I remember the first time I saw The Passion of the Christ. It was hard. I wanted to look away. Watching torture and suffering is horrible under any circumstances, but when I stop and realize Christ suffered my punishment. Wow! I know, the word cross doesn’t really start with the letter X… I’m going with the…
But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 Whatever you are facing today . . . God has already given you victory. How cool is that? Victory promised and delivered through Jesus. Promised in Genesis as God told Satan of future defeat: And I…
We’d been at the church for only a few months when past differences and current beliefs caused more than half the congregation to leave. It’s ugly and painful. I searched Google asking, “How many protestant denominations are there in the world?” The answers are staggering . . . anywhere from just under 1,000 to upwards of…
So many spiritual blessings come through… 1. Salvation through Jesus. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him. John 3:17 2. Trust through God’s past faithfulness. Give thanks to Him who led his people through the wilderness.His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 136:16 3. Hope through…
The Declaration of Independence begins with these words… “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” What are those undeniable implicit rights according to leaders and governments? Partial List…
I like “noise.” I can spend the first few hours of the day in silence, but by mid-morning my music goes on, and later it’s the television. It took a long time, but I finally realized that I work better when background noise forces me to concentrate. Thank-you ADD. I do wonder if constant noise…
Last Friday night as terrorists hit Paris . . . fear hit the hearts and minds of people around the world once again. And peace feels impossible. Or maybe it’s more personal for you: The doctor’s prognosis is grim. And peace feels impossible. Your child’s behavior is a daily battle. And peace feels impossible. The…
I like to know the answers. I want to understand. I’m a student. When I’m confused I try to figure things out. And that works most of the time . . . but it doesn’t work with God. Living by faith means He is beyond my understanding. I used to struggle with that. I was…
My parents named me – Deborah Ruth Samuel. I know . . . you can’t get any more Old Testament than that. The Jewish side of the family was thrilled. Quite certain I would leave Christianity and return to the true faith. Of course, their hopes were dashed when I married a Protestant pastor. I’m…
What is justice? It is fairness of rights and punishment of wrongs. Justice flows from the heart of God. He is the Rock; His deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright He is. Deuteronomy 32:4 “This means He is fair and impartial. The…
You’ve heard the saying, “I could care less.” That should really be said, “I couldn’t care less.” If you’re a little older you remember the saying, “I don’t give a care.” And if you’re even older you may remember the saying, “I don’t care one iota.” What’s an iota? An iota is the ninth letter…
What do you think about grace? Some define it as God’s undeserved favor. Others like to say, “God’s riches at Christ’s expense.” The dictionary says: For Christians – The free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings. I like to make it easier than that….
I like to know the boundaries. What works. What doesn’t. Then I usually move the boundaries in just a bit for extra safety. Why? Because inside the boundaries I’m free to be me. I don’t have to worry about disasters or their consequences. I’m sure I sound terribly boring to you risk takers, but I’ve…
What is wisdom? There are varying thoughts on the subject; so, I thought we’d take a few minutes to look at what some scholars say, what the Bible says, what I think, and I’m hoping you’ll add your thoughts in the comments. What is wisdom? Scholars “Wisdom is the ability to think and act using knowledge,…
It’s official. I became a senior citizen yesterday. Yikes. I can hardly say it out loud. Seriously. I talked myself in and out of this post a dozen times. I’ve avoided talking about my age here in the blogging community, because well, let’s face it… Compared to everyone else—I’m old. I don’t feel old. In…
My mother-in-love used to tell us how much she missed the blessing of caring touch. Recently, a friend of ours said the same thing following our Sunday morning hug. For those who live alone a caring healing touch is precious. But it all really hit me when I read my morning devotion from, Just Like Jesus Devotional: A Thirty-Day Walk with…
What kind of memories are you making at your house? Not just holidays and celebrations. Not traditions. Not even scrapbooks, digital photos, videos, or anything you put on social media to save for the future. But normal everyday moments that are planting seeds of memories in your children and your spouse. I’m talking about HOME! Family! People!…
Are you breathing in wonderful? Remembering to look at your day through a lens of grace? I can easily make a mess out of the present by looking to the past with a heavy heart. But the truth is a good pity party has never really done me any good. All it does is give my emotions the freedom…
Are you waiting on God to make something beautiful out of your mess? To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for His own…
When your mess gets exposed, whether it is of your own making or not, it’s impossible to look good. The painful truth is that an exposed mess leaves us open to judgment, criticism, gossip… and the list goes on. Talk about feeling vulnerable! I’ve found it surprising though that an exposed life is better. It may not feel like it right away….
This cracks me up. One of those funny truths. Some days people are just too hard. Day’s when you’re: Frustrated. Angry. Hurt. Tired. Exhausted. _________. [Tweet “What do you do when you can’t people? Can’t family? Can’t coworkers? Can’t . . . nope you just can’t?”] Paul had an answer. Since God chose you to be the holy…
