By Cindy Koch – Most of us tend to go one way or the other. Along the spectrum […]
Category Archive: Cindy Koch
By Cindy Koch – Revelation is the scariest book in the Bible, says almost everyone. I just mentioned […]
By Cindy Koch –
“It’s just confusing,” she said. I waited another minute as she fidgeted with her pink ribbon headband. As force of habit, she twirled the ribbon and then chewed on a chipped blue nail polished thumb. Not usually the careful thinker of the class, I almost wasn’t ready for the question for which she was trying to find the words.
By Cindy Koch –
A scream. A squirm. A cute little smile. A toy car flies right over grandma Margo’s reverent head. Teaching little children to sit in church is one of the most frustrating experiences a parent may ever have. I know. I’ve done it a few times.
By Cindy Koch –
She smiled as great grandpa offered his hands to hold the squirming little baby boy. Not just because he had become antsy after 45 minutes of a traditional church service where she did everything to keep her 8-month old quiet through reading and sermons and prayers. No, now she smiled because her son was clenched in the strong arms of the faithful who sat steadfast beside her.
By Cindy Koch –
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Her eyes sparkled and grew a little bigger. Focusing into the future, somewhere beyond our present conversation, she released her hopeful dreams from within. I could see the inspiration of tomorrow lifting every little bit of her countenance. There in her mind she could imagine herself, in the best way, part of a world and an identity that she longed to see. Every so often you might be so privileged to see this glimmer of excitement in a child’s life. Every so often you might be so blessed to witness a moment of inspiration.
By Cindy Koch –
We’re on the brink of another new year. It’s exciting to think of the big changes that could happen. Maybe I’ll start that kitchen project I’ve put off for so long, or drop those 10 pounds. Maybe I’ll put a little more time into friendship or family. Success, prosperity, love—these are the things you strive for as the seconds tick along the timeline that continues from before you were.
By Cindy Koch –
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)
By Cindy Koch –
There is a light that changes everything. When it is dark and cold, just a little spark ignites hope. Instead of a black and formidable reality, there is comfort seen on the horizon, because this little glow of light is the beginning of a warm, bright fire.
By Cindy Koch –
Wandering around in the darkness, I wish I knew the way to go. Every once in a while, I see a glimmer of light and I run towards it. I know what the light looks like, but I don’t always see where to follow. The tiny spark is sometimes so very far away. In the cold dark night, the light may seem to go out, and I can’t see it at all. Where do I look to find this light?
By Cindy Koch –
If I saw you sitting in the middle of the street, playing with your toys, my heart would leap into my throat. Unaware of the danger that could overtake you from either side, you giggle contentedly without even looking up. You have your own thoughts to keep you safe, your own desires to make you happy. Focused on the little bits of entertainment that dance in front of your eyes, you don’t even know that you should be very afraid.
By Cindy Koch –
Turning sideways, no one could see the little hole in the hem of her favorite dress. Sometimes the other kids would make fun of her when they noticed her clothes up close. Not always clean, not always in the best shape, she was painfully aware of which posture to take in each of her three outfits, so no one could see the imperfections. Today, a bent leg, pinning her right hip against the brick school wall would protect her from the scrutiny of the other third graders during recess. This one, though, was her favorite because it had long sweatshirt sleeves. She crossed her tiny arms, imagining she had a warm, wooly blanket wrapped around her, counting down the seconds before the bell called them all back to a bright, ordered classroom, out of the gray, unfriendly mist.
By Cindy Koch –
Some of us are expecting the outbreak to begin any day now. A virus infecting the whole world, killing the inner mind and heart, leaving only a shell of the undead body to roam the earth. Passed from ravenous creature to creature, soon we will be constantly reminded of death and destruction in the lifeless eyes of others. Hiding, running, screaming in terror to escape the jaws of hungry zombies, we will fight to survive with those who are left alive. It is only a matter of time until every single person is captured by this horrifying outcome.
By Cindy Koch –
There is something beautiful about a debate. Even if it is with the tiny mind of a two-year-old, it is a valuable and precious conversation. The exchange of ideas, as eloquent or as basic as it may be, requires both people to be introspective. Why do I think this? Why does she think that? How can I get someone else to see my point? Maybe, possibly, I am wrong. The questions and tactics flow back and forth, from passion to passion. And there is a true beauty in the discussion.
By Cindy Koch –
Dear Lord Jesus,
I know that I am a sinner. But I only can conceive of a tiny piece of my sin and failing before You. I know there is a right and a wrong that You desire, but I continually choose the wicked path. I don’t really even understand the good that You want from me. Even my best works and my most pure thoughts are soaked with evil and selfishness. My every thought, action, and deed works against Your wisdom. I can’t recall, nor will I ever know, every sin from my past that has offended You and my neighbor. I know that I am stumbling in unrighteousness even now as I say these words out loud. I know that I am a sinner, but I do not fully understand how deeply corrupted I really am.
By Cindy Koch –
In a time of war it makes perfect sense. You take the resources you have available and turn them into weapons against the enemy. Fighting for survival, everything hinges on the destruction of the other. Yes, it makes perfect sense to take the good gifts of God and craft your weapon to win the war. And what war do you find yourself fighting? What weapon are you crafting to fight the enemy?
By Cindy Koch –
It is a terrifying thing to consider that you don’t really know yourself. As far back as you can remember, your voice inside your own head has been your friend and council, unbeknownst to the world outside. You have had silent conversations in the middle of actual conversations within your own heart, soul, and mind. Trusting your familiar voice within has been the only constant in this ever-changing lifetime. Everything on the inside is safe and protected until the day someone says it. You have been lied to. You don’t really know who you are.
By Cindy Koch –
With teenagers in the house, there’s one thing I’m pretty sure about: I don’t know everything that they are getting away with. Now, I think I know most things (I hope). But myself, being a pretty sneaky high-school girl in years gone by, I can recognize the stories that don’t add up just right. And I can remember the excuses I used to side-step around the rules under the roof. And I could go on and on about the scenarios I’ve dreamed up in my head, the terrible ways they could possibly betray my trust.
By Cindy Koch –
So much of our daily lives cycle around the same old thing, day after day. Laundry, dishes, fixing the car, going to work, walking the dog, the mundane routine seems like it spins around and around, never resolved and never finished. It takes me back to a time when my babies were very little. I found myself caught in the mundane, the everyday routine. I would wake up, feed the baby, change her, do some dishes, feed the baby, change her, clean the bathroom, feed the baby, change her, and go to bed. Every single day. But nothing much changed.
By Cindy Koch –
He doesn’t know.
You know the answer. You want him to know the answer. You know it will help. You know it’s the only thing that will help.