Treasures in the Hard

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May 21, 2020

What We Need Most As the Nation Re-Opens

Months into the pandemic, our rollercoaster continues, changing direction yet again. As the nation takes a turn and opens up, with the coronavirus still alive and well, whether we are past-ready or not-at-all ready, we need to remember one truth. However this surreal event has touched us, angered us, scared us, or altered our life, one truth looms large. We need a Savior. We need His strength to carry on and His guidance to move forward. We search for His...

May 7, 2020

When God Isn’t Answering

Ever find yourself up against a brick wall? Searching for a door to get to the other side, but finding none. Or perhaps feeling like you’re standing in a thick, dusky fog, needing to make a move, but no idea which way to step. And you pray to God for help. “Lord, I need direction. I need help. I need an answer.” Aaaaaand nothing. We bear our hearts to the Lord and ask friends to pray. And nothing. No direction....

April 30, 2020

Two Weapons to Fight Fear

Though the world battles a shared dose of fear today, fear is not a new reaction to unknown or frightening circumstances. Fear entered our world when the first man and woman disobeyed God. Just a few sentences later, we witness Adam saying, “I was afraid”. (Genesis 3:10). Like other emotions, fear comes in many shapes and sizes and in varying degrees; some rational, some not so much; demonstrated in the statement, “I am afraid of wasps and a family member...

April 16, 2020

How to Rest When the World is Upside Down

Another week of stay-at-home orders. Another day of statistics and analyses and projections for physical distancing to continue for a month of Sundays. For some, the journey is easier than for others. Yet, we all grow weary of the changes, turmoil and controversies. We no sooner awaken than our minds are spinning. Questions lurk as we swim through uncertain waters. Our stamina wanes. Our minds grow sluggish. We find ourselves carrying a deep weariness. We long to pull away and...

April 9, 2020

Two Important Questions to Consider this Easter Season

As we begin the transition from the final days of Lent into the Easter week-end, we pace ourselves to take in all that took place in the final days of Jesus’ experience and the dramatic, eternal alteration in heaven and earth. To help understand not just what happened in the physical world, but what transpired in the spiritual realm, we ask ourselves these two questions: “What if Jesus had not come? Where would I be?” Does the answer to those...

April 2, 2020

How to Purposely Persevere in a Pandemic

And so the COVID-19 storm continues. In some areas raging; in others, the “hurricane”  looms offshore, making a steady approach. In the rural areas, as we sit in the calmer eye of the storm, folks feel a little restless. Our initial “throw me in the briar patch” response to the stay-at-home order turns to a startled, “What do you mean this won’t peak for four weeks?” We’re not mentally prepared for a slow recovery on the other side of the...

March 19, 2020

COVID-19: 4 Suggestions You Won’t Hear on the News

Anybody else want to sell their ticket on the coronavirus rollercoaster? Anyone tired of the up and down uncertainty of hype versus truth? Anybody experiencing the “up” of that early morning, peaceful awakening, then the “plunge” into realization that normal flew out the window days ago? Any others struggling to corral legitimate concerns so they don’t stampede into fears? Yeah. Me too. That age old battle ensues as the Enemy, both slyly and outright, attacks the fruit of the Spirit...

March 12, 2020

2 Things to Grasp when Life’s Unpredictable Storms Hit

One of the few things about life we can predict is that life is unpredictable. Circumstances change in a heartbeat. Issues start piling up that were nowhere on our radar screen. With relief, we leave behind unexpected trials in one season only to face shocking ones in the next. We did not anticipate a financial crisis or a disease dramatically altering our life. No telegraph, sirens or flashing lights warn us of the tidal wave coming just around the corner....

February 13, 2020

How to Master Monotony

Though many hards come through dramatic changes, unexpected events, or out of our control scenarios, one hard creeps up for the opposite reason. We experience phases where the pace of life rolls out day after week after month in ordinary, blah, routine. We find ourselves wandering around on the flat, prosaic plains of monotony.  Everything so uniform and predictable it’s wearisome. Another ordinary day. More of the same at work. The unending grind of daily tasks. Constant repairs and cleaning...

February 6, 2020

When To Let Go

DON’T GIVE UP. These bold black letters jump off signs standing randomly in yards, fields, or along the road. A whisper of encouragement to a hurting someone gripping the wheel struggling to focus on the road, or cowering in a back seat. Feeling confused. Perceiving aloneness. Wearing a cloak of hopelessness. Inspirational signs dot the landscape across our country: “Don’t give up. You are loved. You matter. You have a purpose. Keep fighting.” The words intended for the someone at the...