 tells us they asked Jesus to rebuke those praising him. Here is what he answered: I tell you, if these become silent, the very stones would cry out. Luke 19:40 Some of these same people may have been the ones who la

  EXPLORING STILLNESS What comes to mind when you hear the word  stillness ? Does it bring negative thoughts or positive ones? If you ask a child, they would probably think stillness was a punishment, especially if they are busy playing with a favorite toy. For an adult encumbered with various responsibilities or often feeling overwhelmed, stillness might seem like a welcoming friend. How would you define stillness? Is it the lack of sound or movement? Or, could it also be a stepping back from the daily demands to do something different? My #oneword365 is stillness, and I’m looking for other ways to experience its benefits.   Rhymezone defines stillness as: noun :    calmness without winds noun :  (poetic) tranquil silence noun :    a state of no motion or movement Some synonyms are calmness, serenity, restfulness, tranquility , and peacefulness.   When we see these variations in meanings along with the synonyms, I wonder if we could come up with

When I ended my blog in February, I didn't realize how much I would miss it. Other social media sites are helpful, but a blog is more of a personal site. Here, I can share photos, poems, and scriptures and participate in the #FiveMinuteFriday weekly challenges. So, for now, I'm back to blogging occasionally, using this free, simple format. I say, simple, but figuring out how to use it and where to put things is proving to be a challenge. 😎  I thought I'd begin this blog with a   #FiveMinuteFriday  post, as I have done with previous blogs. The word prompt for today is dedicate . It certainly takes dedication to persevere when facing difficulties.  Last Autumn, I published my first book through Chronic Joy Ministries. Talk about dedication! It took months of writing, editing, and more editing, then leaving it in God's hands. With God's help, I persevered through all the challenges and learned much about dedication, patience, and trust. a recent photo and haiku Fast