by Elaine Olsen | Aug 30, 2014 | eternity, kingdom, Lessons from the Lunchroom, living God's truth, ministry life, obedience, trust
I told them to keep working . . . that I needed to take some pictures and not to pay any attention to me. After eight days of getting to know their new teacher, they are beginning to understand that I am a woman who lives for the moments. Too many of these moments are...
by Elaine Olsen | Aug 17, 2014 | baptism, faith, kingdom, living God's truth, obedience, pilgrimage, trust, truth
My heart’s been moved again by the story of Philip and the Ethiopian as found in Acts 8:26-40. This encounter unfolds like a series of rapid succession snapshots, sort of like living a narrative through the lens of a view-finder. Remember those? Philip’s story is a...
by Elaine Olsen | Jun 22, 2014 | blessing, cancer volume 4, church life, dad, Holy Spirit, kingdom, living God's truth, ministry life, pilgrimage, strength, truth, words, worship
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” -1 Cor. 3:6-7 Today was watering day at Ebenezer UMC. I took my watering can and applied it heartily to the...
by Elaine Olsen | May 30, 2014 | artistry, creation, God's Word, grace, kingdom, peace
“Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” –Hosea 6:3 Surely . . . One of my favorite descriptors attached the...
by Elaine Olsen | Apr 24, 2014 | a quick word, discipleship, friendship, kingdom, living God's truth, ministry life, peace, peace for the journey, pilgrimage
A few things occur to me this morning while reading Luke’s account of “Jesus sending out the seventy-two” (Luke 10:1-24). In particular, I’m focusing on two sentiments/phrases that Jesus instructed his disciples to use in their evangelism campaigns. What...
by Elaine Olsen | Apr 9, 2014 | freedom, grace, hope, kingdom, living God's truth, pilgrimage, thanksgiving
I’m turning forty-eight this week … again. Let me explain. For the past year, I’ve been telling folks that I’m forty-eight. I’m not kidding. Somewhere in the madness of this last year called My Life, I lost a year. So when my birthday rolls around on Thursday, really...