You’ve heard the phrase “preaching to the choir” before. This is one of those times when I’m “writing for the writer.” God knows I need this, so I’m humbly sharing it with you. The words, surrender your thoughts, make me squirm. I’m not very good at it. I want to be, and I pray I’m…
Are you making New Year’s Resolutions this year? Are they new for 2025 or the same resolutions you’ve started on January 1st every year for as long as you can remember? Ten years ago, the Most Common New Year’s Resolutions were: 1. Quit Smoking2. Exercise3. Lose Weight4. Enjoy Life More5. Quit Drinking6. Organize7. Learn Something…
I once read the following words written by Louie Giglio… “Jesus doesn’t just give you what you need; Jesus is what you need. Your heart was created by Him and for Him. You can fight and claw to gain the world, but without Jesus, you will never be completely satisfied. If there is a growing…
How do you know when to confront someone who hurt you? You can’t believe… You’re upset. And yes, you’re angry too. So, now what? Should you confront them or not? Jesus said… “If your fellow believer sins against you, go and tell him in private what he did wrong. If he listens to you, you…
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…
Some days I get up thinking about the big picture of life wondering what God wants me to do with however many years I have left. But most of the time, I want to just get through today. We all know the verse. Maybe you even know the song. This is the day the Lord has made. We will…
If you’re a frequent visitor here, you know the five words I use to describe faith (SEEK, KNOW, LOVE, TRUST, & OBEY). They are essential if growing stronger faith is our heart’s desire. David wrote… Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Psalm 37:4 And Isaiah wrote… Lord, we show our…
Not long ago, I had one of those “AHA” moments when I realized that there’s something Christians often get wrong. I know I’ve had times when I’ve gotten it wrong. What is IT? Obedience. James wrote… For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. James 2:26…
School starts soon in our area and I’ve always believed that these last days of summer break are the perfect time to do a life assessment and determine if some self-improvement changes need to be made. If you need to change your life, improve your routine, get more organized, and enjoy more peace … this…
Whenever I see something about this on social media, I wonder how many people know the truth about submission. I’d like you to imagine for a minute that you’ve arranged everything so you can be away from your family overnight. You drive to the retreat center, check in, and greet your friends when you find…
Have you ever read or heard something that completely changed your worldview and how you live your life? It may have been a word about… We get information through books, articles, friends, teachers, “experts,” and internet searches … sources from which we form our ideas and opinions. And those ideas and opinions become our beliefs and the…
Have you ever made what you believe to be the perfect plans when circumstances change and you realize that God alone knows the best path for your future? Normally, if Rev came home with a bunch of flowers and a bottle of wine we were going to spend the evening celebrating. But one night years…
It’s nothing new. People have disagreed since Adam and Eve left the Garden and that has always included people of faith. Even though we want to have peace … disagreements happen. But that doesn’t mean we have to get used to them nor does mean we should accept them. Paul was inspired to challenge a…
I don’t know about you, but it’s hard for me to imagine a time when I would need to be bold that I could also experience peace. I think of being bold, strong, and courageous in times of crisis and the words peace and crisis do not typically go together in my world. Peace is…
You’ve heard the saying, “Pride comes before the fall.” And that’s what I thought it was … a saying our mothers told us to try to keep us humble. But as Rev would say, “That’s downright Biblical.” Solomon wrote… Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. Proverbs 16:18 What exactly is pride? What…
Several years ago, I had a dream that I will never forget … a reminder to let God direct my life. I was in school. (Please tell me I’m not the only one who returns to school in her dreams.) I was getting ready to perform in a musical. But nothing was going right. I couldn’t…
Why is it that difficult days seem to go on and on while joy-filled days seem to fly by? That is especially true when those difficult days are the result of God’s discipline—when we are living out the consequences of our own foolish behavior. Do you remember being sent to time-out as a child? Minutes…
It seems a little silly to talk about here but Rev and I have an enemy that is conspiring against us. No matter how hard I try or what I do to deter them, we have some squirrels chewing branches off the shrubbery and attempting to build a cozy little den at the top of…
Have you seen the acronym WWGGG? We’ve all seen – WWJD. What would Jesus do? But I sometimes wonder if #WWJD has become an easy phrase to use more than it is a personal commitment to actually knowing, loving, and obeying Jesus. When I hear someone affirm something that clearly goes against God’s Word, I…
Jesus said, “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30) and “The Father is in me and I am in the Father.” (John 10:38) John wrote, “In the beginning, [Jesus] the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) Jesus always been and will always be true God,…
