Summer is just around the corner. It invites us to linger longer on the front porch or back deck. A glass of iced tea or lemonade and we’re all set. Summertime welcomes us to pause from the hectic pace. It beckons us to relax by the pool or in a cozy hammock. But are we practicing soul care? Because we are often intentional to care for our bodies in summer. And we participate in outdoor activities (even exercise), gather with friends and family, foster recreation, and plan time off work to Continue Reading
What You See Is NOT What You Get {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}
“For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity; plans to give you a future and a hope.” Prophet Jeremiah, Old Testament. So many valuable things seem to be senseless or even worthless on the surface. Let’s take diamonds, for instance. “Raw diamonds” or “diamonds in the rough” are formed deep within the earth and often resemble lumps of pale glass when discovered. They have an oily appearance and no spark. In essence, for the untrained Continue Reading
LINKUP! Times of Stress Expose our Weaknesses {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}
I am not a fan of social media. This luring distraction has the power to suck me in, and I find myself wasting precious time looking at what other people are doing or reading articles often filled with fear-bearing news. But every so often, when I am at a doctor’s office or waiting to pick up my daughter from school, Twitter and Facebook keep me company. During the pandemic, I came across several posts about the fantastic things certain people were accomplishing. Someone on Twitter felt Continue Reading
How Do Two Porcupines Hug? {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP}
How do two porcupines hug? Very Carefully. How do we love our enemies? With divine grace and guidance. Jesus told His disciples to love their enemies. What did He mean? What does it look like to love your adversary? We associate love with warm feelings. I love beach sunsets, chocolate chip cookies, and my standard poodles. What do I mean when I toss love around these dissimilar objects? I love how sunsets look, cookies taste, and my dogs make me feel. Biblical love is not based on how Continue Reading
Are You Acting Like a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing? {Recharge Wednesday}
One of the questions we often ask when reading Scripture is “how does this apply?” We’re usually thinking in terms of what the Word means for our lives or what promises it holds. Sometimes we ask how it might comfort or exhort us. Scripture can also warn us about our own nature. Do you know Acts 20:29-30? “Savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.” We read Continue Reading
How to Personalize and Pray Scripture {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP}
Here’s one thing I encourage every believer to try. Insert your name and the names of loved ones into Scripture. Then pray the words back to God. Here's my story. My father passed away ten years ago. And he spent most of his life as an atheist. When I met Christ at sixteen, I started praying for my dad. Prayers for him to believe in the heavenly Father. God answered my prayers sixteen years later when my dad gave his life to the Lord. Inserting Names into Bible Verses But in the middle Continue Reading
