October 31, 2018 · 12:06 pm

This Icy Night

“Yes, I now feel that it was then on that evening of sweet dreams that the very first dawn of human love burst upon the icy night of my spirit. Since that period I have never seen nor heard your name without a shiver half of delight, half of dreams” 
                                                                                          ~ Edgar Allan Poe
 
Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.
                                                                                           ~ 1 Peter 5:8-9
 
In so many ways, this is an icy night of the spirit. Forces are acting in concert with hatred, people of all walks of life are having their acts of hatred recorded with much more frequency than acts of love, acts of kindness, acts of healing. There is no office untouched.
 
When I read the quote from Edgar Allen Poe, the first name I heard was “Jesus”. Jesus who loves us so deeply no matter our behavior, Jesus who melts all ice and can warm the coldest heart.  Jesus who has plans beyond our wildest, sweetest dreams.
 
These words of Peter’s, dressed in modern language really drives home the point that we are NOT alone.  The world would have us think that, but we are not.  So today, wrap yourself in Jesus and go forth into Halloween and the coming days dressed in his name. Spread the love.
 
Because of Him,
Linda

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January 12, 2026 · 3:00 pm

The Family of God

26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave[a] nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

​     ~ Galatians 3:26-28
​         English Standard Version​How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life, you will have been all of these.
​     ~ George Washington Carver
I​t is amazing to be in a church where east or west are not the emphasis, Jesus is.  We heard of His baptism yesterday, and in my heart, I rejoiced at knowing that we were marked with the same power as Jesus was, as we were baptized, either as an infant, or as an adult.  I rejoiced in dedicating our children to the Lord at their birth and in church. I celebrated the presence of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, hovering over adult Jesus.
Jesus, standing on a line, waiting his turn, and in the presence of many, as they observed him. Jesus, who knew no sin, set an example for those around him there, and for us.  I know that I was baptized as an infant and that my parents were following a long tradition of infant baptism. I bore the mark of Jesus then.  

​When I went off to college, somewhere around 1971, I renewed my faith, and because of that fact, I felt like a new creature in Christ. When our campus minister invited us to be baptized at the campus swimming pool, I went. I did not see myself as “not yet baptized.” For me, it was more of an “I am a new creature in Christ.” I wanted to emerge from that water, renewed.  And I did! I cannot tell you what month or day it happened, but I can tell you that I felt brand new. 

That same feeling of being brand new occurred again for me when I turned 26. I felt as if I were truly a member of the family of God, and accepted for who I was.

Yesterday, I had a reminder of that.  There are people of every opinion in our church.  And yesterday, it sure felt like a family. We were all born of Jesus, and marked accordingly.

It moved me to do some deep thinking and a lot of praising God. Seeing George Washington Carver’s words today reminded me of our new church family.  

We are so blessed.

You might think this is corny, but Bill Gaither’s version of this is just what I was feeling yesterday.  Celebrated, welcomed, and loved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI7JxRoIMk4&list=RDAI7JxRoIMk4&start_radio=1

Because of Him,

Linda

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January 5, 2026 · 1:56 pm

Into Your Hands I Place This Year

  ~ Isaiah 1:16-17
​         English Standard Version
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
    remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
17     learn to do good;
seek justice,
    correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
    plead the widow’s cause.
Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.
​      ~Anthony J. D’Angelo


A​ dear friend has lost her husband of 64 years. Suddenly, without warning, he was gone.  Just before Christmas.  She opted for a memorial service in the spring, rummaging through older 

​Christmas decorations that she had not used in years, observing a quiet Christmas, inviting people over and permitting a few visitors over the holidays. She is absolutely devastated, and she is doing her level best to live, and carry on.

She is pretty quiet about her faith, and I know it is a part of how she approaches every day. We have offered several ways in which we think we can help her, and she is boldly independent, seeming to be happy to have our occasional company, reminiscing about family.  She weaves hints of what she doesn’t eat, where she doesn’t want to go, what she doesn’t want to see, into our conversation. 

She is determined to live her life and have others be a part of it.  Her latest complaint is that too many widows complain about being alone, but do not invite others to be a part of their lives.  They seem to “wait.”

Tied into this, oddly, is, while watching Die Hard 2, I noticed that in her time of trouble, Holly McClane, (the wife of the hero) was on an airplane and while others were preparing to crash, she was praying the 23rd Psalm. The clearest line was Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. That seemed an odd choice to highlight in the situation, but surely, the impending crash needed to be considered in the light of needing comfort.  Had the enemy succeeded, she would have possibly died, leaving a husband and two children behind. Yet, she prayed with her head down to her knees in “crash” position, in the airplane.

Our friend is reaching out, in the situation she is in, declaring her needs and putting “heels” on her words, taking the action she can, and hinting at what she needs in the future.

As of yet, we are not needing to plead this widow’s cause, but we are certainly awed by her approach to this “crash” that she has survived. Can we do any less?

The song that I have included today, is a good prayer for us all, no matter what our state.

Lord, into Your hands, I place this year.

Because of Him,

Linda

Into Your Hands, I Place This Year

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December 29, 2025 · 2:00 pm

The Halls

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;[a] believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?[b] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.     ~ John 14:1-3


Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.

   ~ Washington Irving


The Halls


I’ve thought about the many rooms

I’ve pictured large and small,

but till today I’ve never ever 

pictured Heaven’s halls.

Just wide enough for all to pass?

Or labyrinth’s narrow way?

Is there carpet on the floor

or carpets soft for play?

Do the new guests take their time

to meet and greet the others?

Are they focused on their room,

not new sisters or their brothers?

Is there angelic music

filling that joyful space?

Or simply joyful cries of glee

as residents of grace?

Are there walls, or halls at all?

Are there greening, growing plants?

Perhaps there’s simply Heav’nly bands

and all the housemates dance!(

-Linda T. Dickman)

MansionBecause of Him,Linda

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December 15, 2025 · 2:39 pm

Permission to Say No

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”     

~Luke 1:30-33
     English Standard Version

I picked up the music.  I made the commitment.  The roads were clear.  
But I was not. Exhausted by a week of joys and concerns, I had no more steam.  We had about 6 inches of snow, something that hasn’t happened in a while.We attended worship via Zoom.  We ate a hearty breakfast.  It did not help our energy levels. We were simply used up, and then…there was the snow to clear before the temps dropped and turned it to ice.


We rallied, dressed warmly and went to the driveway with our shovels, as the snow blower was still in the shed.  I asked God to keep us both safe.  I cleared the stoop and began on the car. David came out and began to shovel.  We have a double driveway…it looked like a parking lot to me.  I did not know how we would get through it.  The neighbors were out with their snowblowers.  I stopped and asked God to send one of them over.  And, as if a switch was turned on, our neighbor did come over! He cleared our “parking lot” in no time. He spoke with my husband and then came to me, asking if I wanted the front walk done as well.  He told me of a recent sermon he heard about having permission to say no, and “sometimes you just gotta sit on the couch.”  God has a sense of humor because that is what I concluded when I assessed our energy levels.  Then another friend shared about a sermon she heard about “saying no” sometimes.
I love the organizer of the event, I love the conductors, the soloist, and the singers.  I simply could not move. I missed out on singing The Messiah with people I love, and I do not feel any guilt about the path I chose. 

Today, I share another version of The Messiah by Handel, this one conducted by Quincy Jones. What a choir! What a celebration! Hallelujah!  Another dream of mine is to sing with a gospel choir.  When I have this CD playing in my car, there is worship happening!
I praise God for my pastor, I praise God for choir directors who have given me a superior education, I praise God for the permission to say no.
Hallelijah!

Because of Him, Linda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoBwzLH2Aig&list=RDVoBwzLH2Aig&start_radio=1Quincy Jones – A Soulful Celebration

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December 9, 2025 · 2:07 pm

How Long?

John 15:5,8 (English Standard Version)

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.


​I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope,

For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love
For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith
But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting.
Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought:
So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing….
~T. S. Eliot

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJYB9RNi3Kw&list=RDwJYB9RNi3Kw&start_radio=1

Ask the Watchman


This is NOT my regular day for writing a devotional.  As you know, I write on Mondays.  Yesterday, I had an appointment with the car dealer for a tire pressure light check. I signed up to wait for it as we do not have a second vehicle at this time. I did not bring my computer; I brought materials to inspire me to write poetry.  What happened was: too much noise in the waiting room, the channel that they chose for the TV was not the local news channel that repeats the news in a regular pattern (making it easier to tune out).  What was on the TV was a show from Providence, R.I., about a judge who showed practicality, mercy, and grace. A program I could not ignore, or tune out.  Eventually, I was able to write a little poetry.  
I was there for FOUR HOURS. Even doctors’ offices do better than that.  And I had to keep checking on the car’s status.  I had failed to bring a snack, and the vending machine offered no good choices.  I waited, I wrote, I prayed. I spoke with my husband, and we decided that this was our last visit to this dealership.  I asked God for the words to say goodbye.  And God gave them to me. I approached the sales desk, which was elevated, kind of like a judge’s bench, and asked, “Can you please tell me how many vehicles we have purchased here?”The answer was two.  I then complimented the staff of the service department, for they had been kind, if not efficient.  Then I said, last year, you had our vehicle on recall for ONE MONTH, after the first part came in damaged, and when I picked up the car, I had to beg to have it washed by you. I felt it was a courtesy considering how long you had it.  Today, I had to wait FOUR HOURS for my vehicle.  I just wanted to say goodbye, and wish you well. We will not be buying any more vehicles with you. The manager did not know what to say, and he was puzzled as to what he might do to make it right.  (I had a few ideas, but the Lord did not invite me to share them, you know, a discount, a voucher toward a new vehicle, that kind of thing.) I stopped by the library on my way home, and then went home and was met by our neighbor.  Our neighbors are a blessing to us every day, in many ways.  TK came over with a gift of food and some knowledge about an app that helps reduce food waste. She came in and delivered the food and listened.


The funny thing is, I had chosen this piece of music BEFORE I left for the dealership yesterday.  The first line makes me laugh today: “Ask the Watchman how long?”


The anthem refers to how long we have to wait before Jesus comes.  And in this season of waiting for Him to come the first time, I am reminded that there was a search for the Messiah for many years before He arrived.  He came, He saved us, and He is coming again.
I am thankful that I did not lose my temper at the dealership.  This anthem kept playing in my head and kept me in good humor. 

I hope and pray that whatever you are waiting for, you are in touch with the One who gave everything to get here, everything to leave here, and for whom we wait to return.
Because of Him, Linda

PS- I am forever thankful for Tim and Deb Jenks, who gave me a world of music and worship, delivering scripture in so many amazing ways.

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December 1, 2025 · 1:46 pm

In the Beginning

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

John 1:1-2
English Standard Version

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQBi20lDETU&list=RDKQBi20lDETU&start_radio=1

​In the Beginning – Rosephanye Powell 

Breathless, we flung us on a windy hill, Laughed in the sun, and kissed the lovely grass.

​~ Rupert Brooke

​I have had the privilege of singing with a few of this country’s best choral directors.  Names that I should be able to rattle off at a moment’s notice.  The ones that remain forever

highlighted in my memory are the ones who gave me the tools to praise God with my voice, hear the word, and follow their direction.  I will highlight one today.

I did not have the “chops” for this.  The grammar schools I attended did not have choirs, and by the time I got to a school that did, I was too afraid to join.

​When I did attempt to join the choir, I told the Director of Music that I tended to feel the music in my tear ducts, because that is where the Spirit lived for me.  He simply said welcome, and handed me a roll of toilet paper, followed by a music binder.  

Singing with this talented director enabled me to get in touch with the Lord in a way that I had rarely experienced.  Singing in that choir was a gift from God, and a gift from both the Director of Music and our church organist. They went out of their way to give us the tools we needed to let the word come out.  A unified, chorally sound instrument of the gospel.

This particular piece both drove the message home to me, and united us, all four parts, in such a way that I believe the angels heard us.  I have no idea who was preaching. The message was right there, coming out of our mouths.  

We had just this couple of sentences, our voices and our director upon whom many eyes were riveted.

As we move toward the stable this Christmas, let us remember this scripture, as we join voices with the angels and “recall” another time that the angels sang.

Hallelujah!

Because of Him,

Linda

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November 24, 2025 · 3:47 pm

Affirmation: Received

“Heal those who have been abused by authority and remove from them their fear. Give them the ability to trust once again. Place them in safe environments where they can receive help, grow, and safely develop their gifts. We pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.”From Give Him 15 by Dutch Sheets


Colossians 2:6-7
English Standard Version

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.


This morning, as I was listening to Dutch Sheets’ devotional, Give Him 15, I heard the voice of the Lord in the quote I chose for today.  In our new church, so many fall under the category of having been abused by authority.  So many are finding healing.  We are blessed with a Pastor who has s servant’s heart, a teacher’s vision, and a shepherd’s loving authority and hand. 
Our pastor meets us where we are, speaks affirmation, listens with love, responds with truth in love. 
My dad used to tell me that there were two kinds of people in this world, the tearer downers, and the builder uppers.  We are so blessed to be a part of a congregation that is led by a builder upper.
We are learning to trust once again.  We are receiving, growing, developing our gifts in a new and living way.
I am so thankful that we listened to the voice of God when He called us out of one place, and into this one.
Where are you right now?  Are you being celebrated, not merely tolerated?  What does the Lord want you to know about that?
Father, help us to be your treasured children, able to climb up on your lap and be completely safe, completely loved, and completely trusting in You. Help us to breathe easier, knowing we are in your loving care, always. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Because of Him,Linda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5fpu0Fh3tg&list=RDh5fpu0Fh3tg&start_radio=1

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November 17, 2025 · 3:48 pm

Moon Over Houston

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
    and a light to my path. 

~  Psalm 119:105


Moonlight is sculpture: sunlight is painting. 

~ Nathaniel Hawthorne


Astronaut Buzz Aldrin is a Presbyterian.  He is also a former astronaut.  He also took Communion on the moon. It was kept quiet at the time, but while Buzz was quietly opening up the elements on Apollo 11, his congregation was also celebrating Communion on Earth in Houston.  It is a tradition that they still celebrate as Lunar Communion Sunday.  I wrote this poem to honor Buzz, and the Lord who inspired him to take communion to a whole new level.

Where is the most unusual place, or circumstance, where you celebrated Communion, perhaps with distinctive elements, in a very different place?

Moon Over Long Island

for Buzz Aldrin


Arc’d in a waxing crescent

Arms over a communion table

Breaking bread

Pouring the cup
A celestial body,

Heretofore untouched

As man reached out

Into the universe

The bread, released from its packet

The wine curling slowly and gracefully

Up the sides of the small chalice
The first food on the moon

The communion elements

Uniting the celebrant with those 

On the blue marble below

https://www.websterpresby.org/content.cfm?id=400
Will you praise Him anywhere?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo8jdTwMkO8&list=RDbo8jdTwMkO8&start_radio=1
Because of Him,

Linda
Because of Him,

Linda


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November 16, 2025 · 12:51 am

The Voice of God

God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour.​   ~

 Job 37:5-6 (English Standard Version)

We are learning, too, that the love of beauty is one of Nature’s greatest healers.

~ Ellsworth Huntington
I​t seems to me that the voice of God is often loud, often in nature.  We have no problem assigning thunder, lightning, earthquake, volcano, tornado to God. Often we assign the weather to being judged.  

​In the last year, my counselor has asked me what God is saying to me about something. We would pray and she would allow space for me to hear.  At first, I was just embarrassed.  I thought I should be able to hear the voice of God. I was sure that I had heard it in the past.  She would continue in the prayer and give me homework, and a scripture to look at.  

Lately, I have been contemplating what the breath of a dove feels like.  I discovered that I knew nothing about the respiratory system of birds!  

It is quite a process:

For birds, a complete breathing cycle is four steps, thanks to two sets of air sacs (nine total) found in the bird’s body. Air sacs create a bellows system for the lungs, and here’s what the cycle looks like:

Inhale: Air flows through the nostrils, into the trachea, and fills the posterior air sacs.
Exhale: Air exits the posterior air sacs and flows into the lungs. (In the lungs, the gas exchange takes place, swapping carbon dioxide for fresh oxygen.)
Inhale: Air exits the lungs and flows into the anterior air sacs.
Exhale: Air leaves the air sacs and flows out of the trachea.

How Do Birds Breathe?

I don’t know what the breath of a dove feels like, but I do know that it has an impact on my spirit.  I can feel it when the Holy Spirit makes the crown of my head tingle.  An invisible sensation, the signal of God’s sweet Spirit.  Or that tiny voice that now grows more distinct when I pray for someone, or ask Jesus a question.  I can hear it.  Even better when I am in the Word and spending time looking into the eyes of Jesus on the beach.

I know that I have been quite good at hearing the loud noises, but not as quick to hear the still small voice.  But it is there, for me, at the ocean, in the pine trees, in an orange grove, in the face of a dahlia, or hibiscus, or bearded iris, the varieties of pine cones.  

In the book of Kings, we are reminded where the voice of God can be found: And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

1 Kings 19:12

Listen…can you hear it?

The Voice of God – Dante Bowe

Because of Him,

Linda

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November 3, 2025 · 1:51 pm

You Can Let Go

13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
~Romans 13:1New International Version


A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.

​ ~ George Bernard Shaw

​Recently, I heard a conversation between folks who create (creatives) and a person who didn’t feel he fit in that distinction.  The host of the gathering kept encouraging one younger person to keep trying, to keep going.  The host has been presented with many avenues for success, and has turned them all down. They are creative, multi-talented, still have all their faculties, and can do all of the things presented to them in their field.  They have done NOTHING but give empty promises, and believed them.

They are singularly focused on one project that shows no signs of coming to fruition, because they have been given empty promises.

This “empty promise” conversation has been going on for over 40 years.  And still, rather than taking a chance on something that is guaranteed, will afford some income, a partnership with a good friend, and success, the vision is always looking at what was, and what might be for that project, not the one offered.

A friend of mine talked to me the other day about how the Lord used her dog to teach her a lesson.  It seems the pup doesn’t like to give her the ball when she has fetched it. And she has explained to the dog, that she knows how much puppy enjoys running to catch the ball, and that she cannot throw it again until she lets go.  In that moment, the Lord stopped her and said, “That’s you! How can you have what I want to give you, if you won’t “let go of the ball” in your teeth?”

Powerful lesson.  How many times have I held on to something that I wanted and not trusted God to provide His best?

Just let go of that ball, that Teddy Bear, that dream,  that broken relationship, and give it to God. Watch Him work.

Because of Him,

Linda

You Can Let Go

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