God Never Gives Up on Anyone
“If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have”—1 Corinthians 13:3-6 (MSG). Have you ever wanted to give up? Maybe you’re tired, worn out, and frustrated. You want to walk away. I’ve been there. How about you? I’ve been in physical therapy since late March …
Lord, What Do You Want Me to Do?
“Suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord? … What do You want me to do?”—Acts 9:3-6 (NKJV). Most of us are familiar with the story of Saul, the persecutor of Christians. After being struck down on the road to Damascus, he was used by God and eventually became the apostle, Paul. Paul discovered God’s gospel truth and God’s will for his life. He then spent the rest of his days spreading the …
Through Faith We’re All Children of God
“For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus”—Galatians 3:26 (NLT). It involved moonshine and murder. Sounds like a great book title, doesn’t it? The story behind this true crime is part of my family history. It was in the early 1900s when one of my father’s uncles—my great uncle—received the death penalty for killing another man. After hearing this story as a young adult, I began to research the story. I couldn’t find much information. However, the story had appeared in a True Crime magazine. While I contacted different resources, I wasn’t able to get a …
Fear Will Take You Places You Never Planned
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”—Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) As a child I feared so many things. My main fear was of the dark. Before tucking us in at night, my mother would turn a small night light on. It illuminated part of our room and exaggerated the shadows. My childish imagination created scary images from everyday objects in our bedroom. If something had been moved in our room, my fear ran rampant, creating monstrous …
Make Plans but God Will Direct Your Steps
“A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the Lord directs his steps and establishes them”—Proverbs 16:9 (AMP). Since my 30-year teaching career ended in 2005, I’ve discovered this truth: We can make plans but God directs our steps. I love telling others, who are retired or nearing retirement, “You won’t find those words in the Bible. Retirement is a man-made concept.” My post-career plans included expanding my professional photography business and writing news stories for area publications. The first one was not part of God’s plans for my life. At the time, I lived in …
Abide in His Presence to Bear Fruit
“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me”—John 15:4 (NRSV). Abide is not a word we use often today. Other words, according to Dictionary.com that mean the same or almost the same include pause, rest, anticipate, linger, stay, stop, and remain. Scott O’Neil, sports executive, and author of “Be Where Your Feet Are: Seven Principles to Keep You Present, Grounded, and Thriving,” writes, “When we’re moving at 115 MPH, we rarely see the wall coming. But it …
Let Go and Rest in Jesus’ Loving Arms
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”— Matthew 11:28 (NIV). Confession time. I’m a recovering perfectionist addict. Rest doesn’t always come easy for me. In a recent national advice column, a woman wrote in about her “drive to be productive, to take action, to keep things organized, and stay perfectly on top of everything.” In other words, she was battling perfectionism. Oh, how I could relate. At least to the “old” me. The writer, a young woman, recognized her problem. She was so overwhelmed by her drive to do everything perfectly, …
Give Generously with God’s Provision
“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand”—1 Chronicles 29:14 (NIV). My hairdresser and I were recently discussing her experiences cutting hair at local nursing and assisted living facilities. Two days each week Rachel gives her time to make the elderly residents feel better after getting a haircut. The recipients are grateful, and Rachel enjoys being able to give of her time and talent to others. Our conversation led to my sharing stories …
Jesus Cares for All of His Children
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”—1 Peter 5:7(NIV). Stopped at a busy intersection in a large city recently, I noticed a large, scribbled message on one side of a large grey utility box. In black permanent marker, someone had written, “Nobody cares.” On another side of the metal box, in bold black block letters, someone else had written neatly “Jesus loves you.” I’m positive the first message, scribbled in haste, was written first. The second appeared to be an answer to the first person’s cry for help, an encouragement to whomever had desperately penned the …