“All a man’s ways seem right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the motives.” Proverbs 16:2 We plan. We prepare. We shoot our visionary arrows into the future and pray they land at least somewhere near the intended target. But God. He sees. He knows where we have been and where we are…
Surrender. It’s a word that sounds defeated. Discouraged. Beaten. Surrender: verb (used without object) “to give oneself up, as into the power of another; submit or yield.” [dictionary.com] While the word may seem to carry a negative connotation, in the Christian life is a cumulative word that describes what happens when a person, 1.) recognizes…
“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 “…today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. …
More than beautiful presents wrapped in paper and bows, the gift of Christmas begins with a baby in a manger, swaddled in cloth and sleeping in a manger bed. The gift of Christmas came. Heralded by angels, He entered the world He created, in a stall built for animals; all of creation crying, “Hail the…
My father turned 82 today. Two years ago we found out that he was in Stage 4 kidney failure, and he quickly progressed to end-stage, requiring dialysis to survive. While the damage done to his body cannot be reversed, being hooked up to a machine to rid his body of the toxins has prolonged his…
“…it’s the most wonderful time of the year!” In many ways, Christmas in America begins the day after Thanksgiving. We have barely put away the leftover turkey before our thoughts turn to shopping, Christmas trees and party planning. What should be a time of reflection and continued thanksgiving, turns to hurried accomplishments to be checked…
I am the thorn in His crown. The splinter in His thumb. That tag that is constantly rubbing, and the child that seems to always be whining. And He loves me anyway. I was talking to a young woman recently who had been processing the gospel message: We have all sinned against a Holy God.…
What if I let go? Of my pride. Of my sin. Of my selfishness. “How happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven.” What if I let go? Of fear, of failure, of the future. “You are my hiding place, You protect me from trouble. You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance.”
I wake up early and hear the sounds of the night orchestrating a beautiful transition to morning. The night owls and the crickets quiet as the songbirds take over in a rhythmic chant that almost sounds as if they are saying, “wake up! wake up!”. On a cool, crisp fall morning the dried leaves fall…
I woke up to a new reality. A sobering thought. A haunting question: What if? What if the passion I have is misguided? What if my thoughts–my desires are not from Him? Does this passion that I have honor the One I have declared to be my Lord? The One True God. The Maker of…
I long to be the one who makes you smile. From deep within me is a person who wants to be that somebody who makes every person feel like a somebody. I really do want to be an encourager, but far too often I leave a conversation thinking about what I wish I had said. …
I love to read. When I open the cover of a new book, I am filled with a sense of awe–like I am setting out on a new adventure. Turning the page of a book is like opening the door to something yet undiscovered. And then life happens. At some point you have stop, put…
We all have them. Those little things that drive us crazy. They flip our switch and spark a fire. The question is, if we want a happy marriage, how do we respond to those little idiosyncrasies that get under our skin? “If you let them, idiosyncrasies can take the joy out of marriage. Those peculiarities…
When I was young I hated peas. You can ask my Mom and she will tell you that she still remembers me shuffling peas around my plate for what seemed like an hour, trying to make it look like I had actually eaten some of the green balls of goo. While it never bothered me if…
It’s not complicated, really. These three things that seem to have so little in common bring back a flood of memories. Memories can take us back to places we sometimes need to revisit. Maybe it was a time that you learned a lesson the hard way, or maybe it was just an epiphany moment that…
