What’s over the hill or around the bend? Does it scare you when you cannot see ahead? My two great-grandsons in the photo were excited to get over the bridge to get to the ocean. A trip to the beach is a big adventure!
Sun and Clouds Together
I love all beach sunrises—even the gray ones—because… well, we’re at the beach. But my absolute favorite is when sunshine and clouds meet. There’s nothing quite like the beauty of colors revealed as sunlight breaks through the clouds. Only a Creator God could design something so breathtaking.
He Throws My Sin Behind
In a world constantly shifting beneath our feet, where even the most steadfast people, institutions, and laws can prove fallible, what can we truly depend on? While few things are 100% reliable, the Word of God offers an unwavering anchor.
He Forgets My Sin
My best friend betrayed me and later apologized, but I could not forget what she did. Even though it’s been years, I still remember the hurt of that betrayal. It threatened to destroy our relaitonship.
Always in a Hurry
Scottish missionary Mary Slessor said, "Christ was never in a hurry. There was no rushing forward, no anticipating, no fretting over what might be. Each day’s duties were done as each day brought them, and the rest was left with God."
Morning Joy
Ohhhh, the first breath of the cool morning air, the sun is just beginning to pink the eastern sky and my pesky front yard mockingbird is barely aware I am in his territory. I love this God time! I want to twirl around with out-stretched arms in praise to my awesome Creator God.
Truth and Honesty
I felt the crack in our friendship the moment the lie left her lips. Years of joys and shared life-events seems to shift in my heart with that untruth. For days, I teetered between anger and despair. The Lord detests lying lips (Proverbs 12:22), I preached to myself, justifying my estrangement . As the convicting of his Holy Spirit resurrected memoires of past untruths from my own lips, God's quiet voice told me to forgive with love and grace.
Ready or Not, Here Comes Change!
I find hope in this verse. Hope that God can change desperate situations that look impossible. Hope that God will restore joy in the midst of despair. Hope that God will increase faith in times of sorrow. Hope that God will provide friends when others move. Hope that God will bring jobs that have been lost.
My Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week
So what circumstances consume you today or this week? Chances are, they may just be distractions to get your eyes off Jesus.
Joy in Fear
Lord, I don’t want to die yet. If I must go through cancer, give me joy and strength.
I wrote those words just a few days before a dear friend sent me today’s verse.
She knew I needed joy and peace. I waited for a biopsy — scheduled on my son’s eighteenth birthday. Of course, my mind swirled with fear and what-ifs.
Don't Believe Everything You Think
Are we guilty of believing everything that we think? Do we think that we are useless, ugly, boring? The list could go on and on. It could even go the other way - it's all about me - my way, my life - me, me.
My Name
He and his wife had thousands of children.
Let me clarify: They never raised biological children, but during his over 50 years of serving in the student ministry at my home church, he fathered a multitude, including myself. Today hundreds will gather to celebrate his life.
My Glory?
A closer inspection turns to introspection, making me wonder if somehow I am exchanging my Glory, my precious Savior, for idols of my own making or my own imagination. Do I rely on people in my life to do for me what only God can do?
In My Way
I looked down at my text and laughed, “ About to be in my way.” What I meant to say was, “ About to be ON my way.” I had intended to let a friend know of my plan, but had inadvertently led myself to ponder my mistake.
My Hiding Place
Ah, Spring time! Birds building nests and butterflies dipping and dancing over the landscapes of garden flowers.
Oh, Spring time! Storm clouds building, thunder rolling with lightening and tornados dipping and dancing across the landscape.
Silenced
Have you been at a restaurant and the noise level is so loud that you cannot hear the person seated right next to you? You can see their mouth moving, but you have no idea what they are saying. Frustrating, right?
Joyful
I enjoy hiking a new scenic trail in the mountains. There is a fun sense of adventure with the challenge of something new and the beautiful views that await me, including the unknowns ahead. There are often choices in the trail of two different ways to go. Will I pick the right one? Will it be marked well so I choose wisely?
It is Worth It!
Have you tried to take a toy from a toddler, and she doesn’t want to give it up? It may be naptime or perhaps you need to leave from playing with a friend, but no matter what you try, you cannot pry those little fingers off of that toy without many tears and protests.
The Sandwich Generation
I am in the sandwich generation. Do you know what that means? If you have lived it, you do. I am in the season of life where I have aging parents on one side of me and on the other side of me, I have young adult children with small children. As a result, I am sandwiched by the two generations. It is a privilege to serve both sides! But sometimes, it can get a little busy, with so many ways to help and serve others.
Wandering
Wandering in a little European town often begins with excitement and a sense of adventure! Aimlessly, you can explore cute shops filled with interesting things or charming cafes that invite enjoying a cappuccino and a croissant.