Tag Archives: hold on

August 31st

August 31st, this coming Tuesday, is the deadline for our withdrawal from Afghanistan. August 31st, our country may leave fellow Americans and allies behind to face torture and perhaps death by the Taliban. It’s horrible and heartbreaking. And I shake my head because August 31st, twenty-five years ago, was also the worst day of myContinue reading “August 31st”

In this hard world, we hope in Jesus, not ourselves.

Jesus.He is perfect.He is so good. But me, I am the most broken person I know. I am horrifically flawed. I am incredibly able to fail at any given moment. I have.I do. The things I really want to do, I don’t do. The things I truly don’t want to do, I often do. IContinue reading “In this hard world, we hope in Jesus, not ourselves.”

God doesn’t often tell us HOW He will carry us through. He just does it.

I wonder if you have noticed it too? Not once, but over and over… I see people whose faith has grown as their earthly securities have been removed. They lose jobs, finances, relationships, even face death of loved ones, and they still grow closer to God. It’s astounding to watch. It’s amazing. It’s also unnerving.Continue reading “God doesn’t often tell us HOW He will carry us through. He just does it.”

When you are disappointed…hold on.

Sometimes, we try to go one way and God sends us another. He did that to Paul and Timothy in Acts 16, and I know He does that in our lives too. Years ago, my husband and I had walked a property dreaming of where we’d build our home. We showed it to others, weContinue reading “When you are disappointed…hold on.”

When YOUR heart is OVERWHELMED

I snapped this picture one year ago. As I looked at that solid rock mountain and the glorious scenery, I couldn’t help but think, “THERE IS NO ROCK LIKE OUR GOD!” What a ROCK He has been to me. It’s odd, but I don’t recall the trouble I was facing when I wrote the following,Continue reading “When YOUR heart is OVERWHELMED”

Trusting God in your Trouble

I snapped a picture as my daughter and I drove near Asheville a few years ago. I was traveling to speak nearby, and I wanted to show her where our family had lived when she and her brothers were little. How we had loved living there. As those glorious mountains spread out before us, treesContinue reading “Trusting God in your Trouble”

How do you hold on when life is so hard?

What do you do when you get the phone call , the diagnosis, the news you never saw coming? What then? Are you destined to continually be consumed by the trouble and pain and spiral further downward into a pit of despairing emotions? Can you experience peace in the here and now despite your veryContinue reading “How do you hold on when life is so hard?”

The devil doesn’t care if you know a false Jesus.

“The devil doesn’t care at all if you know Jesus or love Jesus or pray to Jesus – as long as it is a false Jesus, a make-believe Jesus, a Jesus who is not there, and who therefore cannot save.” – David Guzik, Enduring Word App John says in his letter, “Beloved, do not believeContinue reading “The devil doesn’t care if you know a false Jesus.”

When you don’t have the perfect picture

We are a people desperate to be reminded of the hope we have. Our flesh forgets. Our souls become downcast. Our eyes forget to look beyond the here and now. We struggle to remember God can make a way when our limited imaginations can’t fathom any possible way. And we, who possess eternal hope, spiralContinue reading “When you don’t have the perfect picture”

These hard days may get harder, but….

It’s getting pretty tough to live in this lost world where so many deny Jesus is the Christ. They seem to reason ,” If I refuse to believe Jesus is the Christ, then he can’t be “boss” of me, I can reject his ways, and go my own way”. But they are lying to themselves.Continue reading “These hard days may get harder, but….”

Have you wondered this about God?

For years, I’ve felt like I’ve had this down-“Do not love the world or things in the world.” (1 John 2:15) I’m not into the culture or cling to its’ immorality. I love my church. I read my Bible. I don’t watch bad movies. You know, I feel like I don’t love the world andContinue reading “Have you wondered this about God?”

Up? Down? Regardless, know this.

John knew those who would read his letter. He knew their varying spiritual states. He knew as we pick up his letter, all these thousands of years later, that we would also find ourselves in different spiritual states. (1 John 2:12-14) And I don’t know about you, but anytime I see a list of categories,Continue reading “Up? Down? Regardless, know this.”

When It’s Dark

We grabbed our bag chairs out of the back of the truck and walked toward the trail. Rain was dripping from the trees and night was coming. We weren’t exactly sure what to expect, but for years we had heard about the mysterious, beautiful synchronous fireflies in our nearby Smoky Mountains. We walked a shortContinue reading “When It’s Dark”

When Your Heart and Strength Fail.

Psalms 73:26 says, “My heart and my strength may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”. My strength and heart will fail,but Godnever will. And I know this to be true. These aren’t just words. I am not just hoping or wishing. Still, if I’m honest, a situation ofContinue reading “When Your Heart and Strength Fail.”

When you want God to explain Himself…

Just in case you are suffering and need some deep truth about our Lord, (and just in case you need to know God is at work through the next generation), read this from my sweet Jenna Mitchum. I’ve been reading the book of Job, a book I continue to come back to, but this timeContinue reading “When you want God to explain Himself…”

When we are strong, and when we are not, Jesus is there.

When our faith is strong, Jesus is there. When we fall apart, He is still there. Jesus has just finished teaching the famous parables about the blind leading the blind, and building our houses on the rock (Luke 6), and then walks into Capernaum. He is quickly met by Jewish elders requesting help for aContinue reading “When we are strong, and when we are not, Jesus is there.”

Don’t allow the enemy to use past wounds for future gains

I’m sharing this previous post again today just in case someone else, besides just me, needs it….❤️ What should have been a day of relaxing and laughing with friends while tubing on the Little River in the Smoky Mountains turned into a terrifying moment for me. I had floated that river for years. The sunContinue reading “Don’t allow the enemy to use past wounds for future gains”

Will you be able to stand?

Right now, we are seeing the winds of hard days and our “cancel culture” blowing away those who aren’t planted with deep roots in biblical truth. Psalm 1 compares those who follow God to a strong tree planted by rivers of refreshing water and goes on to say, “The ungodly are not so, but areContinue reading “Will you be able to stand?”