Sarah Dixon Young's Blog: Love Much, page 3

Delusions

The prophet Jeremiah watched the young men of his generation trudge up into the hills to worship a delusion.

Lots of young men traveled the paths up into the high places around Israel. They wanted to worship an idol that would guarantee their health, wealth, and well-being. They all lost their way. The idol consumed them.

Jeremiah wasn’t a smug know-it-all. He had been chosen to be the voice of God’s compassion to those young men:

“Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessne...

Dairy Queen Parables

A little girl bought me a cotton candy flavored blizzard at Dairy Queen last week.

Now, I’ve been trying to avoid too much sugar, and I’ve never liked cotton candy. The pink ice cream had multi-colored nerds candy throughout it, and I don’t like those either.

But the girl had seen that I didn’t have ice cream. She had a five dollar bill in her pocket. She snuck away from the table while my attention was diverted and then, just as sneakily, set the cup of pink goodness in front of me.

I...

April Showers

By the time you read this, it will be May Day.

We will have had our April showers, and I will be thinking about what and how and when to plant my garden. 

Watching the rain fall outside the window, I have alternately thought about the gloomy children in The Cat in the Hat and that passage from Isaiah about the rain accomplishing the purpose for which it was sent. 

All week, I have had the image of a dark cloud in my mind. In its center and out to its edges, it is dark, heavy, brooding....

Travel Weary Yet Full

When the disciples followed Jesus up on the mountainside, their baskets were empty.

They’d already been on the road, ministering to others. They were weary, worn, and empty.

My backpack was full as I wandered through the Denver airport this week. I had a three hour layover, and I was ready to participate in the favorite pastime of all writers: people watching.

Maybe the disciples people-watched too as the crowds came to Jesus for healing. Perhaps they were as diverse as the Denver airp...

Easter Everyday

In Paul’s last letter, he wrote to Timothy, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom.”

Tradition has it that Paul was beheaded by Nero because of his faith in Jesus.

And it does seem kind of ludicrous, doesn’t it? Is being beheaded coming safely anywhere?

Sometimes, at Sunday school, I look out at the beloved faces of the children who have gathered. They are impish, grinning, asleep, or whispering to one another. I’m teaching them abou...

A Little Salty

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There’s an old wooden case filled with salt spoons hanging on the wall of our dining room. 

A salt spoon is a tiny spoon that people used to scoop salt from a tiny dish called a salt cellar. Those were the days before salt shakers were a thing.

When I was about eight years old, my grandmother decided that I should begin collecting salt spoons. 

“Who knows?” she would say, “Maybe when you’re grown up, you’ll have enough of them to have a party where each of your friends c...

Book and Writing News

More Light in the Darkness…

This is the Spring writing update that went out to all my email subscribers. If you would like to sign up for my (very occasional) writing updates, please subscribe HERE.

Dear Reader,

The resurrection that occurs at the end of bitter winter never ceases to amaze me. We had three inches of snow here yesterday, but today, the birds are singing. Spring is on the way.
It has not been an idle winter. I have three works in progress, and I’d appreciate your prayers ...

Mud Remover

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‘Tis the season for mud here in the thawing north country.

No less than four vehicles were stuck in my driveway this week, and the drabness of pre-spring below matches the grey sleet clouds above.

But, today, I saw a robin, and ice still sparkles when the light shines on it. 

My family has really enjoyed Randall Goodgame’s newly released “Scripture Hymnal,” and one of the Scriptures he set to music is Psalm 34:4-5: “I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me ...

Why Don’t They Fast?

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Inquiring minds wanted to know: why were the disciples of Jesus not fasting when everyone else was?

This month, my Muslim friends have been fasting for Ramadan, and my Catholic friends are fasting for Lent. Some years, I have fasted from some foods during the Lenten season. This year, I have not. Some years, I have written Lenten reflections. This year, I have not.

Instead, I have been studying the Gospel of Mark, and I found the people’s question kind of funny: “Why do John’s disc...

When God Made Fruit

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A ministry called “On Eagle’s Wings” sends us interns every March.

Each young man who has come has been saved by Jesus and OEW helps them learn to share their “hope story.” They spend the summer months traveling to different reservations across North America sharing the story of how Jesus saved them. Though each story is unique, the power of Christ has been evident in all of them.

This weekend, our interns hosted an event at the local recreation center. Basketball, rap musi...