You are at a large party where most of the faces are unfamiliar. However, everyone is wearing a stick-on name tag—always helpful among strangers. A nice lady comes over and introduces herself and, as you catch a quick glance at her name tag, you notice: “Hi! My Name is Mary and I am generous.” What? You look around and notice, “Hi! My Name is Jim and I am kind and understanding.” And “Hi! My Name is Alice and I am Intelligent and Wise.” And so on…
My mother and sister were artisans when it came to counted cross-stitch. Carefully and meticulously, they added stitch by tiny stitch until the blank canvas was transformed into a stunning masterpiece.
Down I fell, flat on my face! I was running downhill with my dog when suddenly she darted ahead. I hung onto the leash trying to slow her down. Instead, her momentum pulled me down until I was face down in the dirt.
I pulled into the rest area and looked around. The people I observed were as varied as the vehicles. Where were they all going? The adventurist in me began to imagine several possible scenarios. For some reason we had all converged in that one location at precisely the same time. Momentarily, we each would continue on our individual routes.
“What is that smell?” my husband asked as we entered the resort where we were vacationing. “Whatever it is, I want it!” he exclaimed.
I could hardly believe it! I was moving into my new house that I had never even seen. My husband had called me a month prior saying he was putting a contract on a house. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to see the house first.
I listen to Christian music throughout the day, so it’s no surprise that’s how I hear God speak many times.
Have you ever let dirty dishes sit for a day or so? Really, it doesn’t have to be that long. Maybe just a few hours.
I’ve been reading the Bible through chronologically this year, which means I’ve been camped out in the Old Testament since January.
Kimberly and I met when we were both about 23 years old. We both worked in corporate communication for a large bank.
I am taking a large group of teenagers from Texas to Austria in the coming months. I am already working hard in planning and preparation. I have promised to go with them, to be ready to handle the details of our travel as well as the unforeseen encounters. And I’ve promised to bring them home safely. It is a sobering task.
“Why are you so afraid?” Just as Jesus asked this of the disciples in the storm-tossed boat, I wonder how many times God has posed that question to me, but I haven’t heard it over the thunder of my frets and worries and hand-wringing.
My sweet husband regularly asks me, “What do you need from me right now?” Often, this serves as a needed reminder of his presence and willingness to help. Sometimes it is the springboard I need to ask for help. And occasionally, it is irritating as I think he should know what I need after 34 years of being married to me!
Sundays are busy busy days for me! Getting my family dressed, fed and out the door with any smidgen of civility AND getting to church early enough for me to be ready for the downbeat as I play in the orchedstra is nothing short of a miracle from God!
I was bogged down in my daily Bible reading. After I trudged through Exodus, past the victory of the plagues, the miracle of the manna and quail and the water from a rock, I sat mired in the details of the Tent of Meeting….the place where God planned to meet and fellowship with His people.
My grandson plays high school baseball. He can throw a wicked pitch called a curveball. It’s especially hard for batters to hit because it dives downward as it nears the plate.
Several years ago my cousin and his wife bought a fifty-year-old ranch style home. In spite of its dated interior, they loved the house and envisioned what it could become.
“Hang in there” is an expression of encouragement in today’s world. It’s a way to say, “Don’t give up.” Recently, I needed to apply the hang in there concept to my prayer life.
I sank into the rocker and massaged my throbbing forehead.
For the past few days I’d been obsessing over a difficult situation. Not only did I think about it all day long, I woke up during the night to think about it some more. I kept chewing on the situation like a dog gnawing on a bone.
