God loves you! You’ve heard it a million times or more. Maybe the first time was when your parents whispered it in your tiny newborn ear. Maybe you sat with a grandparent who assured you of God’s love and theirs. Maybe it was after you made a life-changing mess of your life and a friend…
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…
When you’re marching around the basement with a three-year-old you need a song. Not just any song . . . it needs to be a good one. So, our grandson turned to his grandpa, the music lover, not the music maker, to come up with a tune. Without skipping a beat (pun intended), Rev started singing…
Rev and I are celebrating our 50th Anniversary on Friday, March 11th. I can’t believe it! Time really does fly when you’re having fun! I know I don’t feel old enough to have been married that long. To celebrate, I thought it might be fun to focus on the #50 all week. Today, I’d like…
Have you ever heard someone blame Adam and Eve for the pain and problems of this sinful world? It’s what we do, isn’t it? We blame. Eve blamed the “serpent” and Adam blamed “the woman [God] gave [him].” (Genesis 3:12–13) We’re always tempted to play the blame game saying, “I’m not guilty. I’m a victim….
People seem to be fascinated with the subject of self-love lately. Even in the faith community, we’ve bought into the idea that we can’t love others well until we love ourselves well. After all, Jesus said: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ Matthew 22:39 But I wonder if putting self-love first doesn’t tempt us…
I often struggle with the amped-up ugly interactions that are so prevalent in our current society. I’ve prayerfully asked God to help me look past my own agitation and choose my words here carefully. And I’d like to ask you a question… What’s most important? Popularity? Recognition? Your opinion? Your friend’s opinions? Or the truth? It’s hard to know…
I can’t. I know I’m not strong enough to deal with that. I’m afraid! What’s that thing that makes your palms sweat and your heart race? The thing you fear most. The thing you beg God not to allow—telling Him you’re not strong enough. Those who want to motivate and inspire you might say: You’re stronger than…
Like you, I’ve had times when I needed courage for big problems that delivered big fears. There was the time our first grandson spent months in the NICU. And the one when Rev was sick for over a year with constrictive pericarditis. There have also been losses that changed everything and caused persistent grief. …
What’s your heart’s desire? David wrote: “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.” Psalm 37:4 I used to really struggle with that verse . . . especially during a season when God was not giving me what I believed to be my heart’s desire. I had faith. I was a…
How often do you pause to think about how awesome and wonderful God is? The Bible says: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true… 2 Timothy 3:16a He wants us to KNOW Him . . . He wants us to know His character, what He has done…
There’s a battle going on inside each of us. A battle for our peace of mind. It’s true, the enemy would love to rob us of our eternal future, but if he can’t do that . . . he’ll work overtime to steal our current peace. And he’s a master at it. Jesus said… The…
