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…
What do you do when your heart hurts? My instinctual reaction is to curl up in a corner and feel sorry for myself. But Jesus offers us a much better way to handle the burden of heartache… “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you…
God hears your cries! You can count on Him! I’ve shared this story in the past, so please bear with me if you’ve heard it before… I remember the birth of our first child as if it happened yesterday. She was born on her due date, following a mercifully manageable and unmedicated labor and delivery….
I don’t believe it was the way I was raised … it just seemed to evolve with time. I knew God and that my eternal salvation was secure through Jesus’ sacrifice and the gift of faith in His amazing grace… But for some reason, I thought my here and now was influenced by God’s favor…
Do you know what it means to be righteous? The Urban Dictionary defines it as: The American Heritage Dictionary says it means: And finally, the Biblical defines righteousness as: Psalm 111 says… How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in Him should ponder them.Everything He does reveals His glory and majesty. His righteousness never…
Are you worn out? Are you exhausted by the busyness and stressors of life? Have you considered making some changes but don’t know where to begin? Because even though you’re running on fumes … people depend on you. There’s no quitting or giving up; so, you keep doing what you need to do no matter…
The dictionary defines wisdom as having insight, knowledge, and good judgment. Author Patience Johnson wrote: “Wisdom is knowing the right thing to do and doing it at the right time to get the desired result. It is also the correct application of knowledge.” But what is Godly wisdom? The Bible says… The fear of the Lord is…
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…
Are you watching the sky? Are you listening for the heavenly trumpet? Do you know how to have flourishing faith until Jesus returns? Recently while reading 1 Corinthians, I came across these words… Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love. 1 Corinthians 16:13 Paul was hoping to…
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…
It takes time to build strong healthy relationships. They don’t happen quickly but grow over time. And how we spend that time is essential. I’m not talking about where we go and what we do, I’m recognizing the importance of our interactions, attitudes, and behaviors. Once again, I’ve made a list of some of the…
I used to call my mom, “the healthiest sick person I knew.” She was a breast cancer survivor who lived with arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart arrhythmia, and severe osteoporosis. Those were just her health issues … she was also a wife, mom, and grandmother. Like moms everywhere, she had reasons to worry about…
It can happen in a moment… You can be dealing with a tantrum-throwing toddler, watching the news, driving in rush hour, waiting in some line or waiting room, or discouraged by a project when suddenly you realize your blood pressure is rising and you are frustrated! I was going to say “getting frustrated” but if…
Our children are grown and I’m enjoying the blessing of grandchildren. Have you ever asked someone with grown children if there’s anything they wish they had done differently in the parenting department? Do you have something you wished you’d done more consistently or not done at all? The main thing I wish I had done…
Culture says, “Be yourself.” Be self-aware, know your identity, live your truth, and follow your heart. Know your personality, talents, strengths, weaknesses, beliefs, and values … be true to yourself and you’ll be happy. On the surface, that sounds appealing and it would be in a perfect world. The problem is that we live in…
Do you ever have days when you don’t feel very lovable? Your mood/attitude is off. You know you failed to honor God’s will. And you’re so upset and discouraged that you’re questioning God’s love? Whenever I would have one of those days, I’d say, “I don’t feel very cute and lovable today.” And Rev always…
How much is enough? What do you need to be satisfied? Are you satisfied with your relationships? Your finances? Your car? House? Wardrobe? Vacations? Are you satisfied or do you believe the old saying… Enough is always just a little bit more. How many times have you thought… I hate to admit it but I…
What is sin? We typically think of sin as not obeying God’s Commandments, but James added… Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. James 4:17 It’s challenging when culture’s view of what we ought to do differs from what God’s Word tells us to do. I…
I have wrestled with this post for days. I thought about it, prayed about it, searched Scripture, and as I sit here all I can do is ask the Lord to give me the words He wants me to write. Why is this subject so difficult for me? Because I love being an encourager who…
