It's that simple. Ask in the words of Jesus as you remain in Him-to the glory of God. Soli Deo Gloria!
All in God's Will
A Squirrel in Traffic
Our depth perception is so much greater than a squirrel’s and-thanks to the written
Word – we have instructions on how to safely navigate life’s challenges. Yes, there will
be times when we don’t know the path God is taking us on, but unlike the squirrel, we
can look up and focus on the navigator of our lives for direction.
When God Interrupts Your Life
Jonah’s life was interrupted by God’s assignment to call Nineveh to repentance. How do
you respond to interruptions? I don’t always like them. Yet sometimes what we call an
interruption is actually divine intervention. We learn three key lessons from this.
Paddling Past the Fear: When Following God Means Going Alone
God whispered to my heart that sometimes, He needs us in the boat alone. Following
Him might mean parting ways with friends, family, or ministry partners who are heading
in a different direction. It isn’t easy; Christ-followers are often called to stand alone,
brave isolation, or even face persecution for the truth.
Light for Living
Each Sunday I check my calendar for the coming week and count the mornings I do not need to set my alarm. Waking up to the natural light of day rather than waking to an alarm ranks near the top of my list of small pleasures.
The Hand of God
The term providence came to my attention this past year. Frankly, I didn’t know how to define providence; I had to look it up: “The theological doctrine of providence is that God both possesses and exercises absolute power over all the works of his hands.”* Constable goes on to say, and this I love, that providence means “the hand of God is in the glove of human events.”*
Learning to Lament Part 2: Search Scripture
In lamenting, after naming your pain and honestly telling God how you feel about difficult or disappointing life experiences, the next step is anchoring yourself in Scripture. Our feelings are real and must be acknowledged, but Truth always steadies us more than emotion ever can. To do this well, we must know God’s Word and apply it.
Learning to Lament Part 1: Lament Well
In recent years, the topic of biblical lament has surfaced in teaching and writing. About two years ago, I began exploring it myself and realized there was something deep within me I needed to face—something I had pushed aside instead of bringing honestly before the Lord. How do you we well? What does healthy lament really look like?
When You Can’t Sleep
3am, 3:30, 3:45—what to do in the middle of the night? Oh how I do not like those wee small hours of no sleep. Up to the bathroom—no, I’ve done that already; toss and turn—maybe it’ll be better on my right side. Perhaps some hot tea. The clock ticks on before my very eyes.
Sticky Wicket
Yes, Esther was lovely in form and features (2:7); but more importantly, she oozed grace. Names were significant in those days. The queen’s Jewish name, Hadassah, means myrtle: “a tree native to Babylonia, (which) the returning exiles took…with them to Canaan... (as) a symbol of the nation of Israel—transplanted from Babylon to the Promised Land.” Her Persian name, Esther, means star: “The myrtle tree bears a beautiful star-like flower…full of beauty and grace.”**
The Puzzle Box
Fascinating, the book of Esther, for as many times as I have read it—fascinating in its place in history; fascinating in its complex simplicity; fascinating in the conundrum of God’s absence. Where to begin?
Advent: My Plan or God’s
For some reason, I was allowed to choose the family Christmas tree when I was about eleven years old. We planned a Saturday in early December—packed a sack lunch, poured hot chocolate into the Thermos, bundled up, and piled into our late-model station wagon.
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?
Joyful Journal
I just love reading what Paul wrote in the New Testament of the Bible. I feel like I am reading his journal because he conveys such a frank and candid message about his life in view of God’s leading.
Thanksgiving is More than a Holiday: The Writer Who Knows Me
From the beginning, God has known me. He knew the parents I would be born to and the country, state, and town where I would be born. He knows everything about me!
Small, Yet Mighty
Being short in stature, my twins outgrew my height by the age of 10! I used to tell them, I may be little, but I’m mean! It really didn’t scare them, but I tried to make up for what I lacked in height by an authoritative voice!
If…Then
Remember when your mom said, If you ____ (fill in the blank), then I will____ (fill in the blank)? It depends on the if what the then would be. Then depends on what you did with the if. Joyful or painful! Blessing or curse.
Surrendering Now!
In my plans for big events this year, my husband and I wanted a vacation for his 60th birthday.
But God made it clear that His will for my husband was that he was to have surgery to remove cancer from his body on his birthday.
Self-Control
Do you find yourself having self-control in some areas of your life, but others not so much? I know I do. Sometimes I feel like I am on a roller coaster. I go up and up feeling like I have made so much progress and then, bam, down I go at a much faster pace than I went up.