The Chronicles of Janie

Detail from St. Thomas - Georges de La Tour Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults. Moreover, keep Your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule over me.  Then I will be innocent and cleansed from blatant rebellion. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.  Psalm 19: 12-14 Lately, I've felt entrapped in a spiritual mire; stuck in a pattern of 'doing what I hate'. (Rom. 7:15).  I frequently have trouble viewing my problems from a proper perspective, and my tendency is usually to blow my bad qualities far out of proportion and overlook the good qualities and victories in my life. I struggle against this, but it's easy for me to fall into a fatalistic mindset. I begin to give credence to the lying voice that whispers, 'you've failed. You are failing. You will always fail.' So it's a very healthy thing for me to have some standard ot...

Artist unknown Rise up, Lord! Do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your presence. Psalm 9:19 This is the age of the internet, where we can conveniently access almost any information, at any time, anywhere. Through our social media sites, we're barraged by a steady stream of talk, talk, talk and photo upon photo. Instagram shots of someone's breakfast mingle with articles about the vanishing of Malaysia Airlines flight 270. Stark photos of Ukrainian protestors are exhibited alongside book reviews...baby pictures...gripes about the weather. That is the jarring and incongruous reality of the times in which we live. The world is right there - with all its tragedy, triumph, and filth - each time I open Facebook or read the news, and this connectedness can grow to be very overwhelming. I sometimes feel the urge to live in deliberate ignorance, focusing solely on the things that are pleasant or under my control. I'm further te...