Today, I was thinking about sufferings. For a long time, I resisted teachings that insinuated God causes our sufferings in this life. I only knew Him as a deliverer — at salvation, through a miraculous healing, and in my soul. I didn’t know Him as one that causes pain. And I still don’t. However, we can’t just skip over scriptures ...

“And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33). Great grace. Who doesn’t need more of that? One translation of this verse says “mega-grace.” Now that’s a lot of grace and help! But how does one access this kind of grace? First, let’s define what ...

My grandson recently walked through my home and said, “Mami, I counted your birds and you have fifty-four!” I laughed and thought, that’s all? I don’t know when I started collecting birds. It’s really not as overkill as it may sound coming from an eight year old but I do like birds. There’s something innocent and peaceful about them. And ...

There is one thing that all people (regardless of race, age, gender, or even religious belief) have in common–and that is desire. What I mean is, every person has something they really want. Of course, motive is something entirely different… but let’s assume we’re talking about genuine desires like a child wanting a bike for his birthday, or a young ...

Have you seen the movie, The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise? It’s been on TV a couple of times recently and as I watched it again, I was reminded why I like it so much. Honestly, I’m a true story buff and this one is no exception. I’m not going to spoil the movie and tell you everything that happened, ...

Am I? I had to ask God, “Am I a hypocrite?” This isn’t a question we should be afraid of although Jesus was quite stern when He said: “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.Their worship of me is pointless, because their teachings are ...

Let me begin by saying, although I’ve never felt called to be in the military, I’m extremely grateful for the men and women who have taken on that responsibility for us all. One thing I know for sure is, I’d be a sad candidate for boot camp! But then again, I’ve learned a few things in the spirit that may ...

Jesus spoke in parables. God spoke through stories. The point was to illustrate a truth. Stories and parables paint a picture of a principle. And as I was reading through Haggai this week, I saw an amazing illustration of our righteousness in Christ. To set it up, the Book of Haggai revolves around God’s command to rebuild His house. The ...

I recently saw someone at church I hadn’t seen in a long time. As soon as we had a chance to greet one another, I made a bee line to him to say hi and give him a hug. He was obviously uncomfortable and a little shy of looking anyone in the eyes, but he hugged me back as others ...

Warning: I’m about to rant… I saw a sign in front of a church that said, “God will not give you more than you can handle.” Now where is that scripture? Because the implication is if you’re sick, broke, or overwhelmed, God is the one who gave it to you, but don’t worry, He knows how much you can take… ...