The world rushes by you—a flurry of last minute shoppers—pushing, stressing to get it all done. You look around and see the harsh florescent lights, thick mall crowds and crammed parking lots. You listen and hear tinny, overplayed Christmas songs, car horns, and toddlers crying. This is not your idea of a Merry Christmas. Have you lost your holiday spirit? If so, take a Christmas … [Read more...]
Gratitude: God’s Secret Pathway to Protection
Here we go again, you might say, another lesson on gratitude. Strangely, though, despite that many times I've studied the topic, there's something I've been missing: There's a powerful connection between gratitude and powerful living. See, I've been listening to my conversations lately, and the words I hear myself speaking are not pleasant. Complaints. Impatience. Annoyance. Worldly … [Read more...]
Will It Be All Right? (And What if You Aren’t Sure?)
I know you’re weary. I feel it, too. I feel it deep in my bones before my feet hit the floor in the still-dark hours of the early morning. I feel it... weariness. I'm so tired of a broken world full of darkness unspeakable. Tired of shoulders hunched from the heavy load of caring for family. My cheeks are red from the frustration of mothering a child with special needs and a teen struggling … [Read more...]
Your Story Isn’t Over Yet!
Wouldn’t it be nice if God would show us what lies ahead? Do you know what I mean? I’m betting you do. We all have multiple questions to ask of God at any given moment: Are my kids in the right schools? Will they be safe there? Will we be able to pay for my child's therapies? Will you use my life, Lord, to make a difference here in some way? Should we move? Should we stay? Will I find … [Read more...]
The Most Beautiful Worship… And How You Can Experience It, Too!
I have a confession: I’ve been struggling during my worship service lately. If that sounds strange, please let me explain … From a very early age, I have known that I was created to worship the Lord through song. I knew as a child in elementary school, singing with the children’s choir during church services. In 7th grade, I sang my first church solo. I can clearly remember standing … [Read more...]
When You Don’t Know What to Do
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” - John 14:5 Do you know what I most want right now? The details. "Sit me down, God," I pray, "Press some heavenly remote that lowers a screen from the clouds above—one big enough to make the guys at Best Buy cry with envy." This is my prayer..."God, would you light up that screen with a … [Read more...]