Overcomer or Overwhelmed? This has not been an easy week. An anniversary of loss I’d rather not remember, yet it’s impossible to forget. A reminder of my husband’s greatest season of victory in the face of what the world would call a season of deepest defeat....
Telling God What to Do Is it biblical to tell God what to do? I used to think the answer was an unequivocal “No!” But that was before I read Psalm 119. Psalm 119 focuses on the benefits of God’s law. The psalmist uses a variety of words to refer to the law of...
Intentional Rest Back in May, I had high hopes and great plans for my summer break. No, not to travel to distant shores. Instead, my goal was to reduce my to-be-read pile of books while sitting by the pool working on my tan. In other words, to be intentional...
How FAT Are You? Weight has been a sensitive subject for me. I’ve been trying to lose the same twenty pounds for umpteen years. But that’s not what I’m referring to when I ask if you are FAT. FAT is an acronym for Faithful, Available, and Teachable. And in this...
Ordinary vs. Extraordinary? Motivational slogans are all around us. Success is ours if we embrace it. Strive for an extraordinary life. We are destined for great things. But what happens when the decades pass and we find ourselves looking back on...
National Tell the Truth Day Has telling the truth become an exception? Or is it simply entertaining? The television program, To Tell the Truth, is based on the premise that contestants can’t determine which of four panel members is lying. In the classic comedy,...
How Do You Wait? Everyone is waiting for something. It might be for a person, an event, a fulfilled goal, or an item they hope will make them happy. Waiting can also be negative, such as anticipating bad news. Regardless of what you’re waiting for, maybe the...
The Privileges of a Prayer Reset Resets. We reset the alarm clock once we’re awake. And we reset the microwave after the aroma of popcorn permeates our house or office. We employ resets in dozens of ways every day, often without giving them a conscious thought....
How Would You Describe Life? Advice and quotes about life abound, some serious, some humorous, and more than a few infused with sarcasm. I recently saw the new Downton Abbey movie. As much as I enjoy the Downton Abbey franchise, it’s not my usual go-to source...
When in Christ . . . I watched a movie the other day where the dialogue included the phrase, “When in Rome....” If you’ve never heard that before, it’s short for “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” referring to practicing the customs of the people around you....
“What If” or “Even If”? Why is it easier to focus on the negative? On every fear-inducing “what if”? Yes, the...
Who Is El Elyon and Why Should We Care? The more I read and listen to news reports of current events, the more...
How Do You Respond to Adversity? There’s something refined about a tea party, isn’t there? Perhaps we enjoy tea...