We have an Early Alert System in our community. An automated system that calls to let us know when a potentially dangerous storm is coming. I wonder if you and I would like an Early Alert System for our lives? Something that would let us know when we are about to be hit by a big…
I’m excited to dig deep into peace this month. If you’d known me a little over a decade ago, you’d have said I was the last person in the world who should be talking about peace. I was diagnosed with high anxiety depression, living in a constant state of agitation and worry. Peace always seemed like it was just…
Peace – that tranquil feeling that flits in for occasional moments and then disappears for far too long . . . everyone wants it but few have it. I crave calm. No thrill seeker here. I want peace in my relationships and peace in my heart and mind. But even as we talk about wanting…
I wanted to know about goodness . . . but foolishly believed I would spend this month studying obedience. Was I wrong! Like everything else, goodness begins with God. So, if you missed anything, I’ve gathered all the posts on goodness here in one place. Click on the title or graphic to read a post…
This is for you, the one who’s exhausted. The one who feels like they’ve poured themselves into others until there’s just nothing left. You know “goodness does.” You want to pour out love and care for others but for today . . . you are goodnessed out! Your tank is empty and you’ve got nothin’ left….
“Grief is such a weird, uncontrollable beast. You never know when or where or how it’s going to pop up and demand its due.” Rev leaned over the upstairs banister and read those words to me the other night from A Dream So Big, by Steve Peifer. As he shared the words above, tears dripped down…
I’m going to be perfectly honest with you, some days I just don’t want to do good. Seriously, don’t you have days when it’s all you can do to try to avoid the don’ts? Don’t covet. Don’t gossip. Don’t waste. Don’t judge. Don’t worry. So, those mornings when I get out of bed and there…
Am I the only one who writes a post and then decides it doesn’t work? I’ve been thinking about how God pours out His goodness. How you and I pour out our hurts, fear, and confusion to God and He pours patience, grace, mercy, kindness, and love into us. The wonderful part . . ….
A very wise friend once said, “If everyone is annoying you and getting on your last nerve . . . you have to stop and think about the common denominator. Maybe the problem is you.” How’s your attitude? When I’m cranky and irritable it’s easy to blame everyone and everything. To look around and grumble…
You might be a hypocrite if: you expect God to forgive you but can’t forgive others. you point out the sins of others while ignoring your own sins. you hate anyone. you don’t think you’re as bad as ______________. If the log in your eye never keeps you from seeing the speck in someone else’s eye. Or…
Guilt. You’ve got it. You know, that thing the enemy uses to label you a failure . . . to hold you back and defeat you. Everyone has something maybe even several somethings. I thought about making a list of examples but that would only be a distraction. All that matters is what’s on your list. I…
God is good! You and I want to trust those words with everything in us . . . heart, mind, soul, and strength. But if you’re like me, you pray and ask God to help you trust Him completely and then something happens and worry is followed by a little doubt and you find yourself struggling—again….
You and I are relational. We crave connectedness. So, we will always attach to someone or something . . . maybe even several someones or somethings. Jesus called it being yoked. And once we become followers of Jesus, it’s up to us whether we are yoked to slavery or freedom. It is for freedom that…
Do you like getting gifts? Of course, you do. Who doesn’t? It’s normal for children to start making lists of the presents they want for their birthday or Christmas long before they can write. And many of us still have lists of things we want, just in case someone’s interested . . . decades later. You and…
For generations the message has been, God is good! But how do we know? We know God is good because… The Word became flesh and lived among us. God became a man. Jesus! You and I can know everything we need to know about God by getting to know Jesus – the Word made flesh. Jesus…
I think my parents would say that for the most part, I was “a good girl” growing.” Whew! Don’t we want our children to be “good.” But what does being good really mean? If you’re like me, you think “being good” equals being obedient. Isn’t that what you’re looking for when you tell your children to…
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 to no fear, and who thrived on memorizing lines and performing in plays and musicals. If…
Are you blessed and happy? Do you want to be? If you’re like me, you’re thinking . . . doesn’t everybody? Looking around it’s easy to draw the conclusion that happiness is the result of our circumstances and desires aligning. But Jesus answer to finding happiness is very different. How to be Blessed and Happy Very…
I’m a first-born rule follower. I like rules. I understand rules. Rules make sense. If you do A and B happens and you definitely don’t do X if you want to prevent Y from happening. It’s simple like math. Rules are black and white. And following the rules pleases people . . . especially parents, teachers,…
This year was going to be different. You wanted balance. Time to exercise. Time to read. Time to relax. Time to be still. God’s wants us to enjoy balance because it models His character. God put balance and order in creation. The earth is exactly the right distance from the sun, and has the perfect combination…
One of the hard parts about being still and knowing God is that you and I are accustomed to being busy. We like filling our days with activity and our minds with information. I’m busy doing and I love it. If I’m not doing . . . I’m sitting on the couch with the television on,…
