Someone I love dearly received an unexpected diagnosis. My heart ached to hear it. As this person shared their news on Facebook, one person remarked, “Well, this must be God’s will.” My eyes bugged out as my blood began to boil. God’s will? Really? I’ve been mulling over this concept for quite some time. When someone receives a medical diagnosis, people often blanket it under the guise of “God’s will”. When hurricanes drop devastation, we say it was “God’s will”. When an entire family is Read More
satan's lies
What a lie: If My Life Were Different
If my life were different, I would be different… If my job only paid better… If my husband treated me like he cared… If our house wasn’t so small… If my health was good… If my kids would listen… Have you been there? It’s a tempting way to live life. The “If onlys” provide us with a fantasy world of perfection. A land where all our troubles vanish and then, finally, we can be who we really want to be. Happy. Content. Joyful. There’s just Read More
Counterfeit: The Art of a Con
A counterfeit is only good if it looks like the real thing, and there are con men who dedicate their entire lives to the art of cheating someone out of a dollar, their livelihood, or their life. According to infamous hustlers, great con men succeed in three areas. First, they are good listeners. Forget about that silver tongue. A cheater knows how to patiently listen for pertinent information they can then twist for their own purposes. Second, hustlers can fool someone through social credentials. A Read More
Fear is a Liar
The opposite of love is not hate. It’s fear. How many lives have been destroyed because of fear? How many marriages ruined, how many children scarred, how many dreams unfulfilled and how many people chained in the terrifying prison of addiction because of fear? So many of us are experiencing a life half-lived. We cower in the shadows, afraid to confront the wounds we need to expose to God’s light. This hissing snake tells us no one will understand if we share our feelings. It Read More
Misconduct and Allegations: The Problem We All Have in Common
The world has gone mad, or it seems so at least. No sooner do I hear the news of the latest round of men accused of misconduct, then the media buzzes with shocked outrage of yet another celebrity falling from his golden pedestal. From Harvey Weinstein to Matt Lauer, the names and stories are horrifying and heart breaking. “For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.” ~Luke 8:17 Then there are those Read More
The Broken Piano
“Great musicians should have only the finest instruments in their homes.” The caustic comment from the piano tuner who had curled up his nose at my old spinet piano has bothered me for fourteen years, though I’ve had a hard time figuring out why. I thought maybe it was the man’s attitude when he entered my home. I had been desperately searching for a tuner willing to take on my pawn shop find but from the moment this guy laid eyes on it, his annoyed Read More
When You Can’t See God
Magic Springs wore me out last week. Correction. The heat, combined with my children’s nonstop energy, wore me out. The amusement park nestled in the outskirts of Hot Springs, Arkansas is a popular place to take families for summer fun where they can zoom down water slides, swim, splash in freeze zones, play games like bumper cars or catch a ride on numerous pulse-stopping roller coasters. After hours swimming in the hot sun, the older kids wanted to ride a coaster. My friend offered to Read More
Jesus Wasn’t Calling: How I Learned to Walk Away from Perfectionism and Self-Inflicted Martyrdom
Jesus wasn’t calling. Okay, maybe not. Obviously, Jesus is still in the calling business. Hang with me here and I’ll do my feeble best to try to explain my muddled thoughts. I have to admit it was quite a shock to realize all those years I spent doing and running, spinning my wheels and frantically trying to be a good, little Christian girl for Jesus weren’t for Him at all. They were for me. When the truth hit, it slapped me hard. I’ll never forget Read More