"But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel did not obey me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own plans. If only my people would listen to me and Israel would follow my ways, I would quickly subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes." I am "Israel" in the sense that I don't always obey and follow God. My heart's desire is to ... Read More »
Messy
I’ve been observing her closely and learning a lot.
I have always respected and loved Lysa TerKeurst from the first book I read by her. Many of her studies, books, and conferences have really impacted me. But watching her walk through some of the most difficult life circumstances these last 18 months have opened my eyes in an even greater way to who she really is and how what she says about God really is true. She believes what ... Read More »
What that woman walking down the street taught me…
My friend and I were on the way to a coffee shop in town to catch up and reconnect. We'd tried several times before and either sickness or schedules prevented us. This particular morning I texted her knowing I didn't have time for coffee but also trying to practice the discipline of biblical friendship. I texted and she said Yes. So we're about 1 mile into our short trip to ... Read More »
When Jesus wants us to act like a three year old.
What a tender picture of these preschoolers laying a hand on their Operation Christmas Child box and praying for the child who will receive it. One little girl chose to give her very first baby doll. An adorable doll with a yellow gingham dress with lace trim. Like cutey patootey put-in-the-cedar-box-and-save-for-your-great-Granddaughter cuteness. Mama was struggling about ... Read More »
Dinner Parties & Alcohol – “you asked”
Occasionally I'll get an email from someone asking me to address a particular topic on my blog and recently I received this question: "What to do when you're invited to a gathering you know alcohol will be served at?" The person who asked this question doesn't drink alcohol and is feeling the tension of wanting to reach out to people but not wanting to be around the alcohol. ... Read More »
How the church can walk beside recovering addicts
I am learning from a new friend who is serving God by showing up weekly and walking beside women recovering from various addictions. Our conversation started with a few questions about how to help those who are struggling with drug and alcohol addictions. What started as a conversation ended in this blog post. Thank you, Sally, for writing this so that we can all have a better ... Read More »
31 Days: Day 9 – When the mundane turns divine
When you’re entrenched in churchy activities where you’re constantly surrounded by other Christians it means we need to be that much more prayerfully aware of our surroundings in the world through the little things. Our trips to the bank, the grocery store, the office at work, fill in the ___________. It means the mundane becomes the divine and sometimes when we least expect it ... Read More »
31 Days: Day 7 – When outreach doesn’t go like you expected
I shared a story a week ago about a visit to the nursing home. One in which changed my outlook significantly and kept a visual in my mind daily for several weeks. I was so excited to come back here and share the results of my follow-up visit with Ms. Linda. I envisioned she would be so totally excited about the verse of scripture I had written out for her on the beautifully ... Read More »