I have terribly dry and itchy skin. It is always worse during the cold dry winter months. I feel like I spend half my waking hours rubbing and scratching my irritated exterior. The bottom line for this dry-skinned itchiness is that I am always on the lookout for the perfect salve to soothe and calm…
There’s an old Sweedish Proverb that goes like this… “Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow.” Joy is not the same as happiness. True Biblical joy is a gift of God, through faith in Jesus. It bubbles up inside of us and overflows to everyone around us. And that’s how…
It’s the Season of Joy! Paul wrote: Always be joyful. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Really? Always? We want to bubble over with joy . . . but there seem to be so many things working to suck the joy right out of us. We’re trying to accomplish too much in too little time. Children are hyper…
Are you a purposeful planner? Do you set goals for the future and intentionally plan the steps necessary to accomplish them? Solomon wrote: Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life. You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. Proverbs 19:20–21 Setting goals…
The Season of Advent also called the “Season of Waiting” begins this Sunday. Let’s face it! Most of us don’t like to wait. We live at a time when most things happen fast and when they don’t . . . well, we’re not happy. But the Season of Advent calls us to wait with expectation….
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. It’s fun to gather with those we love and eat until we’re as stuffed as our turkeys but I want to pause and remember the origins of Thanksgiving and thank God for the countless blessings we have received from His grace, mercy, and love. History.com shares the following…
It’s Thanksgiving week in the U.S. and I want to take this opportunity to say that you, my beautiful friends, are near the top of my list of things for which I’m thankful. You faithfully bless me with your friendship and your encouragement. But most of all you bless me by the many ways you…
Rev has often said, “Jesus taught about the things we should do to get along with one another and God gave us families to practice!” Jesus told His followers… And although we want to trust and follow Jesus’ words and example . . . it’s hard to serve consistently and faithfully exhibit humility and mercy…
It seems like people are finding plenty of things to complain about lately. What do you think? How often do you catch yourself complaining? But wait, it’s supposed to be that time of year when we encourage each other to talk more about those things for which we are thankful. And… Aren’t we told that…
I’m an emotional Sanguine. I feel everything. Everything! Once in a Bible Study class, Rev asked me if I remembered an event we’d gone to and my immediate answer was, “I don’t know. Did I cry?” Happy, unhappy, or simply emotional tears . . . I cry easily. Oh, I love to laugh, too. In…
I’d been waiting all evening for the phone to ring… My dad was tired and emotional after having spent the day with 73 other American Veterans on their “Final Mission” (I tear up every time I see those words) to Washington DC. Their ages spanned several decades, branches of the military, and calls of duty…
Do you know someone who radiates gratitude? It may be because they know the… 4 Important Truths about Gratitude 1. Gratitude is a choice. Grateful people don’t wait until they get what they want to be thankful. They choose to celebrate what they have. Even when life is hard . . . there are always…
How well do you focus on the Lord when you pray? I have the best of intentions… I want to enter my War Room in warrior mode and make an impact on the battles taking place in the spiritual realm. But I struggle with ADD . . . my mind darts from thought to thought….
Years ago, a reader asked the following: “If God loves us so much, then why are we slowly being dehumanized?Why would God let something like that happen to us? I believe we need to take a closer look and break those questions into 3… 1. Does God love us?2 Are people becoming dehumanized?3. Why does…
Are you hopeful? Martin Luther wrote, “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.” If everything is “done by hope”, maybe we need to take a closer look at what that means. Hope is defined as… Believing that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best….
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,…
You’ve decided you want to live with Godly wisdom but… Have you ever taken advice from someone and later realized you’d made a huge mistake? Yea, me too. You went shopping with a friend and overspent your budget so you could get matching bags. You listened to and based your opinion on a friend’s gossip only…
“Be yourself. That is something you can do better than anyone else. Listen to that inner voice and bravely follow it.” – Anonymous Hmmm. That’s the message of today, isn’t it? Be true to yourself. Just follow your “heart” or your “gut” or whatever. So, I searched—How to be Yourself and found… How to Be…
True patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, difficulty, or annoyance without getting angry or upset. True patience treats yourself and others with kindness and compassion. Would you say you have true patience? What would your friends say? It’s easy for me to be patient when nothing is annoying me but harder when someone…
Generalizing is the belief that all members of a group are alike. It assumes that a few individuals in the group represent the whole group. Therefore every individual believes, thinks, and acts exactly like all the others. Generalizing believe that… Women are _________. Men are _________. White people are _________. Black people are _________. Democrats…
There’s a new house being built in our neighborhood. They started by digging down through the pliable earth, set forms, and poured a concrete foundation. Every building needs a strong foundation if we want it to stand through the storms of life. So, let me ask you… What is your foundation for life? Your family…
