Our family was blessed to spend last week away from home, enjoying each other and nature. But even before we headed back home, I felt the worries of life begin to creep into my mind and heart, trying to steal joy-filled moments right out from under me. I did not want my…
Joy is the serious business of heaven. – C.S. Lewis This month’s Bible reading challenge on Pure Joy has caused me to reflect on joy more deeply than ever before. I say that I want joy, but how badly do I really want it? Am I willing to choose and…
Today I’m thinking of you. You who are looking at a long road ahead. Maybe you who are staring at a blank wall, wishing that handwriting with clear instructions for the journey would appear. Or maybe you are wishing you could somehow make the wall disappear. I don’t know exactly…
There’s something that you really want to do that you’re totally afraid to do. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know your motives and desires behind it. You have been longing to make this dream happen for days. Or maybe weeks. Or months. Or even years. You believe…
Every day I receive emails from folks who have been called to God’s work. Oh, whether they feel like they are supposed to start leading a small group or writing a blog or teaching a Bible study or nurturing a group of younger women doesn’t really matter. Most of the…
A couple weeks ago, I happened to walk in my daughter’s school office right after the secretaries received a surprise visit from the PTO. The ladies on the PTO team had announced that they were sending the secretaries on a surprise visit to the spa! The sweetness in the room…
I was 6 years old when I sat in the First Baptist pews for Sunday morning church. I often sat with Betty and Betty was special. I remember the flip on the ends of her short gray hair that she smoothed back over her head. She walked with a limp. I…
You’ve worked hard to set up a small group, book club or Bible study. You made phone calls, sent emails, arranged the schedule, and prepared a beautiful atmosphere. Or maybe you reserved a room at the library or church. Perhaps you are not the one who united the group, but…
Lately God has brought the topic of success before me in many ways. An email from a reader here. An article from someone I admire over there. A success story of weight loss. (You go!) A product launch turned full-time income. And it’s easy to compare ourselves to the success…
Yesterday negative whispers swirled in my head. Initially I did not pay attention to the accusatory statements, but persistently, they continued. They began with a single thought, then started to multiply. And I’m going to call out those thoughts for where they came from. You see, Satan is the one…
So you keep saying, “I want to start Bible journaling!” But then you feel like you’re not an artist. You just don’t know enough. Or you just don’t have the time for that. Enough!! I’ve been there with all the reasons I can’t Bible journal. However, I know from experience…
Have you ever felt like you are missing hope in your life? Like every day is drudgery and you’re trying to discover purpose for the next moment? Or maybe you’ve been hit with one big wave of discouragement and you’re struggling to come up for air? In thinking over some of…
