We’ve got trouble. If you watch the news, we’ve got overwhelming trouble. Maybe you’ve got personal trouble. Life can be hard. But then there’s this… Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a…
Is your spirit healthy? Did you know—if your spirit is healthy you will have better physical, social, and emotional health than those who are spiritually unhealthy? But how do you know if your spirit is healthy? Can you know a person’s spiritual health from their: Church Attendance? Bible Study? Prayer Life? Morals? Compassion? Kindness? Friendliness?…
In my dreams, I’m witty and engaging. The kind of person you’d want to sit and talk with for hours. And of course, I’m an excellent listener who is emotionally supportive offering just the right balance of encouragement with sage advice. But remember, I said, “in my dreams.” In reality, let’s just say . . ….
You have a list of hopes and dreams. Things you want to accomplish. Places you want to visit. Hopes you hold on to for the future. You set goals. But the truth is… Some of your hopes and dreams will happen and some will not. And I always find it interesting that even of those…
And they lived happily ever after. You read the stories as a little girl. The ones that ended with the beautiful wedding and those six words that stuck in our hearts and filled our dreams. Get down the aisle and your good to go. Right?! Maybe. Maybe not. Marriage is full of blessings but it also…
Do you ever find yourself mentally grumbling about your spouse’s shortcomings? Things they neglect or ignore? Jobs you end up doing yourself because you’re tired of asking? Little annoyances that get on your nerves? Isn’t it funny how the quirks you found adorable early in your dating can often turn into the very things that…
I don’t know about you but some days I just don’t feel very lovable. It might be something as simple as a bad hair day. It’s hard to explain . . . it’s just a blah feeling I get once in a while. Rev always has a way of making me feel better. I can…
It’s February, so you know we have to talk about love. Okay, I’m using February as an excuse. If you’re a regular around here, you know we talk about love all the time because when you count your blessings . . . love tops the list. Recently, our pastor shared a message about knowing your…
Do you ever compare your life to the pretty picture lives of your friends on social media and feel like you’re missing out? Jesus challenged the people of His day with these words… Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” He said, “and try to understand. It’s not what…
You were determined. Things were going to be different this year. You made relationship goals and you’re doing your best. But there’s a problem. You brought last year’s baggage into this year’s efforts and your friends and family did too. Doubts, disappointments, failures . . . yep, the memories linger and hurt both your mind and…
I can’t tell you how many nights I spent wide awake worrying about everything. So, I want to tell you something I wish I’d learned years ago. You’re probably not surprised by my penchant for worrying. It’s the natural byproduct of fear and I had perfected the fine art of being afraid. I worried when… I had unexplained aches…
I remember feeling more than ready to close the calendar on 2007 and welcome in a New Year. Each January 1st arrives with hopes, plans, and goals. But the first few months of the new year were equally hard . . . so much so that our friends started calling us the “high maintenance prayer…
How would your life be different if you committed to living the Golden Rule life? How would all our lives be different if everyone committed to living by The Golden Rule? You memorized like this… “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” Matthew 7:12 (NIV) Easy words to memorize but hard…
“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.” ~ Anne Frank We’ve learned a lot of wisdom from this young woman whose life was cut short at the tender age of 15. This quote really hit me….
It’s easy to love someone who loves you. It’s possible to love someone who is indifferent. But to love someone who hurts you… To forgive and love them takes divine assistance. Last week, I asked you to tell me what relationship issues you’d like to talk about this year. A huge thank-you to those of you…
Unable to sleep, I tried to pray. I went through my mental list of people to lift before the Lord and then I stopped. I realized how often I hesitate when it’s time to pray for things affecting my family and myself. Why? Why is it easy to pray for others and so difficult to pray…
I can’t believe we’ve come to the end of The Faith Project. I’ll never come to the end of learning and growing . . . but this week closes out my year of digging deep and writing about twelve themes I believe are important parts of a life of faith. Freedom Love Wisdom Prayer Humility Patience Stillness…
I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Christmas celebration yesterday. The day may be over but my prayer is that your joy will continue into the new year. So this is it, the last week of The Faith Project. Before we wrap up 2016, I want to close the December with a review of what I learned about…
I’d lost my joy. Jesus said, “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.” John 10:10 And it felt like our family had been in his cross-hairs. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get through the holidays. I could fake happiness at moments but inside I felt stunned and joyless. Maybe you remember John…
When was the last time you laughed for pure joy because of Jesus? This week, I’ve worried about how I’m going to have everything ready in just a little over a week. What should I buy that hard to shop for someone to show them how important they are to my heart? Will I have the…
Are you ready to surprise and impress your family and friends with some fun Christmas facts? I thought it might be fun to compile a list of as many fun details about our Christmas beliefs and traditions as I could find. All set? Good! Let’s go… The History of Christmas – the Holiday 1. Christmas,…
