Encouraging Words for Discouraging Times

August 31, 2017

Encouraging Words

In the ongoing aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, I wanted to share these encouraging words from an updated post. I hope these thoughts will encourage you today, wherever you are.

When you find yourself in a storm of impossible circumstances, how do you get through it? What encouraging words do you need to hear?  Read more

Easter Is About Removing Stones

March 27, 2016

Who Will Roll Away Your Stone?

 

Do you have stones stuck in deep ruts at the entrance of your heart—stones of fear, rebellion, despair, or discouragement? Do they loom so large, you surrender at the thought of even trying to remove them?

Easter is about removing stones.

Just in case you’ve missed this blog in past years, I’d like to share this post again f0r Easter. The message, like Jesus, is ageless.

When Mary and the other women approached the tomb after Jesus’ death, they saw an amazing sight. They expected to see the stone still hiding the tomb, and they needed a way to enter the resting place of their beloved Master. The stone represented a barrier to their goal: to anoint the body of their beloved Master with spices. I’m sure their hearts were still downcast as grief flooded their spirits. “Who will roll away the stone?” they asked one another. Read more

Five Ways to Solve Irrational Fear

March 8, 2016

We live in a world where irrational fear keeps intruding our thoughts and our lives. Whether it’s fear of the future, fear for our country, fear for our health, or fear for our children, we fight it daily: mind-crippling, spine-tingling, heart-stomping fear.

Fears of several varieties took hold of my heart early on as a young adult, but through the years God has brought amazing freedom.

I’m not talking about the good kind of fear that alerts your spirit to an approaching enemy, that moves you into action to protect the ones you love, or that promotes a healthy respect for God. Those fears are healthy. And not all fears are irrational. Some move in and out quickly without disrupting our lives.

But what about the other kind? Where does irrational fear originate? And how do you keep those fears from taking permanent residence in your life? Here are five ways to solve irrational fear: Read more

Four Deadly Habits That Can Paralyze Your Time and Energy

September 23, 2015

Years ago when I was going through a difficult time, a counselor warned me about four deadly habits that can paralyze your time and energy.

She called them time wasters. But these four deadly habits are not only time wasters; they can also steal your emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. They can render us useless, ineffective, and depressed. I can testify. Been there, done that.

What’s the solution?

Is there hope to overcome them?  Read more

One Habit That Can Change Your Life

October 7, 2014

What if I told you about one habit, one thing, one secret that could make your life better? One simple application, one decision–five words–that can change your life in almost every area?  Read more

The What Ifs of Life: Positive or Negative?

July 1, 2014

In fiction, asking “What if?” can create dozens of plot possibilities. But in real life, can asking “What if?” steal your joy or bring you peace?  Read more

25 Christmas Prayers – Day 21

December 21, 2013

This is the 21st in a series of daily Christmas blogs: 25 Christmas Prayers celebrating the names of our precious Lord. Featured today is Jehovah Sabaoth, The Lord of Hosts. I hope these simple prayer blogs will enrich your Christmas season and draw you close to the One who is the true reason for Christmas. (I’ll be returning to my regular, weekly posts after Christmas).

Day 21 – Jehovah Sabaoth, The Lord of Hosts

Lord, in your strength nothing is impossible. At Your command, a thousand angels would rush to our defense if You so desired to send them. You are Jehovah-Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts. Read more

25 Christmas Prayers – Day 7

December 7, 2013

Day 7 – Savior

Lord, I can only imagine the shepherd’s fear that night as Your angel surrounded them in full 3D technicolor, bearing the good news for which so many had waited. For centuries, prophets foretold Your coming.

A simple birth. A simple manger. An extravagant plan, conceived in Your mind long ago because of Your love for us.

Savior, You Were Born to Die Read more

25 Christmas Prayers– Day 5

December 5, 2013

Today is the fifth in a series of daily Christmas blogs: 25 Christmas Prayers celebrating the names of our precious Lord. I hope they will enrich your Christmas season and draw you closer to the One who is the true reason for Christmas.

Day 5 – Immanuel – God with Us

Lord, how is it that a righteous God could be “with us?” We are sinful. You are holy. You are in heaven. We live on earth.

Yet the very essence of Christmas is rooted in an eternal, loving plan that brought You here to live in us, with us, and through us.

Because of Christmas, You are now “with us.” Long ago men housed Your “presence” in a tabernacle made by human hands with supernatural instructions. But Christmas ushered in Your presence here on earth, walking among us, living with us.

You no longer live in columns of clouds or pillars of fire. Read more

Partly Cloudy with Scattered Worries – Book Giveaway

November 18, 2013

Whether you classify your worry habits as “partly cloudy,” or “stormy,” we’ve all dealt with worry in our lives. Today’s featured book drawing deals with that subject–and of the deeper issue of trusting God–one I like to emphasize often in my blogs.

A writer friend of mine, Kathy Collard Miller, has written a book called, Partly Cloudy with Scattered Worries, Finding Peace in All Kinds of Weather, that challenges women to examine this destructive Read more

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