When I say the word dimensions, what do you think of? Without looking it up, my first thought was a memory of my grandmother measuring out a pattern for a new sewing project. And then I thought about needing a new podcast desk in my office and how I had to measure the space to make sure I bought one ...
“Come and listen, all who fear God,and I will tell what He has done for me” (Psalm 66:16). I think the greatest weapon believers have against the enemy of doubt is their personal testimony. What I mean is, it’s not enough to know someone else’s story of deliverance. I could tell you the story of King David, or Paul, or ...
In this season of love, it’s not unusual for 1 Corinthians 13:13 to come to mind: “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Faith is defined as a firm persuasion; something God has given to each of us in measure (Romans 12:3). Faith is also the substance of things hoped for. And ...
What is it about putting up a few twinkle lights and decorations that make us breathe a little slower and smile a little more? I remember growing up and driving to my grandma’s house. She had been a widow my entire life. She lived simply but her house was full of love (and good food). Going to grandma’s house was ...
As I was contemplating whether I should share something with someone or not, the Holy Spirit whispered to my heart: My grace in you helps you give grace to others. I immediately thought of 1 Peter 4:8, “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.'” Love covers. Love doesn’t have ...
I live in a community where a minimum of at least three languages are spoken fluently, and regularly. So on any given day, you might hear a conversation and have no idea what is being said. I think people sometimes feel this way about Christianity. Like, they hear us but don’t understand. And I think this can be just as ...
I hope the title caught your attention! It did mine. I was recently meditating on Philippians 3 where Paul talks about counting everything as loss “for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8). And as I usually do, I read these passages in the Amplified, the Message, the New Living, and then opened the Passion Translation. I ...
People pay big money to attend seminars on how to be successful. It’s in the heart of every person to succeed (at something). It’s our heart because God wired us that way. And although I could go down a proven list of steps for success, I want to highlight one that can be overlooked– but is no less crucial than ...
This article first appeared on The Christian Broadcasting Network | It was an utter failure — a sin that couldn’t have been predetermined, something he didn’t know he was even capable of doing. And afterward, the realization of his failure brought instant regret and bitter tears, but he couldn’t take it back. It was done and now it seemed he ...
When I wrote my first book about righteousness in 2003, my grandmother was 83 years old. Even at that age, I greatly admired her. She was hospitable, beautiful, and in every way reminded me of the Proverbs 31 woman. As we stood in her kitchen in Mt. Vernon, Texas, I was surprised at what she told me about my book. ...
Do you remember the words of Rod Stewart’s song, ”Have I told you lately that I love you?” I may be dating myself by even bringing it up, but it’s a classic. Most people listen to it and think of their love-interest (spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend) and I have to admit I’ve been known to sing this song to my ...
This article first appeared on The Christian Broadcasting Network | One of the positives that hopefully came out of the 2020 quarantine is that we finally had no excuse for not tackling those little projects around the house we’d been putting off. One of mine was my closet. To paint a good picture for you, it wasn’t a total mess. ...
I saw a post from a friend the other day that said something like, “I’m not motivated to drive my numbers up. I’m motivated to get my message out.” This reminded me of something I’ve been rolling around in my heart for several months now. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus said to the loveless church, “I know your works, ...
I’m going to tell on myself. My birthday is February 13, the day before Valentine’s, and so for my entire life, my birthday has been associated with love. I actually believe all birthdays should be celebrated with love no matter what day they fall on, but mine is especially accentuated because of the month and day it falls on. One ...
I’m sure you’ve heard the song Reckless Love by Cory Asbury –or at least I hope you have. The first time we sang it at church, I only guessed the name of the song was “Reckless Love” because those two words stood out so strongly to me in the lyrics. Think about that word: reckless. The dictionary defines it as ...
Bah Humbug. I’m not sure if the phrase originated with Mr. Scrooge or not, but it’s become the go-to statement when someone isn’t in the Christmas spirit. And one year, that was almost me. My husband had been teasing me about how much time and energy it took to get all my Christmas containers down from the attic. But after moving ...
A minister once said, “You cannot find in scripture where you are to trust people. The Bible only tells us to put our trust in God.” If you’ve never thought about this before, it is a bit surprising at first. But with more meditation, it is not only true, but makes sense. “It is better to trust in the Lord, than ...
If you’ve tried to rent a movie lately, or even scrolled through your TV guide to watch something, you’ve noticed the plethora of scary, frightful, even downright evil that has taken over the media industry. Personally, I hate it. And as Christians we need to understand this truth: Fear is the polar opposite of God. How, you ask? The Bible ...