Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:29–31 On…
Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” The second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:30 What does it mean to love God with, “all your heart, all your soul, all…
How can you and I know God’s will? I mean, what is His will exactly? Even when you and I want to follow God’s will for us … the world gives us mixed messages. Goodness, I think even the different church denominations and non-denominations send out mixed messages when it comes to God’s will. So,…
I’m guessing you’re like me and that you share my struggle. You have the voice in your head that remembers and repeats every hurt-filled accusation. And a mirror that faithfully points out every little imperfection. You know the whispers of lost friendships that want you to believe you’re just not worth it. And you count every…
Who would have thought that a 17th Century monk, faithfully working in the kitchen in a small monastery with an unwavering attitude of devotion could touch the hearts and minds of countless believers for generations? The next time you question whether or not anything you’re doing matters … stop and remember Brother Lawrence. After spending…
It’s hard to surrender! One of the hardest things to do in life is to be able to say… “Lord, not my will but Yours be done.” In fact, I’ve had more than a few times when I’ve gone into and through circumstances both kicking and screaming! Surrender is a word that used to terrify…
Can you imagine what it will be like when you and I finally get a glimpse of the glory of God in person? I often wonder what it must have been like for Moses on his second journey to the top of Mt. Sinai. Be ready in the morning to climb up Mount Sinai and…
If you’d known me growing up you would have seen a girl who could comfortably play the piano and organ in front of large groups of people, who could stand in front of groups and give presentations with little or no fear, and who thrived on memorizing lines and performing in plays and musicals. If…
I started reading Exodus this week. Wow, those people make me uncomfortable! I think it’s because I so often see myself in their less than cooperative words and behaviors. After I ask God to forgive me for being so much like them … I can settle in to learn from them. Here are just a…
I always believed God blessed good behavior and in many ways, He does, but the truth is you and I are not perfect … our behavior will never be good enough. So, most of us would probably admit — life is hard! Add to any personal problems you and I experience, our lives are also…
I thought about sharing all my favorites from the week first but decided I’m too excited … so, I’m just going to spill my exciting news right away! It’s been on my heart the last several months to try to find a way to help bloggers connect and make friends. I hear from so many…
It was the end of our workday when Rev and I sat down to decompress and catch up. I started the conversation pretty wound up over something that had been discussed on a news show I’d recently watched. Rev patiently listened and “wisely” agreed! He knows that’s a good place to start when I’m venting. But…
Happy 2018! I typically start praying and thinking about my blogging plans for the coming year in early September. This year was no exception. The difference this year is that my theme for the year seemed to choose me rather than the other way around. I loved digging deep into faith through The Faith Project…
Jesus – Hope of the World. For just a moment, join me as I focus on God’s amazing gift whom we celebrate. Then, as you finish errand running, wrapping, baking, cooking, traveling, etc… Turn on some music and praise God for His indescribable gift. 20 Quotes that Celebrate Jesus, the Gift of Hope Thanks be…
This post was not part of the plan! I wanted to write this warm fuzzy word of encouragement to walk you into your Christmas celebration. But every time I tried to put words to white space, God challenged me with the following question… What’s your religion? Honestly, I didn’t know what it meant or what…
I’ve had a few times in my life when I’ve felt God’s voice loud and clear. Like the time He challenged my grumbling or the time He gave me a word of love for a specific person as I was driving to a speaking engagement. There was also the time that completely changed my view…
I always find it amusing when I see the word “believe” everywhere at this time of the year. Just believe – all by itself. It begs for answers. Believe in what? Believe in whom? When you and I “believe in” someone or something – we have faith in it. And having faith means we have…
My email inbox overflows every day with advertisers trying to woo me with this years must have gift ideas. Kids of every age have made their list of wants and wishes they hope to find under the tree. I’ll admit I’m beginning to feel a sense of panic as I watch the days until Christmas…
It’s holiday time! Thanksgiving through Christmas … that time of year when social media feeds are saturated with happy family photos. Do you ever wonder if they’re accurate images of truth behind the lens? Is everyone blissful or do all families have an Uncle Know-it-all, Aunt Opinionated, and Grandpa Why Can’t We Just Do Things…
Do you ever feel like the darkness is winning? Sexuality is confused, misused, and abused. Wars and rumors of wars lead our newscasts unless there’s a more titillating scandal to report. Respect for those in leadership seems to be the exception, not the norm. Addiction has filtered into every segment of society. Babies continue to…
It was 1973. Rev was out making calls with an elder of our church as part of his seminary assignments. They were driving between visits when this older friend and mentor turned to my dear man and asked, “Do you tithe?” Now, you have to know our income was very small even for the time….
