Oh, my friends, it’s ugly out there and I’ll admit, I have times when it really upsets me! Groups are fighting, families arguing, neighbors feuding and relationships ending. So, I have a question for us to consider… As followers of Jesus, how can you and I disagree with a friend without hateful words and broken…
How often do you pause to simply celebrate God and His love? We know what it feels like to celebrate but what does it actually mean to celebrate God? The Dictionary gives the word “celebrate” four simple meanings: to rejoice to observe to perform/participate (a solemn or religious ceremony) to praise publicly; proclaim So, let me ask again… How often do you celebrate God and His…
I’ve prayed and waited and prayed and waited and… I imagine you know what it’s like to pray while waiting on God, too. Maybe you’ve prayed for a: Job. Child. Restored relationship. Spouse. Home. Healing. And you wait. At some point, the “what if I never” thoughts begin. What if I never get hired?What if…
Let’s talk about our Joy, Junk, & Jesus. I picked up my old Bible the other day. The one I used when our children were growing up. I’ve always kept it in a cute fabric case so the cover still looks clean and undamaged. But the pages are a different story. They’re covered with notes…
You’ve heard the sayings… Don’t tell God how big your fear is, tell your fear how big your God is. F.E.A.R. – False Evidence Appearing Real Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death. Although there’s truth in these words, they can sound trite to… the parent who received a hard diagnosis about…
Is being angry a sin? Paul wrote: When you are angry, do not sin, and be sure to stop being angry before the end of the day. Do not give the devil a way to defeat you. Ephesians 4:26–27 (NCV) Anger itself is not a sin or Paul would not have told people to avoid sinning…
Who is the wisest person you know? Before you answer, we should probably start by defining wisdom. The Dictionary defines wisdom as – The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting. A commonly used and easy-to-remember definition is – The ability to know the right thing to do and do it….
Every day we are faced with difficult decisions . . . some because of problems and some opportunities. Where should we live? How can we best help our child? What is the best path forward with this health problem? What career/job is the best choice for me? Where should I go to school? Where? What?…
I don’t believe there are enough hours in a lifetime to read all of the books, articles, and blog posts that have been written on the subject of prayer. They’re filled with suggestions of how to pray, what to pray, when to pray, and where to pray. The Bible tells us to never stop praying…
How much time do you spend thinking about what-if questions? You know… What if I had done this? What if I hadn’t done that? What if I’d reacted sooner? What if I hadn’t posted this or reacted to that? It’s called “second guessing” and it’s defined as . . . criticizing or questioning someone or…
A family counselor once shared the following with me… I met with the (Smith) family because four-year-old (Brittany) was having trouble getting along with the other children at her pre-school. As mom and dad took their seats, Brittany wandered the room picking up puppets and books. After a few moments of chit-chat, I asked, ”…
The Commandments as given in Exodus 20 begin by telling us 1) to worship God and put nothing else ahead of Him and 2) to not make an idol of any kind. God inspired Moses to write: Do not put your trust in idols or make metal images of gods for yourselves. I am the Lord…
Both David and his son, Solomon wrote: Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 9:10 Solomon also wrote that the “fear of the Lord” led to: True Knowledge (Proverbs 1:7) Understanding (Proverbs 2) Life (Proverbs 19:23) And Luke wrote in the Book of Acts: The church had peace . . . and it became stronger as…
Do you ever feel like we’re living at a time when people are talking past each other rather than with each other? I like to think that I’m the kind of person with whom people want to discuss life for hours . . . that I’m an excellent listener who’s emotionally supportive offering just the…
So let me ask . . . how are you? If you had to pick a word or two to describe your week, what would it be? Would you describe your days as… Challenging? Blessed? Frustrating? Overwhelming? Ideal? Exhausting? However you answered, the Lord invites you and me to bring our highs and lows to…
It happened many years ago, but I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I was in an intense discussion about God’s characteristics and qualities. As a long-time student of the Bible, I was passionate about the information and faith that inspired my side of the conversation, and that passion led to me proclaim,…
“I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it, friends make life a lot more fun.” ~ Charles Swindoll I totally agree. God created us to be in relationships with Him and with the people…
Rev and I are making it a goal to celebrate every day as a precious gift from God. It’s easy to forget the truth that each day is a blessing, isn’t it? We can get distracted by life’s challenges. We can feel overwhelmed by illness, grief, broken relationships, financial problems, and a whole host of…
Is your soul satisfied? Let me ask another way, “Is it well with your soul?” If we want to know if our souls are satisfied, we should probably begin by identifying what a soul is. Simply stated, the soul is—a person’s mind, will, and emotions. John Ortberg put it this way… “Your soul is what…
“You can learn many things from children.How much patience you have, for instance.” ~Franklin P. Jones Don’t you wish each individual child came with a personalized instruction manual? Parenting is both a wonderful rewarding blessing and a humbling challenging responsibility. Some days you feel like an expert and others you’re quite sure you’re a total…
Paul wrote: Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 Jesus told us to: Love each other. Just as I have loved you. John 14:34 And Evangelist Henry Drummond combined the two, saying… “Kindness is love in action.” But being kind consistently is hard, isn’t it?…
