I have recently been digging through decades of family memorabilia and came across several of my old journals. And since I wasn’t in any particular rush, I started perusing their pages. As I skimmed emotional entries (from what seems like a lifetime ago), I gave thanks to God once again and worshipped Him for mercies I have long since tucked away in my memory. (Which is one reason why I did it.) It was May 2003 when, in desperate need, I started entering daily thanks into a m

To settle our minds and our hearts is to settle them on the One Who Is Peace. But that often requires a determined effort until the habit becomes part of your daily walk with the Lord. Even then, there are forces working against us in the world that, try as they might, battle to unsettle us. So, I’m recycling this post for all those whose hearts and minds are racing with all that’s streaming. Consider it an invitation to commune with God over His Word. Allow each “L” to reviv

“I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans.” (Jer 1:12b NLT) Don’t you just love that verse?! I sure do. It speaks two assuring words: God is watching; God is winning. God’s plan will be accomplished and He is watching to be sure it is. This world certainly needs a sure thing. And a sure-thing is only sure when it’s a God-thing. God is watching to see that His word is fulfilled. He is Watchful, Faithful, Ever-Present. God sent word through Jeremiah, the proph

Realization pierced the thick fog—permitting light to stream and flood. This realization came about by asking myself one simple question, borrowed from the apostle Paul: Why is it thought incredible that God can _________________________________? Because God can do all things, that blank can be filled-in with anything. What’s telling is that thing we subconsciously put there when doubt flares. I’m ashamed to admit that I have put a gamut of sad and sorry things in that blank.

"LORD, there is no one like You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You." Asa, King of Judah 898 B.C. These are words for worship; words for praise; words for prayer; words to remember. These are words to use when calling upon the One with might and control when our own words won't come. These are words to evoke the

Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (Ex 4:10-12 ESV). Moses was not eloquent or quick of speech. True, he was saved as a babe and chosen by God, but he was als

What’s brewing around you today, friend? Do you find yourself in the middle of a storm—feeling like there’s no one there to drop anchor? Are you caught in a vortex of raging feelings? What you’re feeling isn’t all there is. Take a moment to breathe-in Romans 5:5: Hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Did you catch the tense? God’s love has been poured out . . . The Holy Spirit has b

Headlights—they come in varying degrees of brightness and hues these days. Whether they’re coming at you dead-on or glaring from the rear, some of the snazzy LEDS can straight up blind you! I find it rather annoying (a word I picked up from my kid’s repeated use during their teen years). I think I’m still seeing spots from the radiation of the intense bluish-white laser that approached from behind the other night. “I’ll show him,” I muttered to absolutely no one. I reached up

My momma often said, “There are no easy answers.” Sometimes, when you get bad news, there’s no easy or ready-made solution. Some problems just don’t get solved right away. Some, it seems, linger. They hang around awhile . . . a good, long while. We just can’t do anything about it. Or can we? Consider Nehemiah. Nehemiah received the bad report from his brother about the grievous state of Jerusalem (Neh 1:1-3) in the month of Chislev. It was the month of Nisan before he spoke o

This ever-changing life is lived in cycles: of want and plenty, ease and trial, celebration and mourning. With its ups and downs, peaks and valleys, it’s less melodious, more pulsating. Call it the pulse of life. Here’s what God told His people they could expect in the land they would live in: But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. (Dt 11:11) They had a rough river crossing to face, but a

Excuse me. May I interrupt? Please? Just pause a minute. Stop everything. And slowly read this great prayer of Jehoshaphat (it’s a prayer that bears repeating). “Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in Your presence before this temple where Your name is honored. We can cry out to You to save us, and You will hear us and rescue us.” (2 Chron 20:9 NLT) Apply this to your faith-life in Christ. Right where you’re at. Right n

I love fresh! Fresh fruit, fresh sheets, fresh air...a fresh look on my website. Which is why I recently gave the site a new look. And I do love it, except . . . See those bare pickins in the recent post feed at the bottom of the screen? Yep, that’s because my old blog isn’t compatible with this new one. There’s a total disconnect between the old and the new. It’s as though the record of what’s been done in the past has been wiped clean. Like it never happened at all. Oh, the