Silence. As a single mom of three teenagers, the thought of a few moments of silence is only a dream. Cries of, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” “Mom, can we leave yet?” “Mom, can my friend come over?” “Mom, where are you?” seem to permeate every moment of every day. What I would do to have…
Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” Ephesians…
Then this message came to me from the LORD: “Son of man, how does a grapevine compare to a tree? Is a vine’s wood as useful as the wood of a tree? Can its wood be used for making things, like pegs to hang up pots and pans? No, it can only be used for…
“He is a charismatic leader at church,” the email begins. “Everyone loves him. They believe everything he says. He has managed to turn everyone against me. But they don’t know the man he becomes behind closed doors.” I receive emails similar to this almost every day. Male and female. Young and old. Emotional abuse is…
“Mom,” she began, tears running down her cheeks, “I just don’t understand. Why? Why did God have to take my daddy so soon?” My heart broke as I took her in my arms. The tears streamed down my own cheeks. Few things are worse than seeing your children hurt. And, when you don’t have answers…
Have you ever seen history rewritten? History is often about perspective. We each have our own experiences through which we interpret events. Sometimes an event will change the way we see our past. I’ve seen this over the last years concerning marriage. Often, we rewrite our marriages in light of our circumstances. For example, I’ve…
Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families… Psalm 68:5-6a I have been working on a blog post with plans to update yesterday, just like always. And then life happened. I really am not ready to share details here, but I am…
WARNING: Proud Mama Moment!!! My sweet daughter asked if she could write a guest post for my blog. How can I say no to that? Without any help, she came up with an amazing story of encouragement! So, without further introduction, here’s Cassie telling us about her calling. Hi! I’m Cassie, my mom’s favorite…
It’s Saturday. The day between the crucifixion and the resurrection. I woke up with the disciples on my mind, wondering what they must have been thinking, feeling, experiencing. They had watched their friend, their teacher—the one they believed to be their Savior—hang on a cross and breathe His last breath. Dying with that last breath…
“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds. In just a short time he will restore us, so that we may live in his presence. Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press…
As I sit down to write, the sun is shining brightly, warming the Oklahoma air. We’ve had an unseasonably warm winter, without a single snowflake. Millions of you, however, have been buried by a heavy blanket of snow. And, I have to admit: I’m jealous! There are few things more beautiful than looking out the…
February means Valentine’s Day. A day to celebrate love, that special someone who cares for you like no other. A day to remember how blessed you are to have one who knows you—the good, the bad, and the ugly—and loves you anyway. An opportunity to celebrate that there’s one person out there who has chosen…