My dad is a retired Steel Fabrication Project Manager (similar to an architect). He used to build the “bones” of large buildings, or in some cases, the “exposed bones” of bridges, railings, and design features. He worked primarily with steel, which is one of the strongest building metals available. To build a bridge, one must analyze both sides of attachment ...
My greatest desire is to help people grow spiritually– to find the same freedoms I have found in Christ. But the hardest thing I’ve ever learned in ministry is, I can’t make people believe. And I get it. I had a hard time believing too. I couldn’t understand how God could forgive me or love me– especially realizing He knew ...
“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 ...
How many times has the grace of God appeared, as if out of nowhere, to help us? I can think of so many times when I sat in sheer gratitude for the love and grace of God in my life. I recently took a couple of trips to Colorado and being from West Texas where everything is flat, my eyes ...
I have a sweet friend who used to teach kindergarten. She told me about a discussion some of her students once had about Easter. She said one particular little girl told the others, “It’s just so sad that Jesus has to die every year.” I laughed when I heard this story. The innocence of children always makes me smile. Obviously, ...
There’s a song entitled, “Mary’s Prayer” by Bebo Norman that is one of my favorites. It is definitely an appropriate meditation these few days before Christmas, but I sometimes listen to it year-round as a reminder of the gift God gave us. It says: “Sleep baby Jesus, close your weary eyes; hide yourself in faithful dreams before you live your life. Slip away to ...
Easter: a time when Christians everywhere remember, and celebrate, their Savior being raised from the dead. It is through His death, burial, and resurrection, that all our beliefs are based. So appropriately, I want to share with you from Matthew 27:15-26 about the events leading up to Easter and how they impact us. At that time, it was custom for ...
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 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 ...
The Bible speaks of the crown of righteousness, the crown of life, the crown of glory, the crown of joy, and of course, there’s the incorruptible crown — all mentioned in scripture as facets of the believer’s life in Christ. Have you ever given much thought to a crown? I have, for the simple reason it’s what my name represents. Daphne means ...
While traveling recently, I found a random Christian radio station in my car. Between songs, the host commented that Jesus did not come to bring us happiness “as some preach hoping to bring others into the kingdom.” He went on to give his reasonings for making such a statement and I didn’t disagree, but at the same time, something didn’t ...
How do people live without God? I recently encountered this on two very different levels. My husband and I were asked to minister to a family going through a crisis. When we arrived, it was quickly apparent that most of these were (for a lack of better words) empty. They had no desire for God and therefore the very air ...
“Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3). A young man recently visited our church. I was told that he had given his heart to Jesus in one of our small groups. The first day he attended church, this young man –who seemingly had no prior church experience– went to the altar during worship. ...
The author is unknown. In fact, I don’t remember where I first heard this story, but it perfectly illustrates the love of our Father and the price Jesus paid to set us free. A man was walking through town one day when he saw a young boy coming toward him swinging an old, rusty birdcage. In the bottom of the ...
Sometimes you can locate where people are by how much response they give to a certain topic, or how much silence they give. We live in a busy society, so I don’t expect people to read or comment on my blog every day (although I secretly love to hear from others). But for the most part I get a certain ...
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 ...