Jacob and Esau. The twins who fought, even in the womb. Animosity ran thick as they battled for their parents’ affection. Esau was loved by his father, and Jacob was his mother’s favorite. It started with the birthright, when Jacob convinced his starving brother to sell it for a bowl of soup. Then, with his…
I was born an organized, detail-oriented, planner. Literally. My mom was unconscious for five days after I was born. By the time my mom and I were stable enough to come home, the nurses had me on a strict schedule. I would take a bottle and go to bed at 10:00 pm, and I would…
Job was a man of integrity, faultless and blameless. And yet, God allowed him to suffer incredible losses. He lost his servants and his livestock. He lost all of his possessions and his children. He lost his health. And Job’s response? Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head…
The election is over. The ballots are in and we have a new President-elect. And what a surprise it was. On election day, I was waiting for results to begin pouring in. I was filled with a mixture of excitement and fear, enthusiasm and dread. The election season was nothing like what I had hoped…
Oklahoma is known for tornadoes. But, did you know that Oklahoma now leads the nation in the number of earthquakes? Most of the earthquakes we have are small. I’ve missed most of them simply because they have been undetectable to the normal person. Several weeks ago, however, we had one that was impossible to miss!…
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Psalm 37:4 “God,” I cried out as the tears streamed down my face and my feet pounded the pavement, “I want to desire you. I want to delight in you. But, honestly, I really just want a husband.” I had escaped the…
Have you heard the saying, “God won’t give you more than you can handle?” That is an outright lie! The Sunday after I learned of my husband’s affair, we went to a new church. The pastor was preaching a series on, “You Can’t Handle It.” He spoke of the trials of this life and how…
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…
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…
“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…
“We have heard that you had multiple affairs and destroyed multiple families,” the email from my employer read. Stunned. Shocked. Mortified. Hurt. Angry. The emotions rocked me to my very core. My hands shook as I attempted to respond. Where could such a venomous attack come from? Hadn’t I suffered enough already? Yes, in the…
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…