As a new mom, a friend of mine regularly reported sleeplessness. Sipping hot drinks while her infant alternated between fussing and sleeping, she told me how it had occurred to her one late, loud night that her baby was doing his job: He was growing. The sweet little guy didn’t understand what was happening as his adorable cheeks filled out and squirming legs got longer. He didn’t have any way to communicate his needs or frustrations except for fussing. Listening to her gentle wisdom Continue Reading
Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}
“Nothing changes if nothing changes.” The quote scrolled across the TV screen while the leader talked. I immediately started thinking about the truth behind those words. It was one week before the beginning of the new school year, and I knew it was time to practice some of the changes I had committed to making during the summer. Let me rephrase it: It was time to start implementing some of the changes I felt God was instructing me to make. Leave it to me, and I will keep doing things Continue Reading
How Not to Go on Guilt Trips {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP}
We weren’t created to go on guilt trips. But we learned to send ourselves and each other on these unpleasant excursions because sin entered the world. First, let’s look at desirable trips. Maybe a planned or spontaneous travel schedule. Perhaps our favorite vacation spots. Possibly, places familiar or unknown. Or, traveling abroad. And a voyage by sea. Also, guided tours, historical landmarks, the mountains, a natural wonder, the beach, tropical climates, and soaring Continue Reading
What Do You Do When God Seems to Have Vanished? (Esther Bible Study)
What do you do when God seems to have vanished? When you have a decision to make… When your stability is shaken… When your sure-fire plan fails… When everything is spinning out of control… Esther is the perfect partner for seeing our invisible God in uncertainty. Though she lived centuries ago, Esther speaks to us when we run into limited control and resources. We find in her a strength and fortitude you and I need today. A strength we discover as we follow her process of listen, Continue Reading
Rising Above Rejection, Contempt & Betrayal {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP}
When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” 1 Samuel 17:28 The Bible does not give us the time lapse between David’s anointing by Samuel as Israel’s future king and the scene that took place in the Valley of Elah. We know, however, that Continue Reading
Help for our Boys’ Mental Health {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}
“It’s easier to build strong children than repair broken men.” Frederick Douglass, abolitionist Recent research on men’s mental health revealed a shocking reality: Globally, one man dies by suicide every minute. In the U.S., statistics show that men die by suicide at a rate four times higher than women. In the same bleak reality, an article published by the New York Times on Dec. 7, 2021, concerning a rare public advisory from the U.S. surgeon general office, warned the public of a Continue Reading
