Tag Archives: light in the darkness

I wondered if they were all on Prozac!

They were going through hard things—cancer, abandonment by a spouse, job loss, and wayward children. There they sat in my Women’s Bible study, all those years ago, and each of them had a peace despite their circumstances, that caught my attention. Oh, I confess, I wondered if they were all on Prozac because I couldContinue reading “I wondered if they were all on Prozac!”

This passage confused me for years.

This passage confused me for years. Paul says, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you to will and to do for His good pleasure.”Continue reading “This passage confused me for years.”

Let’s do this hard thing and give Jesus some GLORY!

This passage, Phil 2:6-11, is a deep theological statement, foundational to the Christian faith, but also has practical application. This application is especially helpful as we seek to live out our faith as Christ followers around others. Let’s remember, this letter to the Philippians was initially sent to a young church Paul had started aboutContinue reading “Let’s do this hard thing and give Jesus some GLORY!”

When your struggle is with other people.

We don’t have to look too far to see the struggles around us. We are a divided country. Christians are not immune from these struggles—political and beyond. We experience strife in our business and personal relationships and are daily tested to live our lives differently as Christ followers. Especially during people conflicts, we have toContinue reading “When your struggle is with other people.”

You know Jesus is offensive, right?

Jesus. The real Jesus, as defined in the Bible, is offensive to a lost world. “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toContinue reading “You know Jesus is offensive, right?”

I know, I want God to fix it all too, but…

Others can see our peace most noticeably when our circumstances give little reason to possess it. I want to back up just a bit. I’m still in chapter one of Philippians and had made it through verse fourteen last Friday with our study. But verse twelve just grabs me- “But I want you to know,Continue reading “I know, I want God to fix it all too, but…”

Though this world seems out of control…

Have you noticed when we first come to know the Lord, our joy is tremendous, we find peace we have never experienced, and we walk in hope we never had before? BUT THEN, time and daily life begin to creep in and the hard realities of this “not-yet” side of Heaven begin to wear manyContinue reading “Though this world seems out of control…”

These words should never be spoken by a Christian!

“I’m so happy you found your truth”. These words should never be spoken from the mouth of a Christian. There is no “your truth” and “my truth”. Truth is not relative. God forbid that we tell anyone, anywhere, about any subject, that they can find their own personal truth. But that’s just what I’m seeing,Continue reading “These words should never be spoken by a Christian!”

May we NOT SLEEP!

I read multiple accounts yesterday of believers in Afghanistan literally running for their lives, being hunted by the enemy. Oh, but friends, the same is happening here in ways we cannot so easily see. The evil one is crouching at our doors looking for whom he might devour. (I Peter 5:8) Be sober. Be alert.Continue reading “May we NOT SLEEP!”

Can I be okay if others aren’t okay with me?

John’s short letter is full of powerful truth. He has shared God-inspired wisdom about walking away from sin, forgiving others, and accepting God’s forgiveness so we might walk in freedom. John goes on to say, “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God”;(1 John 3:21) While we know we can’tContinue reading “Can I be okay if others aren’t okay with me?”

We shouldn’t be shocked when the world hates us as Christians, but….

John has explained the difference between those who are children of God and those who are not, and goes into great detail about the practice of righteousness and the practice of sin (see 1 John 3:4-10 and yesterday’s post about this). BUT THEN, John, inspired by God, adds a short, but tremendously important, phrase “norContinue reading “We shouldn’t be shocked when the world hates us as Christians, but….”

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….”

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”

Get Used To Different!

The widely popular show, The Chosen, (I love it!) has a saying, “Get used to different”. People are buying out all the show’s shirts that say this. The point is, to emphasize, how, after Jesus comes into our lives, we are different. He changes us and things look different because of Him. When the worldContinue reading “Get Used To Different!”

SAVE the MEN!

Men.All day long they are being bashed. Just because they were born male, men seem to be taking a hit in our culture. As a wife, and a mom of sons, as a woman who loves my husband, my dad, my brother, my son-in-law, and my nephews, too, this makes me incredibly sad. For years,Continue reading “SAVE the MEN!”

A note from my daughter

What cost are you willing to pay?(a note from Abi Jaggers McCollough) I’ve been journeying through the book of Acts lately. Paul truly was an incredible warrior for the Kingdom of God. To be honest with you, I have felt some conviction reading through this book. I think it would be easy to brush offContinue reading “A note from my daughter”

Church Basements

They are holy places.Church basements. As I walked down the stairs, my shoes clicked on the cold concrete floors, and I ran my fingers on the familiar painted concrete block walls. This wasn’t the church I had grown up in, but it sure reminded me of, when as a child, I had clicked my patentContinue reading “Church Basements”

One of the most shared things I’ve ever written—

This remains one of the most shared things I’ve ever written. It’s hard truth, but there is HOPE! —- They are some of the most miserable people I know–young adults who haven’t really picked a side. They try to live in two worlds—the one they rule and the one where Jesus makes the rules. TheyContinue reading “One of the most shared things I’ve ever written—”

When Life Sucks You Dry

There are THOSE moments when the stuff of this life simply sucks you dry. And you are a Christian. There are days where the problems scream, and everything in you has to fight to remember truth. There are days the battle seems great and the blessings feel, well, small. Real small. And stress, and worry,Continue reading “When Life Sucks You Dry”