The freedom to take breaks whenever I choose ranks as a treasured retirement perk. Strategically placed rocking chairs testify to that priority.
All in Peace
Unity
A small rock sits on my kitchen window sill as a reminder of a recent summer day. I attended a prayer gathering on our downtown square.
Squirreled Away
While driving home from out of town, I received a text from my husband that said, “There’s a squirrel in a shoebox on the counter. If it’s dead when you get home, throw it into the woods.”
Patiently
Imagine along with me for a minute…
It is autumn in the spiritual fruit orchard. As you walk down the rows of trees, you notice something interesting. The harvest has been completed and the branches are bare, except for the fruit that remains on one kind the tree. You ask your companion what it is and he answers,
Rest for my Soul
Rest for my soul? Soul Rest! Soul Rest just might be the most valuable commodity in today’s economy. It is something I have sought and treasured since the earliest days of my life.
Serving God
My siblings and I often complained that Mother never watched television with us. The reason? She fell asleep whenever she sat down! Once I became a mother, I quickly understood the exhaustion from her long day of serving her family.
Same Team
Division. It was tearing us apart again.
Are you concerned over division in your country, city, or neighborhood?
Division in the world, although sad, is more understandable.
But what about division in your own home or church?
Maybe even division in your own heart?
Believing is Seeing
Eight days later—so much to take in.
Jesus didn’t play hide-and-seek with His friends for long. The empty tomb alone was not the crux of the story. The truth of who He was and what He had accomplished lay in His appearing, alive. So He began to reveal Himself first to those closest to Him.
In The Secret Place
One afternoon I was hiding under the bed covers, feeling defeated as usual. I cried out to God and felt His calm, familiar presence envelop my tired spirit. And I saw this…
In the Silence
The sound of silence… Do you know it?
There are times with God though… when it is too quiet.
Peace
“Ah gots peas like a riber in my sooooooooooooo”. My toddler-daughter sang it loud and long throughout the Christmas season. I’d never really thought of “I’ve Got Peace Like A River” as a Christmas carol, but that didn’t matter to my girl. I asked her what peace felt like. She said, “sssshhhhhh quiet, f’ever”.
Prince of Peace
December just began and already my calendar is filling up with Christmas activities, parties, and baking. I haven’t even started buying gifts yet. The hustle and bustle of the holidays can quickly become overwhelming for me. Where can I get some peace?
What rules your heart?
The words just spoken over me tore a gash in my heart.
Harsh words can hurt.
In a moment… I had a decision to make… How am I going to respond?
Words Both Good and True: Day 2
In Psalm 11:3, David asks, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” and these days of upheaval and outrageousness in the most foundational of our country’s institutions, a lot of Christians are asking the same question.
Historical scholars would tell you that our present turmoil is nothing exceptional. What is truly unusual is the era of peace and prosperity that most of us have experienced as our norm.
The Cavern
One summer our family toured Luray Cavern. Our guided tour took us deeper and deeper into the earth. As we walked the well-lit path, our leader pointed out the natural wonders on all sides.
The Chief Shepherd
Ladies, I am so glad for the sun and the rain and the pruning and fertilizing of the word of God under the shepherding of the Lord and the Spirit. Living securely now is a given for those who believe. As Jesus prayed in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” We are truly blessed.
Write
Do you journal? Write?
I use writing to process my thoughts.
God can use it to show you something that He wants you to see.
God told Jeremiah to write down His message for a purpose… for change…
Light
I was lost.
It was getting very dark.
We were on a boat in an unfamiliar lake, unsure of the way home … and it was cloudy, no light.
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
The first decision I made seemed innocent enough. My daughter and I chose to go get our fingernails done thinking we had plenty of time before my grandson’s PreK program. Of course, it took longer than expected so we rushed out in a hurry afterwards.
The Sounds of Silence…to the glory of God!
I don’t know about you ladies, but when life’s distracting noises bombard my senses I best regain my equilibrium in the wonders of creation. There, the voices that declare God’s glory ring loud and clear.