What If You Could Have a New Beginning?
“When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!”—2 Corinthians 5:17 (TLB). As I clipped and then filed her fingernails, I listened as my soon-to-be 89-year-old friend relived her past. Josie has been hospitalized or in rehab since May of this year. She was injured in an automobile accident, killing the driver, her husband Dave. I’ve known Josie since 2001 when we became neighbors. However, there was much of her past I did not know, like the fact her only daughter is adopted. As my friend …
The Sound of Brokenness
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds”—Psalm 147:3 (NIV). The sound of breaking glass made me cringe. I’d just broken my favorite pitcher because I was careless. I’d paid less than five dollars for it a yard sale. Its beauty had drawn me to part with my money. Frustrated by my carelessness, I sighed as I cleaned up the mess of broken glass and spilled iced tea. When I cut my finger on a piece of the glass, I almost cried. I was tired. A lack of quality sleep the night before multiplied the incident into a disaster …
It’s a Win-Win Situation for a Christian
“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates”—Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (NLT). Ask anyone who …
Is it Time to Let Go?
“A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away…”—Ecclesiastes 3:6 (ESV). Overwhelmed by my overstuffed closet recently, I felt the need to purge and organize. It was time to rid my life of clothing, shoes and purses and anything else hiding in the deep recesses of my walk-in that didn’t add anything to my life. Did you notice the irony here? I needed less to add more, not more stuff, but to embrace the orderliness of a life filled with God and not more possessions. As I finished removing outdated …
The Power of the Tongue
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness”—James 3:9 (NIV). Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Do you remember this childhood taunt? I do. And, I remember chanting it to neighborhood kids when we were fighting. Later, we’d make up. If you examine this childish saying, you’ll realize how untrue it is. Bones heal with the help of medical care and time. Hurtful words can leave unseen scars forever. Words wield more power than we realize. They reveal …
Finding God in the Ordinary
“Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God”— Romans 12:1-2(MSG). Summer flowers have died. Leaves are changing colors. Life goes on. Seasons change in our lives. We experience cycles of trials and calm. Life goes on. Many affected by the destruction of nature’s wrath this year are still struggling. But life goes on. Even …
Does Your Walk Need an Energy Boost?
“Love means doing what God has commanded us, and He has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning”—2 John 1:6 (NLT). Walking outside is one of my favorite forms of daily exercise. For me, it’s also a time to get away from my writing commitments and rejoin the world. Writing is a solitary occupation. Getting out in nature is a reminder of how blessed I am. Walking through the winding hills of my neighborhood and pausing to watch the geese living on our lake, I remember how much God loves us. His creation refreshes …
What is Pleasing to God?
“Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near”— Isaiah 55:6 (NRSV). Do you think it pleases our Heavenly Father when we spend more time on our cell phones than we do in scripture? Think about it this way. Does it please you when others ignore you because they’re too busy answering text messages, posting on Facebook or Instagram or answering emails on their electronic devices? Well-known author and Bible teacher Beth Moore puts it this way: “Our devices have become our vices. We’ve lost the art of reading and meditating on the Word. …
Turning lemons into lemonade
“—to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me”—Acts 26:18 (ESV). In 1950, the small town of Wetumka, Okla. was scammed by a visitor who claimed to be the advance man for a traveling circus. According to reports, the visitor was blessed with a silver tongue and sweet talked the townspeople into preparing for the upcoming visit. In preparation for the supposed visit, a hotel bought 20 new mattresses …