Joan of Arc was only about 12 years old, a big help to her mother in their home in Domremy, France, and a help to her father watching their sheep. At that young age Joan began to hear voices talking to her about God and how to please Him. Between twelve and seventeen Joan experienced hearing the voices and sometimes seeing St. Michael, the archangel, St. Catherine of Alexandria , and St. Margaret of Antioch. Eventually these saints convinced Joan that she must help Charles, the Dauphin, heir to the throne of France, to recover his throne which had been usurped by the British and their French allies. The two nations, France and Britain, were deep into the Hundred Years’ War and England’s King HenryV had laid claim to the French crown. Domremy was one of the the few villages that remained loyal to Charles.

Juxtaposing the political landscape with the interior landscape of a peasant girl visionary isn’t easy, but the two came together in Joan’s recognition of the need to free the city of Orleans of the British, and her unique capacity to predict such things as the location of a sword hidden in a church, the cause of Charles’ reluctance to move forward, and the necessary timing of the assault on Orleans. Joan, who could not read or write, had the understanding of a general as she led Charles’ army to victory at Orleans.

After that there were other battles. Joan accompanied Charles to Reims Cathedral for his coronation in front of a jubilant crowd.

Joan was eventually captured by the Burgundians, allies of the British, and turned over to the British by the churchmen who interrogated her. She was burned at the stake in Rouen in 1431.

There had been a prophesy in France that a woman would destroy the nation, and that a young virgin would restore it. There was no doubt that the destroying woman was Charles’ own mother, who spread the rumor that Charles was illegitimate, leaving him paralyzed with uncertainty. Joan acknowledged Charles first as Dauphin and then as King Charles VII. After Orleans and other victories, there was not a thought of his legitimacy. It took twenty more years for France to rid itself entirely of the British, but most historians say that it would never have happened at all without Joan.

Joan brought no material advantage to her task. She was an inspiration injecting hope where there was only despair, courage where there was nothing but fear, trust where there had been only doubt. She paid with her life to bring about these changes, which have endured for all these centuries. Do not be afraid or terrified . . . for the Lord our God goes with you; He will never leave you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Joan died with Jesus’ name on her lips.

Love in Him,

Prue

Walking one day on the street of Virginia City, Nevada, young Samuel Clemens (known as Mark Twain) noticed a sheet of paper blowing in the breeze ahead of him. When he reached it he stopped to pick it up and found that it was a page from an account of the life of Joan of Arc, of whom Clemens had never heard. The single page inspired Clemens to research the life of Joan for may years. Eventually he moved his family to France where he did original research, employing a translator, into the times and events involving Joan. The fruit of all that labor was the book, Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, which was published in 1896. It is still in print.

Using a fictionalized character, Clemens retold the story he had gleaned from his years of research. In all the main particulars his account is very accurate. Samuel Clemens believed it was his best work.

In reality, it may have been his best for his own spirit, for Joan is the only religious figure that Samuel ever believed in or admired. He famously rejected religion and couldn’t abide Christian clergy; though his wife and daughters were Presbyterians, Samuel remained outside the fold.

About Joan, Mark Twain wrote, When we reflect that her century was the brutalest, the wickedest, the rottenest in history since the darkest ages, we are lost in wonder at the miracle of such a product from such a soil. . .

Jesus makes it clear that such a phenomenon is entirely possible, indeed commanded:

You are the Light of the world. . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

The “light” that Joan brought to France and ultimately to the world, arguably accounts for the very existence of the French nation today and for the many who, like Samuel Clemens, have marveled at the amazing achievement of driving the British out and establishing the independance of France, which Joan herself ascribed to the work of Christ in herself and in others around her.

For Samuel Clemens to speak sincerely of “wonder” and “miracle” without sarcasm is a wonder in itself. That the faith of one person could so move another after nearly five hundred years, is a resounding affirmation of Mathew’s message to us. Joan’s light still shines. She did what no one thought could be done, and today she is the patron saint of France.

Love in Him,

Prue

Unlike much of the rest of humanity, Jesus is never coy or evasive about his identity to his followers.; so, when I read about his walk to the town of Emmaus, disguised as an unrecognizable stranger to two of his own disciples, I wondered why this was so. (Luke 24:13-25) It is a unique story of an event that occurred the very first day of the discovery of Jesus’ resurrection . The text asserts that They were kept from recognizing him during the whole length of the walk, possibly as much as two to three hours of close contact and conversation. And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24: 12)

Earlier, at the Passover meal, Jesus had spoken to the twelve about a new “Advocate” who would come to them after his resurrection. Jesus said that he would ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit to each of them.: The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:16&17)

I believe that Jesus was not in disguise on a whim, but for a very important purpose. In walking with the disciples, in opening the scriptures to them, in reminding them of himself , Jesus was doing what he had promised that the Holy Spirit would do for them in their lives. Jesus , on the walk to Emmaus was actually modeling the Holy Spirit himself. Though these two disciples may not have been present at the Last Supper, the things he told to the twelve were recorded for the whole world and for us.

Before the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples, Jesus was modeling the Spirit’s life and activity for them. Jesus needed them to understand that though they would not always recognize him in the world, yet he would be there in person. They needed to know and believe that he, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit of God are the same person with the Father. Perhaps for the first time, ordinary people were invited into the life of the the triune God, to be able to know Christ’s presence even if they couldn’t recognize him. The disciples, Cleopas and an unknown one, exclaimed after Jesus broke bread with them and disappeared, Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us? (Luke 24: 32)

They had experienced the companionship of God’s son in the form of a stranger. From then on they could know that Jesus would be able to meet them for real in their world, even as he meets us in our would, whether we recognize him or not.

Love in Him,

Prue

“Mimi, you know that thing that’s inside an M&M—that seed?” asked Rosie, my four year old granddaughter.

“You mean the peanut inside the M&M?”

“Yes! A peanut is a seed, isn’t it?”

“Well, yes.”

“Well, why don’t we take an M&M and plant it, and have an M&M tree in our yard?”

“Because the peanut in the M&M has been roasted, cooked, and chocolate added to it; it won’t sprout into an M&M tree.”

“Mimi, you don’t understand! I would put it in dirt in a pot! I would water it! I wouldn’t forget it! I would remember to water it!

This dialogue did not end happily, as Rose was convinced that she had an original and entirely doable idea. Eventually and reluctantly she resigned herself, and never, to my knowledge, actually planted an M&M.

I believe that in our relationship to our supernatural God we many times say in our hearts, “You don’t understand!” Some even spend a lifetime believing that God does not understand their minds and hearts. Everyone has corners that he or she believes are untouchable by the God of Truth.

However, the Bible testifies to God’s closeness to us, His divine presence in our innermost being: His word is in my heart like a fire , a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in, indeed, I cannot.” (Jeremiah 20:9) He says, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever–the Spirit of Truth. ( John 14:16-17)

Rose thought I didn’t understand, because she felt that she, herself, could make happen what she desired. This is the very story of each of us: that we can shape our own lives to be exactly as we want them. When God answers prayers in ways we don’t desire, we just believe that He doesn’t understand! Many times we fail to pray at all in the secret certainty that He doesn’t understand.

Human Beings are the only life form on earth who were created just for God, and in His very image (Genesis 1:2). It is inevitable that He would desire to be close to and communicating with people. We think that God doesn’t understand, but we are wrong: I will dwell in them, and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ( 2 Corinthians 6:16)

Love in Him,

Prue

When Jesus told Peter “Feed My Sheep” (John 21:15-17), he was conveying and entirely new life-style to Peter. He wasn’t suggesting an avocation for his disciple, but a radical change that carried infinite implications that Peter couldn’t possibly know I advance. What Peter did know, was that Jesus, once a carpenter, called himself a “shepherd.” (John 10:112:18) “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me–just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” (John 10”14-16) After the Resurrection Jesus passed his shepherd’s staff to Peter. The Bible never again mention’s Peter as a fisherman, but only as the great disciple who accepted Jesus’ staff.

Even though Israel had once been exiled from their land and eventually returned to their home, the image of a shepherd was deeply embedded in Israel. Abraham, the father of the nation,and his son Isaac and grandson Jacob were all shepherds. In the land of Egypt the twelve tribes were all shepherds at least until their slavery, and the division of the land of Israel was made for shepherd families. The exodus was consummated with the blood of a lamb on the lintels of houses. Israel’s greatest king, David, was a shepherd.

God elevated shepherds when David told King Saul, Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. . . . The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine. (1Samuel 17:34-37)

Though herding sheep was no longer highly esteemed in Israel in Jesus’ time, all Israelites knew their heritage as a nation of shepherds, and at Jesus’ words, some became believers. ( John 10:21) As a Hebrew, Peter knew the centrality of shepherds and shepherding to his people. He knew, too, that Jesus placed himself in the center , and that the sheep, mentioned in parables and in lessons, were going to need a shepherd who would die for them. Jesus said: The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life only to take it up again. (John 10:17)

When Peter said”yes” to Jesus , he knew for certain what kind of shepherd he would have to be. Peter said, “Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you.”(John 21:17)

Love in Him,

Prue

“I see that you have some nice knives,” said a friend to me when he returned from my kitchen where he had gone to wash his hands. “You left them wet by the sink. It would have been better not to wash them at all, than to lave the blades wet.” Sam worked for the firm that manufactured the carving knives I had received as a wedding gift. I thanked hem for his advice, and went to the kitchen to wipe the knives.

Many years later Jack took the knives to be sharpened, and was rewarded with the admiration of the sharpener. He told Jack that he had never seen these by now discontinued knives in such good condition. I couldn’t help remembering Sam and the incentive he had given me to be sure that the knives were always dried.

Then Jeremiah said to the family of the Rekabites, “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says: ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered. Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says: Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.”

(Jeremiah 35:18-19)

For more than two centuries, the Rekabites had refrained from drinking wine, living in houses, sowing seed, or planting vineyards, all because their ancestor Jehonadab had said that they should refrain from these things. They were a people who believed in the Hebrew God, but were not descended from Jacob (Israel). God held them in high esteem purely for their faithfulness to their ancestor. It was their perseverance that won them God’s approval and His promise at a time when all of Israel was facing Nebuchadnezzar’s armies. Jehonadab had said to his family, “You must never drink wine. . . . then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.” Then Jeremiah offered them wine in the Temple in Jerusalem, and they refused. (Jeremiah 35:6-7) They were not the “Chosen People”, but, unlike the Israelites at that time, they had kept faith, albeit with their ancestor. I believe that the spirit of obedience is precious in the eyes of God. It is a spirit of willing connection with another. The Rekabites followed their ancestor exactly as God desired to be followed by His people.

I was embarrassed to know that I had left wet knives by the sink, and had to be reproved for it by Sam, but it was a joy to remember every time to be sure to wash and dry them thoroughly because they were worth it. I still use those knives and I’m still grateful to Sam.

Love in Him,

Prue

Nowhere in the Bible does any Old or New Testament person tell us that we must learn to forgive ourselves. Indeed, if it were possible to forgive ourselves, we wouldn’t need a Savior God. Yet, many times I have heard someone say regretfully, “I know, of course, that God has forgiven me, but I still can’t forgive myself,” as if God’s forgiveness, though nice, is irrelevant to our peace of mind and spirit.

It’s true that reflection on our own wrong doings can help us understand ourselves and our world, but to continue to feel guilt over them in the light of Christ’s death and resurrection, is to miss the new life that we can have, even before we go home to Him. Worse perhaps, is the notion that we have higher standards than the Lord’s for forgiveness of our own sins, and, while He may forgive, “I still cannot”.

Accepting God’s forgiveness is accepting Him as our God. It is one of the very reasons of the incarnation of God in Christ on earth. It’s the priceless gift experienced anew whenever we confess and know that we are forgiven. It is actually an acknowledgment of another Person who is infinitely better than one’s self, and yet accepts and even loves us.

In the 1959 movie ,The Hanging Tree, starring Gary Cooper as Doc Frail, his character rescued a young thief named Rune, and threatened Rune with exposure in order to force him to be the doctor’s assistant in a gold mining camp. Doc showed Rune a bullet that would prove Rune’s guilt. Rune worked conscientiously in fear, until he confronted Doc with the demand that Doc give him the bullet, and set him free. Doc Frail just said, “I threw that thing away a long time ago,” and Rune knew that he could have left at any time. In his service with the doctor, Rune had become a valuable aid and gained respect in the mining camp.

Corrie ten Boom once wrote, “When we confess to God, He buries our sin in the deepest part of the ocean, and then erects a sign that says ‘No Fishing!’ (Tramp For The Lord, by Corrie ten Boom) I believe that we hug our sins because we misunderstand the saving grace of God: “The Lord, compassionate and gracious God, Maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. (Exodus 34:6&7)

When it comes to forgiveness of our sins, both Doc Frail and Corrie ten Boom have it right: I threw yours away a long time ago, and: No Fishing!

Love in Him,

Prue

After his resurrection, speaking to his eleven disciples, Jesus said, . . . Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:10)

These words have come to be called “The Great Commission”, and have inspired generations of missionaries from all over the Christian world. They are a direct and powerful charge to Jesus’ eleven remaining disciples; but there is another commission from Jesus given to one particular disciple that perhaps reaches even more of believers.

It carries with it forgiveness, redemption, and a path for the churches. Jesus said, Feed my lambs, Take care of my sheep, Feed my sheep (John 21:15-17)

Like the Great Commission, this directive comes from the resurrected Christ. It goes to the apostle Peter alone, and functions to re-instate Peter from his earlier denial of Jesus.

Feed My Sheep is addressed to the one disciple charged to be the Rock: And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this Rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18) Peter’s commission is to the churches: Feed My Sheep . It’s a directive that includes young and old, women and men. Not everyone can go to all the nations or baptize throughout the world , but everyone can feed His sheep, and take care of His lambs.

Feed My Sheep is the domestic side of the Great Commission. It’s the side given to the Rock upon which the church is built. It is the very work of the church to love the Shepherd, and feed His sheep. This commission gets less press in many of today’s churches, but it is as powerful and strong as the commission called “Great”. It is a sharing of our lives with both our Shepherd and His sheep. It can be achieved in any environment and in the simplest ways; in the nursery with a newborn , in the used car lot, in the kitchen at home, in the office or onsite at work, in the grocery store, the bank, the classroom and in the church. Feed My Sheep is a commission for life itself. The repentant and redeemed disciple received the commission and remained faithful to it for the rest of his life. The Holy Spirit enables us to feed His sheep once we have, like Peter, recognized His presence in our lives: You are the Christ, the son of the living God. (Matthew 16:15)

There really is a commission for everyone, and though they don’t all look alike, they come from the same Kingdom.

Love in Him,

Prue

My grandmother was a member of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the WCTU. Growing up, I never saw a bottle or a can of an alcoholic beverage of any kind in our house. But my father had a curious habit of calling us children up the stairs, “What’ll you have?’, for us to respond, “Pabst Blue Ribbon!” What’ll you have?” “Pabst Blue Ribbon !” “What’ll you have?” “Pabst Blue Ribbon BEEER!” after which, my grandmother would quietly retire to her room, shaking her head. It was great fun for us children, followed by a lot of giggling. We didn’t even know the meaning of the words.

Today I think that Dad was somehow re-asserting his leadership in the house when our grandmother was staying with us. Nana was a devoted Christian, but was also intolerant when we didn’t always share her views.

“One person’s faith allows him to eat anything, but another eats only vegetables. The one who eats anything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.” (Romans 14:2-3)

The judgmentalism that Paul describes is a turning away from the loving acceptance of God. From the earliest days God expresses His abundant love, and makes clear that it is the motive behind His every action. He describes His hope for His people through Moses: This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses. . . that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. ( Deuteronomy 30:19)

It’s not easy to love an invisible God, but that is what He clearly wants of us, and what He makes possible Himself to us, even more today since we have such a “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1)

My mother made herself scarce when Dad shouted up the stairwell and we answered, but I never heard her complain about the event. My grandmother never mentioned it to me, though she may have said something to her daughter; and Dad did his performance until we were too old to appreciate it. He didn’t need Nana’s presence to do the “yell.”

I believe that there is only one glue that is holding us together:

We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

Love in Him,

Prue

Standing in a 20 foot high circle in County Cork, Ireland, is a stainless steel sculpture by Alex Pentek, of nine huge eagle feathers arranged in a circle reminiscent of a bowl. It was erected in honor of the Oklahoma Choctaw Indian tribe.

The information for this story appeared in the September- October issue of Smithsonian Magazine.

The Choctaw tribe suffered the famous Trail of Tears beginning in 1831. They were displaced in the winter from the Mississippi valley to the Oklahoma territory, a trip of over 500 miles. It is estimated that a quarter of the 15000 people died on the trip.

In 1847 the Choctaw were struggling to survive in Oklahoma when Indian Agent William Armstrong met with the leaders of the tribe, some traders, and some missionaries, and read to them from a pamphlet about a white people, thousands of miles away in Ireland, who were suffering a potato famine, in which ultimately a million people died and two million emigrated to England, the U.S., and Canada. Some of the people listening in that room began to weep, and on that day a collection was started which grew to a still unknown amount, but probably between $174 and $710. The money was sent to New York where it was labeled “Contributed by the Children of the Forest. . . the Choctaw Nation.” It was used to buy grain and other foodstuffs for Ireland, and soon forgotten by the tribe, and by many of the Irish; but in 2018 the Irish Prime Minister visited Tuskahoma, the capital of the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma, to thank the tribe, and establish scholarships for tribe members who wished to study in Ireland. During Covid, funds were sent from Ireland to other tribes in the U.S. Who were especially hard hit.

“We want you to know, brethren, about the grace of God which has been shone in the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of liberality on their part, for they gave according to their means, and beyond their means, of their own free will.”(2 Corinthians 8:1-3)

The action of the Choctaw came from the simple recognition of a kinship with another people’s suffering, and a desire to help relieve that suffering. In the eyes of God that simplicity is greater than massive rescue programs: “This poor widow has put in (the Temple treasury) more than all the others. All these people gave out of their wealth, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:3-4)

The Choctaw’s gift has come to be known in Ireland simply as “The Gift”; but the sculpture in County Cork is named “Kindred Spirits.”

Love in Him,

Prue