God is good! You and I want to trust those words with everything in us . . . heart, mind, soul, and strength. But if you’re like me, you pray and ask God to help you trust Him completely and then something happens and worry is followed by a little doubt and you find yourself struggling—again….
I’m more like Martha than Mary. I like the idea of entertaining, but preparations make me anxious. And really, can you imagine inviting someone into your home without offering something to eat or drink? There is work to be done when you have guests. A woman named Martha let Jesus stay at her house. Martha…
We need the promises of Jesus! Terrorism, politics, illness, heartbreak, loss… Sometimes this broken world feels too painful. Too hard. And I remember Solomon’s words: History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Ecclesiastes 1:9 Nothing new. No, I’m not trying to totally depress you this…
I grew up memorizing Bible verses for school. One or two verses every week recited to the teacher or written on paper each Friday. But it’s been years since I’ve hidden any new verses in my heart, and I’m old enough that the King James Version was the translation I committed to memory. It’s time…
You’re tired. You’ve done it your way long enough. You’re ready for a change, but how? Jesus’ brother, James wrote: If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5 If you need wisdom. Ask. That’s it? But you’re nervous….
“And the second is equally as important.” Equally important to loving God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength is… Loving your neighbor as you love yourself. Matthew 22:39 This one’s hard isn’t it? Loving imperfect people? People can’t see our hearts. They can’t tell how much we love God . . . except by…
Love is in the air and I’m excited! It’s February so of course, The Faith Project has to examine and live out love. What can you expect? Ways to live out loud our love for God, and tips and ideas to help you apply the 5 Love Languages to your relationships. I believe intentionally looking for…
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? Who’s the wisest person you know? I think there are some important characteristics shared by wise men and women. They know they don’t know everything. They don’t have all the answers. They never stop seeking the truth. They never stop looking for answers. Wise men learn about the past…
Have you ever noticed the expression on a three-year old’s face when they sing Jingle Bells complete with jingling percussive accompaniment? Priceless smiles and joy-filled enthusiasm! It was one of my favorite parts of teaching pre-school music every year. Now I know you have looked at your calendar and realized that Christmas Eve is only…
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…
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,…
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!…
What does wonderful mean to you? You want wonderful days. A wonderful family. A wonderful job. A wonderful vacation. Etc. But what is your definition of wonderful? Does wonderful make you happy? Should it? Why do I always have more questions than answers? Whew! I’m just thankful for easy access to information. Let me share…
C. S. Lewis published his first work in 1919 and went on to author more than 70 books the most famous being The Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity. Countless Christians have been inspired by his life and writing. His quotes inspire me. Lewis knew life’s difficulties. His childhood faith rejected in college, describing himself as “the most…
I decided years ago that if I was going to get wrinkles anyway, I wanted smile lines. No frown lines dragging the corners of my mouth down to my chin for me. Nope, I wanted lines between mouth and cheeks created by years of intentional grinning. And that’s only one of the benefits of smiling. It also: Improves…
I think women want beauty because deep down we believe no we know that beauty is power. It starts when we’re very little girls and continues throughout school. It doesn’t take us long to realize that pretty girls are able to manipulate teachers, parents, boys, and even the other girls. [Tweet “We learn that to not feel beautiful…
Do you ever wake up in the morning and realize before you get out of bed . . . “Ooh, I’m in a mood today?” You don’t know why. Nothing particularly bad happened. But your nerves are on edge. Or the opposite is true . . . you’ve got the blues. And you just know the next 15+ hours…
True or false? [Tweet “The greater your willingness to invest in something, the greater its value to you.”] Whether it’s a relationship, a purchase, your education, or career . . . where you focus your time, money, energy, and thoughts is where you place the most value. That’s nothing new. Many have said it before…
Yesterday we looked at seven ways to bless your day with less. The following is a list of quotes and Bible verses that are encouraging me in my efforts to make these changes: Quotes to Bless Your Day with Less Less Talking – More Listening “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they…
Yesterday, I wrote about my need to “dance” to make people happy. I’m not just talking people pleasing, this was a deeply felt belief that I was responsible for their happiness. Thankfully, God help me understand that I was putting impossible expectations on myself and others. I’ve learned the best way to spread happiness is to be happy;…
God promises peace in His presence. Here is a collection of 25 verses that will bless you with the promise of peace. When stressors increase and anxiety levels rise . . . I turn to God’s Word. He promises that in His presence we will find peace that goes beyond our ability to understand. Peace…
