For you planners and keepers of the calendar—

Schools starting.The lazy days of summer are coming to a close whether we want them to or not. We all shift gears. Even those of us without kids going back to school, feel the need to turn things up a notch. Time to schedule.Time to plan. The calendar pages are fresh and clean. My pencilContinue reading “For you planners and keepers of the calendar—”

Ever wondered why God just didn’t work for you?

Jesus finds his disciples sleeping after He had asked them to watch with Him. He says, “Could you not watch with Me one hour?” And then He warns, “ Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt 26:36-41) Jesus knows us better than we knowContinue reading “Ever wondered why God just didn’t work for you?”

When His Love Overflows

I love God. I need Him every day. I’ve seen Him be faithful. He’s used His Word to lift my head, direct my steps, and comfort my heart.  One day, I just started sharing what the Lord is teaching me on my Facebook page. Today, there are almost 9,000 that follow along there and othersContinue reading “When His Love Overflows”

HE came for Ordinary People with Humble Hearts

Why did Jesus use parables? Jesus tells the Parable of the Soils (Matt 13) about a sower sowing seed and its propensity to come up based on the condition of the soil where the seed fell. The disciples ask Jesus why He speaks in parables and He explains that it has been given to themContinue reading “HE came for Ordinary People with Humble Hearts”

We got in a fight right after I snapped this snugly pic…

About five minutes after I snapped this snuggly pic , we got into a fight. A fight. Yep. Us. And, this fight will likely not be the last. Oh, our disagreements come less often, but even after all these years together, we still have them. I expect, being the two flesh-filled sinners that we are,Continue reading “We got in a fight right after I snapped this snugly pic…”

First, this…

I can’t turn on the TV, pick up my phone or hit the gym. I wake up early to avoid even those I love. My wandering heart wanders too much to do anything else before I pick up my Bible. It is not that I’m trying harder to be a better Christian or check offContinue reading “First, this…”

Don’t run away in your DOUBTS!

Have you thought about the eight long days after Easter? Have you thought about Thomas? A Risen Jesus appeared to the disciples in the locked room (seemingly walking through a wall). Thomas missed that and utters the words he is famous for, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and placeContinue reading “Don’t run away in your DOUBTS!”

Don’t run ahead in your own strength

His fame grew. The crowds pressed. There was so much ministry to be done. So many lessons for the Savior to teach. And what did He do? He withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. (Luke 5:16). So often, I see needs….So many good things to do. And too often, I run ahead in my ownContinue reading “Don’t run ahead in your own strength”

Jesus was enough on the day we were saved and He will be enough every day we ever live.

Jesus was enough on the day we were saved, and He will be enough every day we ever live. The Apostle Paul, who walked in such victory, through the hardest of circumstances with real joy, says, in Christ “dwells all fullness of the Godhead bodily and you are complete in Him, who is the headContinue reading “Jesus was enough on the day we were saved and He will be enough every day we ever live.”

Happy New Year, friends!

Joyful expectation.What will the New Year hold? With the turn of the calendar,a clean slate.A fresh start. What will I do differently?Better? Oh the hope of a New Year! How we want that excitement and those resolutions to last. How, deep down, we may worry, even now, on this first day of a fresh newContinue reading “Happy New Year, friends!”

Don’t you want it to last all year long? It can.

The Christmas tree lights sparkle in the early morning dark. The candle flame dances. The smell of pine and cinnamon fill my home. I sit snuggled under a red Christmas blanket, piping hot coffee in my mug, my Bible in my lap. Sweet moments to savor. Christmas is almost here. Once again, it has comeContinue reading “Don’t you want it to last all year long? It can.”

Has THIS ever happened to you? And some math

One Sunday morning, my son texted me a verse to pray for him over the next while. Later that morning, I flipped my verse calendar to Sunday’s verse. It’s was the exact same verse!It was the SAME VERSE! I immediately asked my son if he had seen my verse calendar before asking me to prayContinue reading “Has THIS ever happened to you? And some math”

The Supernatural Nearness of our God.

I posted this a few years ago. In these hard days, I think it is important to remember that God is still at work in our lives— This sort of supernatural thing has rarely happened in my life…like maybe only once or twice. I have most often heard God speak through His Word and rarelyContinue reading “The Supernatural Nearness of our God.”

Where hope is still found…

I needed to read these words from the old preacher-teacher, Oswald Chambers, today (pictured with his daughter)– “Put Trust in God First. Our Lord never put His trust in any person. Yet He was never suspicious, never bitter, and never lost hope for anyone, because He put His trust in God first. He trusted absolutelyContinue reading “Where hope is still found…”

Do you want to see God past the cloudy vagueness?

Perhaps it’s because my first born set off with a very low budget, a backpack, and what I thought to be a strange desire to see Eastern Europe. He walked and rode buses. He talked to people. He stood in solemn places from the Holocaust. While I watch the news, and find my heart breakingContinue reading “Do you want to see God past the cloudy vagueness?”

You don’t have to box it up

The Christmas tree lights sparkle in the early morning dark. The candle flame dances. The smell of pine and cinnamon fill my home. I sit snuggled under a red Christmas blanket, piping hot coffee in my mug, my Bible in my lap. Sweet moments to savor. Christmas is almost here. Once again, it has comeContinue reading “You don’t have to box it up”

Don’t give the enemy this.

Paul says though he is free, he has made himself a servant in order to win more souls to the Lord. (1Cor 9:19). Paul is encouraging those wayward Corinthians to remember they have a purpose that extends far beyond seeking their own happiness through sin or the freedoms they have over the law. Paul comparesContinue reading “Don’t give the enemy this.”

It seemed reasonable to me, but….

The man who reclined at the table, so long ago, listening to Jesus teach, thought it sounded great! He exclaimed, “Blessed is he who shall eat in the kingdom of God!” (Luke 14:15) He was ready to make his dinner reservations in Heaven. But our honest Savior wanted the man (and all of us) toContinue reading “It seemed reasonable to me, but….”