Are you in a season of waiting? Do you feel like a dry, withered stick, tired of waiting for the promised blooms to bud again? A dear friend gave me a beautiful orchid after I lost my mom four years ago. It had not flowered since. I watered, fertilized, tried different lighting, and talked to … Continue reading Hope Deferred
John 14:15-24 Some days, life feels overwhelming and like it is all up to you. The burdens of responsibility and busyness sap your strength and drain your soul. Loneliness settles in like a weighted blanket. How can I do it all? I’m dancing as fast as I can, and there’s still so much to do. … Continue reading Do You Feel Alone?
Suffering is hard. Watching someone you love suffer is also. Are you carrying a second-hand burden? Are you trying your best to ease your loved one’s suffering and smooth out their path? Does it feel like you are caught in strong spiderwebs? You ache to relieve their pain, help them walk, sit or lie down … Continue reading Second-Hand Burden
Jesus didn’t come only to sacrifice himself, but to show us how to live a life that gradually leads to holiness, and that includes prayer. This is an excerpt from Paul Miller’s book, A Praying Life, which shows what Psalm 23 without the Lord or the Shepherd reads like: my; I shall not be in … Continue reading Hi Dad -Part Three
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:6 NKJV Prayer is: relational intimate important But do you flounder with how to pray effectively, intentionally, … Continue reading Hi Dad – Part Two
What is your prayer life like? If someone asked you about prayer, what would you say? I read a story once about a man restricted from working because of his faith. One night, his family had no food, and his children were crying from hunger. The man tucked his children in bed and prayed with … Continue reading Hi Dad!
Do you compare the lives of women around you to yours and wonder where you went wrong? Their homes belong on the cover of Home and Garden; they appear perfectly put together, energetic and organized, and the family seems happy, wholesome, and successful. They are like King Midas and everything they touch seems to … Continue reading Restored Reflections
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 NIV Does something feel stolen from you? You used to feel more confident, capable, and sure in your walk with the Lord, but now uncertainty, fear, and confusion block … Continue reading Thief
As a baby, our granddaughter suffered from colic. Her constant, pitiful wails of anguish pierced our hearts but we had no way of appeasing the pain or silencing the cries. When she would, amazingly to us, finally fall asleep, we would lie frozen, afraid to breathe too loud in case we woke her. I worked … Continue reading Silence is Golden, Or Is It?
A winged cherub is poised with a bow and arrow pointed at a heart. Your heart supposedly. A prevalent scene on many a Valentine's card. Elegant heart-shaped boxes of mouthwatering chocolates, fragrant long-stemmed red roses, and vibrant bouquets of flowers, all fly off the shelves. Romantic candle-lit dinners, specially planned dates and proposals of marriage … Continue reading What Rules Your Heart?