Promises are only as good as the integrity of the one who makes them and they only become powerful promises if the recipient confidently trusts that integrity. David wrote… For Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The Lord always keeps His promises; He is gracious in all He does. Psalm 145:13 Because of the…
I did a quick internet search for Thanksgiving photos and couldn’t find one that didn’t include a holiday feast or pumpkins, gourds, and colorful falling leaves. How do you traditionally celebrate Thanksgiving at your house? I love traditional Thanksgiving meals as much as the next person. I have a stuffing recipe made with brioche bread,…
I wonder how often we pray powerful words of gratitude around the Thanksgiving table and stop as soon as the family leaves and our overbooked schedules return. Imagine how our lives would change if we made Thanksgiving linger beyond the 4th Thursday in November to every day of the year. Paul wrote… Be thankful in…
Happy World Kindness Day! Did you know if you want to be happy it’s good to be kind? I love watching videos of Random Acts of Kindness. Have you ever noticed they always end with a smile? The participants in the video are smiling and they make us smile too. If we only watch the…
“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” ~William Arthur Ward Did you know that grateful living can make you healthier? I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. Medical professionals have known the connection between our minds and bodies for years. An article from the Mayo…
How much do you worry about the future? Are you able to live without fear? Several years ago, one of the characters on a show I was watching said… “It’s not the unknown I’m afraid of, it’s the known unknown.” That’s true! Isn’t it? We’re not afraid of things we’ve never heard of. We’re frightened of…
I had another post written for today when I realized it’s the morning after the U.S. Presidential election. So, I’m saving that one for another day because the Lord has prompted me to share something else. Many of us voted yesterday and did so with strong feelings about the outcome. With that in mind, assuming…
Election Day is right around the corner. Many have voted already and more will vote on Tuesday. It feels like America’s future and faith are on the ballot because God’s children know that a nation’s future and faith are closely connected. David wrote… Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Psalm 33:12 Why?…
Do you live life to the fullest? Have you ever thought about it? I have. Why, you might ask? Because there were times when Rev and I were thought to have been missing out on full life living. I’ll bet you’d love to know why. We thought it might be because we were content just…
What does it mean that God works all things for good in our lives? Everyone has times when life feels anything but “good.” And yet, this verse gets quoted often as one of God’s promises. How can God be working for good when our circumstances are miserable? Paul wrote… We know that God makes all…
Rev and I were born just four days apart. This week, I will celebrate our birthdays without him for the first time in fifty-five years. Firsts are hard! It’s been eight and a half months and they say the first year is the hardest. I know about the stages of grief. I’ve read books and…
How well do you handle change? Changes come in all shapes and sizes. We grow, learn, mature, relocate, age, win, and lose. Some changes are exciting and others knock us off our feet. But one thing is certain … change is inevitable! When Rev and I were married we moved to St. Louis, an 11-hour…
The Bible tells us that we can find freedom in Jesus but have you ever wondered what that means and how it feels? 1. What does it really mean to have freedom in Jesus? The kind of freedom Jesus gives flows out of God’s love… This is how God loved the world: He gave His…
How’s it going? Do you need patience? How do you define what it means to be patient? Augustine said… “Patience is the companion of wisdom.” The Dictionary defines it as: 1. The bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.2. The ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with a delay.3. Quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care;…
Occasionally, the Lord has used a dream to plant His voice of truth in my heart. I want to tell you about a dream where He reminded me of my need to trust and follow His will. Like many others, this dream took me back to high school… I was getting ready to perform in…
What is the greatest problem in the world today? What do you believe? What do you think? I did a little research and found the following list of the world’s greatest problems. It’s a list that may or may not include the things that concern you. It can feel like today’s problems are worse than ever but…
The Bible says“God is love.” 1 John 4:16 But what exactly does that mean? Do you ever wonder how God shows His love? It’s important! The Bible says we should, “love others the way God loves us;” so, we need to know how God loves us if we want to love like Him. We know He…
When you need strength to act in faith, you need confidence in the One you believe is true and trustworthy. It breaks my heart when I get a comment from someone who tries to convince me that the Bible is fictional and anyone who believes its “fables” is foolish. I typically reply by telling them…
Are you living intentionally every day? Rev and I often shared the saying: “I want to LIVE every day ’til I die.” We felt that if God gave us a day, by His grace and with His help, we wanted to embrace it and live it purposefully. I used to tie my purpose to my…
What does it mean to you to “let God be God?” Years ago, there was a season when Rev served as a full-time pastor and a full-time fund-raising and stewardship consultant besides being an actively involved husband and father. Needless to say, he found himself working extremely long hours. One afternoon, an older church member…
Do you feel like there’s an intentional effort to cause conflict in families, between friends and neighbors, political parties, races, and even genders? If so, I have a question for you… How do you manage conflict? Some people seem to thrive on it and others want to avoid it completely. It can come out of…
