How We Can Trust God When He Answers Our Prayers With “Wait”

How We Can Trust God When He Answers Our Prayers With “Wait”

Pulling into the parking space, my red-rimmed eyes immediately latched onto the bumper sticker: Proverbs 3:4-5. Although I felt certain I knew it, I opened the Scripture on my Bible App: Trust in the Lord with all your heart.      and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him,…

Unconditional Love Is Born On Christmas Day

Unconditional Love Is Born On Christmas Day

“I’m not going to be your friend!” In my years as an elementary teacher, I often heard this common refrain. Whenever someone hurt another’s feelings, or didn’t invite them to play, or said something offensive ~ the injured party responded by withdrawing friendship. Sadly, I see this same scenario play out among adults. Someone hurts…

How The Joy Of The Lord Can Be Our Strength

How The Joy Of The Lord Can Be Our Strength

The joy of the Lord is your strength. We see this phrase on cute trinkets, plaques, or Pinterest boards. But what does it mean? How can joy be our strength? The phrase comes from the book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament. The Israelites had begun to return to Jerusalem after being in exile in…

How We Can Have A New Perspective On The State Of The World

How We Can Have A New Perspective On The State Of The World

Are we nearing the end of the world? It’s a fair question ~ and one I’ve frequently heard, or seen on social media, over the last year and a half. And no wonder. Conspiracy theorists and some religious leaders have linked the COVID pandemic, political unrest, natural disasters, and economic upheaval to various Biblical prophecies…

Anchoring Our Hope In The Loving Kindness Of Jesus

Anchoring Our Hope In The Loving Kindness Of Jesus

Will we ever return to normal?  It’s a question we hear a lot lately. Personally, I’ve begun to categorize my life’s experiences as pre-COVID or post-COVID. Pre-COVID days felt less stressful, less uncertain, and definitely more hopeful.  I know COVID will always be with us. But just as we seem to figure out how to…

How Our Lives Can Reflect An Overflow Of Blessings

How Our Lives Can Reflect An Overflow Of Blessings

Smiling at the passenger in the seat next to mine, I settled in with my belongings. Goodness! Air travel has certainly changed.  Over the last several years, seat width and legroom have increasingly become smaller on airplanes. For someone who likes personal space, I keenly feel the difference. I shudder at the thought of spilling…

Does God Care About The Little Things In My Life?

Does God Care About The Little Things In My Life?

Making my way down the basement steps, I whispered a little arrow prayer: Please help me find his thingamajig.  A few minutes earlier my husband had mentioned he had misplaced some type of gadget. I didn’t really know what the gadget did or even what it looked like. But from the frustration in his voice…

Seeking Our Extraordinary God In The Midst Of Our Ordinary Moments

Seeking Our Extraordinary God In The Midst Of Our Ordinary Moments

Heaving a loud and frustrated sigh, I began another Google search for a helpful tutorial. Who knew learning to format this document would be as time-consuming as writing it? After a few hours of circling between internet videos and my document, I finally found the steps needed to correctly format my headings and page numbers….

How To Find Help When Your Heart Is Heavy

How To Find Help When Your Heart Is Heavy

With a heavy heart and a restless spirit, I found myself wondering…why? I couldn’t pinpoint the specific cause for my distress. And yet, all around me the world continued to spin out of control. My heart breaks over situations both near and far: Several close friends lost loved ones. Others dealt with non-Covid related health…