I was about five years old when my parents convinced me to ride a Ferris Wheel. As the car inched upward … I stopped breathing as the grip of fear overwhelmed me! My dad frantically waved at the ride operator, screaming at him to stop the giant rotating hoop and let us off after only one…
I was afraid and I hated it! I knew I had a need to reject fear but felt helpless to change… We went years without traveling far because I was too afraid to get on an airplane. Praise God, I just returned from spending last weekend in Denver with beautiful friends. I failed to set…
As I worked on Monday’s post, Jesus’ Commandments and Why You Need to Know Them, I can honestly tell you I found myself squirming a little. Let me explain… I think it’s possible when you and I use the original Ten Commandments as our guide for right and wrong, to come to the conclusion that…
I believe we all know someone struggling to overcome addiction. According to the Addiction Center: Addiction is more common than many realize. There were approximately 20.6 million people in the United States over the age of 12 with an addiction in 2011. Over 20 million Americans over the age of 12 have an addiction (excluding…
Earlier this week, I shared a post about an email exchange I had with a reader who said… “I’ve had a problem all of my adult years. I’ve been unable to feel God’s love.” You can read the rest here. I could relate to her email … I’ve had times when God felt distant and…
Earlier this summer I received the following email from a reader… I’ve had a problem all of my adult years. I’ve been unable to feel God’s love. He is always very remote for me. I have almost constant feelings of guilt. I try to be a Christ-like person, but too often fall short in my…
I need God’s forgiveness! No matter how hard I try, I mess up the obedience and love part of my life every single day! I don’t obey God the way He wants me to. I don’t even obey Him the way I want to. I tell Him how much I love Him but with all my heart, soul,…
It’s hard to think about the reality of Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross. I’ll never forget the first time I watched The Passion of the Christ. I’d read Scripture and knew the story well but it was always easier to imagine the scene through cleaned up artwork and Sunday School drawings. I don’t…
Guilt. Everyone has it. We all have something, maybe multiple somethings, that makes us cringe and want to hide. I thought about putting a list of examples here but that then I decided it would be a distraction because all that really matters is … what’s on your list. I know what’s on my list….
I’ve wrestled with this post for a while. It’s so much easier to write those feel-good grace-filled posts that remind us of God’s abundant goodness and mercy. And we’ll get to that, too … because that’s where we must land after we’ve come face to face with who we are without Him. But after…
I’m guessing you’re like me and that you share my struggle. You have the voice in your head that remembers and repeats every hurt-filled accusation. And a mirror that faithfully points out every little imperfection. You know the whispers of lost friendships that want you to believe you’re just not worth it. And you count every…
If you’d known me growing up you would have seen a girl who could comfortably play the piano and organ in front of large groups of people, who could stand in front of groups and give presentations with little or no fear, and who thrived on memorizing lines and performing in plays and musicals. If…
I always find it amusing when I see the word “believe” everywhere at this time of the year. Just believe – all by itself. It begs for answers. Believe in what? Believe in whom? When you and I “believe in” someone or something – we have faith in it. And having faith means we have…
My email inbox overflows every day with advertisers trying to woo me with this years must have gift ideas. Kids of every age have made their list of wants and wishes they hope to find under the tree. I’ll admit I’m beginning to feel a sense of panic as I watch the days until Christmas…
Do you ever feel like the darkness is winning? Sexuality is confused, misused, and abused. Wars and rumors of wars lead our newscasts unless there’s a more titillating scandal to report. Respect for those in leadership seems to be the exception, not the norm. Addiction has filtered into every segment of society. Babies continue to…
I can still remember the feeling like it happened yesterday. I desperately needed to pray but the cries of my heart were making it impossible for me to put my needs into words. I called Rev and sobbed, “I need you to come and pray with me.” And my partner in prayer as well as…
Yes, I’m aging. And although I can try to ignore it much of the time on a day like today when my number goes up another digit – well, it’s hard to let it go. Don’t get me wrong… I’m thankful for every year and continually amazed by all the ways God has blessed me…
It’s so easy to get caught up in the dailiness of life. I get busy just doing and living and somehow forget to fill moments with gratitude and thanksgiving. Oh, I can talk about it “real good” in this space but the doing it . . . yeah, that can get pushed aside by the…
“Sometimes when we get overwhelmed we forget how big God is.”~ AW Tozer It’s true, isn’t it? When hurricanes hit literally or figuratively it’s easy to get overwhelmed. One of the things I tend to forget when my life feels out of (my) control and I’m tangled in a web of confusion and frustration is that…
Who broke your heart? Was it your college crush? Your parent? Your best friend? Spouse? Child? Fiancé? Child? The truth . . . no matter how hard you and I try to avoid the pain, it’s impossible to get through life without experiencing the occasional broken heart. We can’t make everyone love us. There will be…
Jesus told His followers that they are the “Light of the World.” That includes you and me. And I love it but in all honesty, it stresses me out a little, too. Why does light shining make me anxious? Because sometimes I just don’t want to shine. Sometimes I feel dull and broken. And last…
