I treasure my collection of vintage books. One of these tattered treasures holds an honored spot on my bookshelf—the thirtieth edition of Prayer by Ole Hallesby, a Norwegian theologian.
But you . . .
Sometimes it is the smallest of words, the tiniest breath of a phrase that hits like a truckload of bricks. This particular truth hit me, not like a load of bricks, but like the door in a dark room opening to the bright light of a brilliant day. It was blinding. It was beautiful. It was breathtaking.
Sneaking A Peek
In anger, fear, sadness, revenge, joy, happiness, jealousy, and even inappropriate requests David prayed to God.
Let's sneak a peek at his prayer journal.
When It All Comes Together
I’m practicing deep breathing as part of daily relaxation disciplines. In my morning devotions I discovered a reason I actually can relax because it’s all going to come together—all this craziness that surrounds me. I feel relief just imagining this new reality.
Verity, Verify, Very Trustworthy
The Psalmist writes, Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path (Psalms 119:105). If, like myself, you have unexpectedly found yourself on a dark path and wished you had a flashlight, a blazing torch, or that handy-dandy flashlight app on your cell phone. Anything for a light source to keep you from falling would be appreciated.
It Is Harvest Time
Falling leaves, cool mornings, the first hint of Autumn and I am warming up apple cider and baking pumpkin bread. Yep, that's me----an Autumn fanatic!!!! Jumping up and down at the mention of needing to put a sweater on to watch the sunset. We Texans, look forward to that first pot of chili and hot cornbread right out of the oven.
Busting Out
I could not believe my eyes when I saw it. It looked like a huge tree had grown up inside an old house and the branches had pushed out through all of the windows.
Stand Out!
Historians feel Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount in the gently sloping hillsides of the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee. When you go there you can see small towns situated on the tops and sides of the hills. These towns are not hidden even at night you can see them.
Out of the Darkness
Recently, I was in a store when without warning all of the lights went out. For a few seconds, there was complete darkness. I could see nothing, until the store's generators came on, bringing a dim light that barely enabled maneuvering down aisles. I noticed people returning their carts and leaving. Not me! I turned on my phone's flashlight and finished my shopping. B ut I admit , functioning in darkness was not easy.
From the Inside Out
I’d patched it twice—a dab of spackling and a dollop of paint. I noticed it again while dusting the mantle. That small crack in the wall had returned. As I poked around, I discovered additional soft spots surrounding the crack. This could not be good! Bob-the-handy-man agreed. It could be water damage, dry rot or, even worse, termite damage.
Changes are Coming!
Driving through the neighborhood, My husband and I admired the numerous trees that were changing from green to beautiful yellows, reds and oranges.
The Love for Which Your Soul Longs
Have you ever felt that regardless how much you do to please that significant person, it will never be enough? No matter how hard you try, you’ll never measure up to his expectations? Has the dream of love from your younger years been shattered?
God’s Unequaled Compassion
My daughter is grieving over the death of a friend who took her own life. Death is hard, but even more so when despair leads to an end no one expected. My daughter and I talk frequently, and “How are you doing?” is a question I repeatedly ask.
Pagan Land or Not?
Ever felt like you had experienced banishment to a pagan land? I did when we moved to South Texas. Even though our daughter, son-in-law, and grandson lived in Houston, I did not relish moving there. My husband’s new job required the move so I did not really have a choice.
Leaving Room for the Variable
My husband and I help with baptism on Sunday mornings. As the first service finished up, I carefully counted out the towels for the the second service and stacked them up neatly.
Praise the Lord
I love to watch a woman in our neighborhood when she goes for an exercise walk. She does not simply walk. I think I would describe it more as a dance. She does it with great enthusiasm and seemingly little care as to what others observing her might think. Her enjoyment of her activity is quite evident and inspiring.
I’m Allowed
When my youngest grandson does not want to do something I would like for him to do, he responds with: “I’m not allowed to do that!” Quickly, I remind him he IS allowed to obey his grandmother because she loves him and would not ask him to do anything harmful.