Irrational vs Clear, Logical Thinking

When I was a little girl, I struggled with asthma. Extremes did me in. 

• too much heat
• too much cold
• too far away from home
• too much laughter 
• too much running
• too much scary stuff

I remember having to go to the ER on countless occasions — usually when we were on vacation or were away from home and had forgotten my inhaler. 

I remember getting all worked up one night in the bed at grandmother’s house because I could see a little red light outside in the darkness and I fancied that it was the devil. 

One time we were staying for the weekend at a friend’s home and I got terrified over something (who knows what). Mother stayed up with me most of the night trying to calm me down so that I could breathe. 

That is when Mother introduced me to this verse and helped me to memorize it. 

II Timothy 1:7 KJV

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Today I want to look at two components of this verse.

• fear
• soundness of mind

Someone once said that we can look at “fear” as an acronym: 

False Evidence Appearing Real

If someone has you in a chokehold with a handgun to your head, I think it’s safe to say that it is reasonable to be afraid for your life. 

But having an asthma attack over a little red light in the darkness is irrational. 

Having to leave a concert in a panic because an inhaler was left in the car is irrational. 

Not sharing with someone about God because of fear of rejection is irrational. 

For Christians, God’s Holy Spirit lives in our hearts. He goes with us everywhere we go. His characteristics spill out of us onto those around us — His power, His love and His rational thinking. 

And even with a handgun pointed to your head, God can give you the ability to stay calm and to think clearly about a way of escape.

So we have no good reason to be crippled by the unreal emotion of fear. 

What are some things that you have been afraid of that you later learned was unwarranted?

How did you combat the fear? Did you succumb to it. Did God replace the fear with rational thinking?

Did it take a concerted effort to overcome the fear or was it an easy thing to do?

LORD, Thank you for your Holy Spirit and for the fullness He gives our lives. Thank you for giving us the ability to think through things and to approach them purposefully. May you be glorified in us as we show the world who you are. 

Some Flowers in Greece, Turkey and Italy

Thursday, June 19. 2025

While in Greece, Turkey and Italy we saw enough rock/marble/granite to last us a lifetime. 

Sometimes the unexpected 

splashes of color were a breath of fresh air. 

Farmland in northern Greece

Kitten at the base of two date palms. This was not the first cat we saw nor was it the last!

These trees in Ephesus reminded me of the evergreen-lined road to my grandfather’s house.

Bougainvillea 

Blue Jacaranda 

Prickly Pear

Cathedral Cactus 

Jade Plant

Candelabra Aloe

Spruce? Cedar? It’s an evergreen!

Bougainvillea 

Spanish Broom

Gipsy Rose

I just love this shot through the relatively young evergreens of Delphi at the archaeological site in the valley below. 

Cyprus 

Umbrella trees — Italian Stone Pines

Purpletop Vervain

Oleander

Gazania

Nerium 

LORD, Thank you for the opportunity to see the vastness of your world. And when we were so far away from Kentucky I thank you for the jade plants and the cathedral cactuses and the pine trees that reminded me so much of home. 

Father’s Day

Sunday. June 15. 2025

Happy Father's Day

From the jacket of Dondré Whitfield’s book, “Male vs Man:”

• Men are more than simply grown males. 

•Males are the self-serving individuals stuck in negative cycles that we hear and read about daily.

•Men are healthy and productive servant leaders who bring positive change to their communities. 

•Males create chaos and put themselves before others. 

•Men cultivate calm and help others step into their God-given roles. 

Our family gathered around the table tonight and had supper as is our Sunday night routine. Tonight’s conversation was a little bit different. Since it was Father’s Day, Bill asked me to share something about my father that was special to me. He followed with a story about his own dad. 

Initially, I think Bill just wanted our children and grandchildren to know more about our fathers. But what happened next was really cool. Each of our children and their spouses shared their own stories about their dads. Then the older grandchildren told their tales. 

We laughed. We reminisced. It was nice. 

I was honored to be surrounded by such wonderful men at my dining room table. My husband has been the absolute best role model for all of them. My sons and son-in-law are fine young men and great fathers. And my two older grandsons are on their way to becoming reflections of the men in their lives. 

LORD, Thank you for blessing me with some incredible men in my family—my Granddaddy, my Pappy, my daddy, my father-in-law, my husband, my sons and my son-in law. I know that if they warm my heart, as their perfect Father you must be really proud of them.