In Between the Dust
The Key
October 13, 2016 | by: Maureen Maniquis | 2 Comments
It’s easy to look over the course of a lifetime and wonder what it would look like if different choices had been made. Life is full of choices. We make them every day. Some are minor and of no consequence but some are major and affect not only us but those we love. There have been times that I’d wished I could go back and redo some of those choices; the ones where I disregarded the Words of my Lord. I didn’t cherish them in my heart. They’d been written there but I didn’t regard them with honor for their life-giving power. I was foolish. I thought I could circle back around later on, when I had more time for God... Keep Reading
Limbo
September 7, 2016 | by: Maureen Maniquis | 1 Comments
Lately, it feels like such an effort to focus on God. I seem to go through this from time to time. I find myself in what feels like a state of limbo. It’s as though I’ve been trapped in an intermediate stage of travel; a kind of holding pen for the soul whose air hose has been crimped. It’s not enough loss of air to cause me to gasp but the rich mixture of communion and worship seems like a memory rather than a daily experience. My heart longs to enter into his courts with praise. My eyes want to see him high and lifted up in glory. This is not a “dark night of the soul” but more like a hunger; a longing to be satisfied. It’s a memory of being in those courts and seeing his glory and longing for more.... Keep Reading
The Presence
August 3, 2016 | by: Maureen Maniquis | 0 Comments
The sky is a deep shade of charcoal and the thunder is shaking the walls. It’s early morning but I need to put the lights on so I can see my keyboard. This is not a typical Florida morning. I usually feel like I need sunglasses inside my house.... Keep Reading
Shalom
July 6, 2016 | by: Maureen Maniquis | 1 Comments
Have you noticed the absence of the word “peace” in our world’s vocabulary these days? It used to be a fairly regular word that politicians and diplomats rolled off their tongues with a certain amount of confidence. We got used to hearing things like, “peace talks” or “peace initiatives” as though we were o... Keep Reading
The Yellow Brick Road
June 1, 2016 | by: Maureen Maniquis | 1 Comments
I had a conversation once with a man whose heart was full of the shiny new life of a young faith. It’s that period of time when the hunger for God is fierce with zeal and the yellow brick road is lit up like a runway. The adventure was just beginning and his courage was great, his thoughts were clear and his heart was certain that on this roa... Keep Reading
The Fragile Silk
May 4, 2016 | by: Maureen Maniquis | 0 Comments
I was looking at a spider web strewn across a panel on my lanai. The intricacies of the fragile silk weave start from a single thread shot from the spider into the wind with the hope that it will catch on to something. It is a game of chance for the sustenance of a life. The silk is delicate but flexible which gives the spider some pretty decent od... Keep Reading
The Race
April 5, 2016 | by: Maureen Maniquis | 0 Comments
I’ve heard of the expression “writer’s block,” but since I never thought of myself as a writer I never really gave it much thought. But over these past few years writing has become a big part of my life. I’ve always been an observer of life, both the inner and the outer forms. I usually expressed my observations in ver... Keep Reading
Soul-Sight
March 2, 2016 | by: Maureen Maniquis | 0 Comments
There’s a very well-known verse that Christians have quoted for years. “For we live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) It can be easy to rattle that off when life’s struggles are more like inconveniences than burdens. It doesn’t require a digging down into the core of what you really believe about God. Inconv... Keep Reading
Enjoy
February 3, 2016 | by: Maureen Maniquis | 4 Comments
I’ve been thinking about the word enjoy and what it really means to enjoy someone. Webster says it means to take pleasure or have an experience that is pleasurable and satisfying; to have a good time. I pictured how that looks in my life when I am enjoying the company of friends or family. I might be having a meal, a glass of wine perhaps, as... Keep Reading
When the Dust Begins to Settle
January 6, 2016 | by: Maureen Maniquis | 1 Comments
Life seems to flow in stages. It seems no matter what stage you are in you can’t really grasp the one ahead. A teen doesn’t appreciate the wisdom of their parent’s guidance but rather sees it as an intrusion to stifle their zest for life. College kids are too busy enjoying their independence from the overseeing eye of mom and dad ... Keep Reading