Be Thou My Vision

Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches.   Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches.   One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years.   When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” John 5:2-6 “Would you like to get well?”   Are you kidding me?   Who asks someone that has been sick for 38 years if they want to get well?   What kind of ridiculous question is that?   Of course he wanted to get well!   Why in the world would Jesus ask such a question?   There is another example in scripture of Jesus asking what seems to be a peculiar question.   In Matthew 20:29-34 there is a story of two blind men who, when they heard Jesus was coming, sat by the road side hoping he would heal them.   Jesus stopped and asked them, “What do you want me to do for you?”   What?...

I have two dogs.   Both of them have great temperaments, are wonderful companions and an unlimited source of entertainment.   However, one of my two dogs is dominant and, I am embarrassed to say, somewhat selfish.   When I feed the two of them, she seems intent on eating both bowls of food.   When I give them rawhide chews, she will promptly gather both and guard them.   She does the same with doggie toys.   I can’t use the dog food dispenser because she will eat the entire container at one time to avoid sharing.   Thank goodness she is a dog and not a person. Unfortunately, this kind of behavior is not limited to dogs.   Recently I visited the home of a relative of an acquaintance.   It was one of those houses that will cause someone like me to stand with mouth hanging open.   I’m a pottery, bouquet of herbs on the table, rustic décor kind of girl.   This house was huge, opulent, extravagant, and complete with a hom...