“Don’t ever short-circuit a miracle by trying to see it in progress!” –Kenneth Copeland Because our natural eyes often dictate our next move (i.e. we see a stray ball coming our way so we duck, or we see a dog running in the street so we brake), we are often guilty of utilizing our spiritual eyes the same way. The ...
It makes sense that when we face a trial of any kind (relationships, finances, health, etc), we pray more earnestly, we read our Bible more searching scripture for direction and hope, and we let go of less important things like checking our social media accounts every hour. But here’s my question: when we get the breakthrough, then what? It’s so ...
No matter how many years pass, I still see it coming… that marker in time— the sign in the road that says, “God is faithful.” There are some who want to go around it, avoid it, and forget it ever happened. And to some degree, I understand. But God says otherwise: “So this day shall be to you a memorial…” ...
Growing up, I was blessed to have two dads. My parents divorced when I was two years old, and a few years later, my mom remarried. I’m sure I confused people quite often because I affectionately called both of them dad. In addition, I was also close to my granddad. Now that I’m a Christian and have a relationship with my ...
My recent post, I Think Myself Happy, is still rolling around in my spirit. Unless you study the scriptures more fully, you might have the impression Paul found contentment and joy by only “thinking” happy thoughts. This isn’t true. Paul said, “I think…” which we learned meant to command with official authority. Well, you can’t command something by only thinking ...
What amazes me about this story most is what Paul said first. When permitted to speak, he stepped forward and declared, "I think myself happy, King Agrippa..." (Acts 26:2). ...
“I have held many things in my hands and lost them all. But whatever I’ve placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.” –Martin Luther (1483-1546) Sometimes you don’t need many words to express a great truth. When I stumbled upon this quote, it said so much more to my heart than what could be read with my eyes alone. Dreams, hopes, and ...
I love prepositions! Sounds silly, I know. (Especially when you discover I wasn’t a big fan of English class while in school.) But think about the power of a preposition: If I say, “I was IN my house.” You immediately have a mental image of that even if you’ve never been to my house. Just imagine a stick figure with a roof ...
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 We’ve been talking about forgiveness. Concerning this, the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). They were as human as we are when it comes to needing help in the area of forgiving others. But Jesus spoke of forgiving quite often, indicating it was a key to walking in ...
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 “Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” –Author Unknown Sadly, our society is in an epidemic of disease. Everywhere you turn, someone is battling cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or something similar, either personally or in their family. The Bible says,“Look after each other so ...
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 In the last post, I said, “Forgiveness isn’t a feeling. It’s an act of faith.” In response to an instruction by Jesus to forgive often, the apostles said, “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). This gets where we live. Most Christians are like the apostles in the sense that they desire to increase ...
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 Jesus said in the last days offenses would increase. This means our opportunity to forgive will increase as well. But actually, in the scope of humanity, the need to forgive is not new. In fact, concerning this very thing, the apostles said, “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). That certainly ...
If we’ll listen, the Holy Spirit has all kinds of ways of speaking to us. And probably one of the most powerful is a song. I remember standing in the dim room, the only light peeking over the top of the curtains. My two youngest children were asleep on pallets on the hotel floor. It was a Monday– a day on which I always ...
I had a hunch God was about to do something different– about to take me in a new direction. Many years ago, while my husband Tod was finishing Bible school, I joined Mary Kay Cosmetics. I wanted to have another baby, while also desiring to be a stay-at-home mom. Their business plan was intriguing, and right away God confirmed this ...
I’m a curious kind of person, meaning I want to know how things tick. This can be a good quality unless I’m picking apart myself, which I’ve been guilty of on many occasions. For example, I’ve questioned my own faith at times because of comparison to others who seem to have more faith than I do. But here’s what I’ve ...
If your name was drawn for a million-dollar lottery win, would casually dismiss it as non-important? No, of course not! You (and every other person on the earth) would be astonished and eager to collect the windfall. Now, throw into this pretend scenario a couple of impostors trying to claim the prize, which belongs to you, as their own. Now what would ...
Imagine this scenario with me for just a moment: A king was sitting on his throne as the beggar was thrown into the middle court. He had been accused of horrendous crimes, and as fact would have it, he was guilty of all. Hoping for mercy, but knowing he deserved none, he couldn’t even look at the king. What ending would ...
I hope the title of this blog got your attention… Who doesn’t love vacations? Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of an instant vacation? If this was a real thing, I’d be saying, “Sign me up!” Well, it is a real thing. Let me explain: You know the story in Nehemiah where God said to his people, “Do not sorrow, ...