“There’s McDonalds! I just LOVE McDonalds! I see Chick Fil A! I just LOVE Chick Fil A! Whataburger! I LOVE Whataburger!”
All in God's Word
Speaking the Truth
Why is it hard to tell others the truth? We might be mocked and minimized. Maybe we don’t want to hurt others’ feelings. Maybe they will reject us. Maybe they will be angry. Maybe relationships will change.
The Whole Truth
Have you ever pulled out a Bible verse to use because it fits what you want it to say? Then later, as you studied that passage more in depth, you realized it didn’t fit at all?
The Abundant Path
Offers for ways to live an abundant life are everywhere. If you just have this or do that, you will be fulfilled. Really?
Boldly Speaking God’s Truth
Is speaking God’s truth to strangers easier or harder than speaking to the people you know? If those you are with desire God’s truth, are you bolder in talking about it?
An Unexpected Treasure
Downsizing required sorting multiple boxes of yellowed childhood treasures. The task felt daunting. One item, though, made the experience worth the effort—a folded piece of manila paper with a title scribed by a child. “Prays and Verses.”
The Moved Coaster
When I saw the moved coaster, I smiled.
Prepare the Way – Christmas Pie
For some reason, at Christmas time we feel the need to prepare all sorts of decadent sweet treats. Homemade cookies, candy, cakes, and pies adorn kitchen cabinets and tables, many even used as gifts for friends and neighbors.
Fighting Back
What battles have you faced recently? A dispute with a friend or co-worker? A fight with a family member? A health fear?
Navigating Life!
A journey is made up of a lot of decisions and choices. So are our lives.
What Are You Searching For?
The other day I was taking off my jewelry, and I must have pulled too hard on my ring. It flew off the end of my finger when I pulled it over my knuckle. I heard it hit the carpet. I immediately got on my hands and knees to look for my ring. I must have looked for 20 minutes before I decided to stop and try again later. After looking later, I still could not find my ring. I knew it was there, and I also knew that I would find it with continued searching.
No Shortcuts
So I have a teenage daughter. I am learning new things by the minute. She is filling my life with laughter and terror all at the same time! It's a roller coaster, and I love it. This week I'm going to catch you up to speed with communication in the style of a teenager.
Bean Soup: Day 1
Several years ago now, our little neighborhood Bible study piled in our cars and drove an hour to a nearby city. Our destination was a day-long conference led by a woman who for over forty years had been a world-impacting teacher and author of Bible studies.
Three-Legged Races and Other Wise Rhetoric
Rhetoric: “the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech” (online Oxford Languages). Amos is variously praised in the commentaries for his gifted writing. I was intrigued.
Follow His Example
Does anyone else have as hard a time memorizing scripture as I do? I participate in a Bible study which encourages scripture memory, but I have found it so difficult to actually do. I decided to get serious about it with Ephesians 5:1-2.
Leave Some
The incorporation of frugality into one’s life has its place. Greediness does not. Many of us make sure we get everything we have earned because we believe we deserve it. God’s Word surprises me, at times, because his instructions are very practical and specific.
The Learning Curve: Day 2
One simple verse that will be read very differently—depending on which one of two groups you fall into.
Group 1: “’Yes’ is ‘yes’ and ‘no’ is ‘no.’ Got it. Next question?”
Group 2: “Yes, that is true, but I am pretty sure I can make this work.”
The Rest of the Story
Over fifty years ago as I hopped downstairs to the kitchen, I heard a distinctive yet familiar voice on the radio that Mom listened to every morning.
Running a Good Race: not in vain
Is cross-country skiing on your bucket list by chance? Then the perfect place for you is in Stowe Vermont at the Trapp Family Lodge—yes, the Sound of Music von Trapps settled in Stowe in 1942, having fled Austria in 1938.
The Mind of Christ
The human brain fascinates me. I observed its development as my babies learned to talk, walk and eventually drive away. Oswald Chambers' quote recently challenged me to consider the brain from a new perspective:
“God does not give us the mind of Christ. He gives us the Spirit of Christ, and we have to see that the Spirit of Christ in us works through our brains in contact with actual life and that we form His mind.” *