Sha God

Hello friends, Today I will finish up with a three-part series by talking about peace in the midst of chaos.  I don’t know how better to describe life in the US (and in the world) right now than to use the word “chaos.”    Headlines scream of hundreds of thousands of people being infected with the virus, not enough testing kits being available, death tolls rising by the hour, and people fighting for...you guessed it...toilet paper.    These are only a few examples of the living nightmare that is playing out before our very eyes. BUT those things might still seem “far away” to    some of you. What happens when the chaos hits closer to home?. For me, my personal chaos started 15 days ago. That was day 1 of our quarantine and the day I thought I was catching a cold. Now, on day 15, 3 of the 4 of us have had COVID-like symptoms and we, basically, haven’t left the house since March 12th. I am 10 days into waiting for my test results and was tol...

Hi Friends, I have decided to continue on the same track as last week and make this a series. Last week, we talked about our hope. This week I will discuss joy during trials.   As I write this we are on day 9 of a mandatory quarantine.    When will it end?    That depends on my COVID-19 test results that I should get back on Monday. I am sick. I’ve been sick for over a week...fever, slight cough, chest pressure and, sometimes, shortness of breath. I saw a doctor on Tuesday and since I was not in distress and I tested negative for pneumonia (along with both flu strains and strep) they sent me home to “hunker down” and recoup (unless things get worse.) You might be wondering what in the world    this has to do with joy or maybe, how I could find any joy during this time?    Well, first of all happiness and joy are two totally different things. Thankfully I am finding small glimmers of happiness during this surreal time in our ...

Happy Sunday, friends! In light of the situation in our nation and communities, with the spread of COVID-19, I have decided to hold off on the post I’ve been working on all week. It was heavy...very heavy and I feel like we have enough “heaviness” going around right now.  I have been keeping up with the Coronavirus since early January because I teach ESL in China 5 days a week.    It felt so far away at that time. Even last Saturday, when they announced the first case in Missouri, it didn’t seem like it would affect us here. At this time, we personally know someone being tested for the virus.  In this seemingly crazy time, I could easily become anxious or fearful. My parents and in-laws are both over 60 and my son has had heart and respiratory complications, in the past. The one thing I know is that God is in control of all situations. He is sovereign now, with the Coronavirus, and was in control when the Black Plague overcame Wittenberg, Germany in 1527...

Hi friends! Welcome to Sha God!    This blog has been years in the making. Years of fear, shame, heartache, loss, hope and, most of all, God’s redeeming grace.  You may be wondering, “What in the world is ‘Sha God’?”    I have this friend, Carrina, and she is the best. She’s that friend that “tells it like it is” and preaches the gospel into my life every.single.day. Carrina was born and raised in Louisiana and has introduced me to many “new” things. For instance, you always make rice with chili, true jambalaya DOES NOT include tomatoes, and Lafayette is pronounced “Laffy-ette”.    Over the past two years of knowing her she has used this phrase “Sha” in reference to God. Sha is a Cajun and Creole slang, derived from the French "cher". It is a term of affection meaning something like dear or precious. So, when God does something wonderful, when His amazing grace is displayed, or when she just knows He’s near, she will exclaim “Sha God!”  I...