Tag
September 26, 2019
At times, during a difficult season or storm, God’s promises are hard to remember, let alone to grasp and hold onto. On an early morning trek around the track, I jogged out from under tree cover and looked up, surprised to see a rainbow. Surprised because it hung in the western sky early in the morning, as opposed to the eastern sky in late afternoon, when most storms roll through leaving the color-filled bow. A dark cloud covered the very...
July 18, 2019
When we face a hard, from daily struggles to overwhelming pain and sorrow, we long for comfort. For encouragement. A source exists at our fingertips, available to us at any time, straight from the heart of our Father God. The Scripture presents a love-packed story, from cover to cover, from God to His people; including passage after passage of comfort and encouragement. One of those scriptures, a familiar psalm, has entire books written to explore its depths, yet takes on...
April 18, 2019
Holidays during a period of hard can be overwhelming. Detailed preparation for gatherings, with special services and events filling the calendar, and your heart struggles to care. If you are facing this Easter week feeling worn out and grasping for hope, lay expectations down, whether from yourself or others. Take time to peel away the layers of unnecessary, and focus on the core remembrances of this season. Walking through periods of difficulty presents the perfect time to get concerns off...
February 28, 2019
One need not journey long in life before the air is sucked from your lungs by the C word. Before you can get your bearings, the cancer roller-coaster sweeps you away through uncertain plunges, dark tunnels, with painful twists and turns. Tests. Biopsies. Scans. Surgeries. Chemo. Radiation. Horrible side effects. Cancer has earned its badge to induce fear. Unwelcome, it tears at families’ hearts and lives, is no respecter of person or position; of age or strength. It dares to...
February 21, 2019
Disappointments plague our life paths. We experience varying degrees from different causes, but we all carry them. Walking along unaware, they creep up as silent shadows, until we are overtaken. Other times, we receive warnings of impending trouble, but before we react and redirect, we find ourselves caught in their grip. Or they come as split-second calamities flashing across our path, and we stare in horror at the destruction left behind....
January 24, 2019
Two words. Linked together, they explode with power, providing ocean depths of hope. Two words spinning dark and impossible, into obtainable light and victory. Two words holding endless potential for reconciliation, healing, renewal, a future. Two words waiting to fill your hard with peace and even joy. These two words? But Jesus. The first almost insignificant word means “on the contrary; except; still; unless; yet”. It’s often glided over in a sentence, unacknowledged as the springboard to big transitions. However,...
January 10, 2019
Adversity in our lives can grow us desperate for a touch from God. In moments of certainty that the ground is breaking apart under us and will swallow us whole, we cannot take another breath, let alone another step, without some assurance He is with us. A health crisis. We had not received a “save the date”. No pre-released schedule of events marked the path before us. It snuck up behind us and knocked the wind out of our lungs...
December 13, 2018
As we edge closer to the day set aside to celebrate the coming of Christ, we peek into the manger and wonder, “Who are you, Jesus?” And He answers us. All through the Scripture we are told who He is, but most powerful are the words of Jesus Himself. Today we are pondering a second emphatic statement He made: “I am the bread of life.He who comes to me will never go hungry,And he who believes in me will never...
November 22, 2018
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalms 100:4-5 Thanksgiving. A day celebrating the blessings of the past year. A season to focus on gratefulness. We hear often, and studies prove, the importance of giving thanks. Taking time to survey each day to pinpoint reasons to be thankful. I’m all-in on the concept...