A Life of Gratitude

 " Abraham planted a tamarisk tree  in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the  Lord ,  the Eternal God." Genesis 21:33 I came across this verse this morning and it caught my attention because I love when the Bible gives specific details. The writer could have just said Abraham planted a tree, but instead we're told the exact type of tree he planted. So, I had to learn more about this tree.   A tamarisk tree  is known to thrive in very harsh environments, but it remains steadfast. It is a large tree, often reaching 20 feet tall with branches that are widespread. It provides shade that is much cooler than other trees, and since it is an evergreen, its protection isn't dependent on the season. During Biblical times the leaves and bark of this type of tree were often used for medicinal purposes.  Its leaves also collect moisture in the air during the night, so when the sun beats down on the tree during the day, the droplets evaporate and produce a cooling syste

Yesterday, my oldest son began talking about Thomas from the Bible. He said, "Everyone refers to him as doubting Thomas. I bet he's up there like, 'come on guys, is that really what is remembered about me.'" "One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” John 20:24-25 My son's comment made me think more about Thomas and I feel sort of bad for the reputation he has received because of his doubt. The more I ponder it, the more I wonder if Thomas was just the honest one. I can't imagine that everyone else just believed without any doubts. His friends were telling him they had seen Jesus, even though everyone knew he was dead and in a tomb. They believed because they had seen Jesus with their own eyes. It's als

Yesterday, while my family ate lunch at a restaurant, we noticed that the Styrofoam cups had various Bible verse references printed on them. The kids called out the verses and I used the Bible app to look them up and read them aloud. Allison called out 1 Kings 1:1, so I looked it up and read it to myself. I laughed because I knew that couldn't be one the verses on the cups. The verse says, " King David was now very old, and no matter how many blankets covered him, he could not keep warm."  I read it to the kids, and we all laughed. Allison admitted she just said a random verse. We talked about the people we know that are always cold, wear multiple layers of clothing, and always need blankets. We also discussed why verses like these are in the Bible. Yes, they're funny, but maybe they were included to help us understand that the people of the Bible were normal human beings, just like the rest of us.  Some other verses in the Bible expose this truth as well:  Moses had