But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. (James 1:14) CONSIDER THIS It’s easy to read this scripture and think of tempting desires such as adultery, pornography, addictions, and so forth. But let’s not get hasty in that assumption. Satan is the author of all temptations. In fact, the word enticed here ...
Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe and who would betray Him. “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted ...
He's the God of another chance. And another chance. And another chance. And another chance. And another chance. And another chance. And another chance. And another chance. And another chance... ...
Did you ever see the television show called “On the Fly”? My daughter and I caught an episode once. It was a reality show about airports and how people handle delays and other airport-related dilemmas. It was interesting to me because my mom was a flight attendant for 20 years. But in one clip I watched, a gentleman in a ...
I am out of routine, and I don’t like it. (Great way to start a blog, huh?) But seriously I am, by nature, a routine-kind-of-girl. And when my routine is out of sync I try to evaluate my weaknesses in this area and look for ways to be stretched and improved. But this isn’t always fun or easy. For example, ...
One of the sweetest things I’ve ever learned about the Lord is that He heard every silent whisper of my heart, long before I had the courage to say anything out loud. Specifically, He heard my sorries. I so desperately wanted to please Him, and I had always been a person that wanted the approval of others, so every time I ...
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 ...
It can be super chilly here in West Texas– but with no moisture, so no snow or ice, just very cold temperatures. As I left my house yesterday, my car in the garage said the temperature was 44 degrees (which I knew was not the outdoor temp). As I drove the 3 or 4 miles to one of our campuses ...
Unless you’ve avoided the Olympic games and television and news feeds in general, you’re probably aware of the embellished robbery story with Ryan Lochte and three other American swimmers. As I watched his interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show, I was moved with compassion. It’s OK Ryan. I mean, it’s not really okay and he knows that. But ...
When I give you the answer to this question, don’t stop reading. HOW DO I FORGIVE MYSELF, you ask? The answer is: simply by faith. I know that’s not what you’re looking for. You want the 1,2,3 steps of punishment and/or discipline. Well, I’m here to tell you the Bible doesn’t lay it out that way. Religion, the devil, and your ...
A faith to live by. A purpose to live for. A self to live with. It took me awhile to understand each of these, but I now know without any hesitation that these three are a must (not an option). “But without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, ...
I’m a hugger — or at least, I used to be. Lately, I’ve realized that although I’m still more of a hugger versus handshakes when it comes to greetings, I’ve slowly withdrawn from deep hugs. I didn’t know I’d done that until a good friend gave me a bear hug the other day and it filled me up like I’d just taken ...
Years ago, I used to help oversee a local community project called Kidsteem. The name was derived from the purpose: to help boost the self-esteem of children on the first day of school. The program raised money from local donations and distributed it to lower income families for school clothes, shoes, or supplies. I remember one little boy, who also ...