Each year I pick a word to meditate on…I know. The whole concept can seem a bit hokey, but for wordsmiths, this concept is an exhilarating gem. It’s a way for me to stay focused on God, and His character, throughout the ups and downs and crazy distractions that mark each year. Past words of the year have been bold, …
“Lord, you want me to forgive them? But did you see what happened? Really?” If you’ve lived longer than, oh, say a week on planet Earth, forgiveness is likely something you’ve struggled with. Mean, manipulative people are everywhere. In all honesty, it’s not much of a struggle for me when nonbelievers tear me or my family apart with hastily flung …
Once upon a time, a sad girl lived in a dark, dreary land. As far as the eye could see, the land was gray. No colorful flowers danced in the breeze. There were no trees or sunshine, just bleak gray clouds and barren fields of dirt. There were many people but no one was happy. The mean ruler of the …
“Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” ~Psalm 34:14 Part of seeking peace and pursuing it, not just seeking it but making it a defining characteristic of a believer’s life, is not solely found in a list of things to be, but is discovered within the Bible as specific things to avoid. No matter how much …
“All of us want to be humble. None of want what it takes to get there.” I’m not sure who coined the phrase but I’ve learned it’s quite true. We long to have noble defining characteristics marking our spirit, but when we realize what we must endure to be shaped into that image, well, ‘walking the walk’ takes on a …
“No room.” Most of us have heard the story. The fabled innkeeper who turned away Mary and Joseph in their hour of need. The calloused man has become a staple in the Christmas story, though he’s never mentioned in the Bible. No, really. The only Gospel that makes mention of there being ‘no room’ is Luke chapter two. Check it …
“How inexplicably sad are all holidays.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned the melancholy words during a difficult time in not only his life, but in the entire nation’s. On July 10, 1861, mere months after the country had been launched into the turmoil of the Civil War, Henry’s wife Fanny was trimming her daughter’s curls and decided to preserve the clippings …
Redemption is a beautiful thing. There is something, dare I say, romantic about someone with power and position plucking a nobody from the crowd and claiming them as their own. Perhaps that’s why I’ve so frequently heard the Gospel compared to a fairy tale story. A king sweeping the lonely girl away to a land where all her dreams come …
The pastor walked back down the dirt trail etched in the side of the Arkansas mountains, his heart heavy. The new visitor at church had begged and pleaded. “Please, sir. Please visit my family. They live up in the mountains just outside of town. I’ve been telling them about Jesus, about how he changed me but I don’t think they’re …
I’ve seen the photos and memes of one particular phrase floating around the past several years and I bet you have too. It’s this: God gives the hardest battles to his strongest soldiers. Judging by how frequently it’s shared, it’s a rather popular sentiment. After all, it sounds good. Perhaps even a trifle comforting. There’s nothing we need more in the …