Dineen Miller
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A Step of Faith
In the last week I’ve come across two kinds of believers. The first is an older widow who has walked some challenging roads of life and loss and has become a very special influence and inspiration to me. We were discussing our loved ones who are still resisting God-my husband, her grandson. Our prebelievers. Her…
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Weekend Devo – All the Fishies in the Sea
I saw this SUV on the freeway the other day and had my daughter take a picture of the back. I wish you could have seen me trying to catch up with this vehicle to snap a picture. I promise no animals, people, or fish were harmed in the process. Seeing these symbols made me…
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“Why Can’t You Trust Me?”
A terrific storm came up suddenly on the lake. Water poured in, and they were about to capsize. They woke Jesus: "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" Getting to his feet, he told the wind, "Silence!" and the waves, "Quiet down!" They did it. The lake became smooth as glass. Then he said to his…
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Weekend Devo – Feeding on God’s Best
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. – 1Peter 2:2-3 Have you ever noticed how you wind up drifting away from your spouse when you don’t spend time together and make time to talk…
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The Call to Stand Firm
(This is from a 2009 post that I dug out and updated. It fits our ongoing series so well even after three years!) The stories in the Bible display a constant thread of struggle and perseverance. From Jacob to Joseph to Moses and the Israelites. In Genesis 32, Jacob is faced with a potential disaster.…
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Weekend Devo – God’s Irony
The king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about impaling Mordecai on the pole he had set up for him. – Esther 6:4 By now you know how much I love the story of Esther. For one, she is…
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Taking a Walk with Nehemiah, Part 2
On Tuesday we started our journey with Nehemiah and his calling to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. In the comments, Shelly pointed something amazing out in Nehemiah 2: After this post I was intrigued to read Nehemiah myself with the perspective of marriage at hand. Only made it to chapter 2 but what stood out was…
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Taking a Walk with Nehemiah, Part 1
If you're doing a read your Bible in a year plan, chances are you're reading in Nehemiah right now. I've been reading this story of rebuilding Jerusalem's wall with a new fascination. It's as if God is whispering in my ear as I read, asking, "Are you committed to building your marriage like Nehemiah fought…
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Weekend Devo – What about Dad?
Father’s day can be a difficult day to navigate for many of us. I find it usually has to do with unmet expectations. I know I’ve struggled with this at times, wishing our family picture looked just a little more like the families I saw at church. But instead of focusing on what’s missing, let’s…
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What Should I Do?
Or not do? That’s the flip side of this question. But I’m betting you’re wondering why I’m asking that question. Care to take a walk with me? The longer we walk with God the more aware we become of the unseen. We no longer accept what’s on the surface out of an understanding that there…
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Weekend Devo – God Has Your Back
“Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. – Isaiah 58:8 I have loved this particular verse for a quite a while now because God used it to affirm me…
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Spiritual Warfare, Part 3: The Rest of Our Armor
In my last post I left off with our feet. Yes, our feet shod with the gospel of peace! When our minds are full of God’s Word, and we are relying on and trusting God, we are STANDING firm in our faith. This is our strength. I read something in a Bible study (Duty or…
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Weekend Devo – Birth of a Stronghold
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” – Galatians 5:1 (NIV) Sweat beaded on my brow as I worked my way down the flowerbed. The bucket next to me sat nearly full with weeds and dead…
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Spiritual Warfare, Part 2: Your Bible is Really a Sword
In last week’s post on spiritual warfare we talked about shifting our focus and seeing who our real enemy is. This week let’s dive back into Ephesians 6 and talk about one specific piece of our armor. Our sword. Before we do that, I want to make one more interesting observation about verse 12: For…
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Weekend Devo – Sifted Like Wheat
Yesterday we were blessed by a POWERFUL reader letter. In it she mentions Luke 22:31-32: “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” If you’ve read Peter’s story you…
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Who Are We Really Fighting?
Recently I watched the show Once Upon a Time. One of the characters, a young boy around the age of ten or so is keenly aware that his world is a battle between good and evil. In this particular episode Henry tells the one person he thinks can save them all, “Evil always wins.” Let…
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What Does Respect Really Mean?
At church one Sunday, a friend who is also mismatched asked me about how to handle a situation that she either went behind her husband’s back to do what she thought was right in fulfilling a law or being up front and asking for his input and leadership with the understanding that he may well…
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The Stories Behind the Story
Hello again, dear friends. First, I want to give a big hug and shout out to Lynn for letting me monopolize the blog this week to share this story with you. She rocks! Second, I want to thank you again for sharing this with me. It’s the culmination of a dream that started in 2009…
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Let’s Have a Little Fun
Have you seen book trailers before? I love them, as long as they're short and sweet. My publsiher did a really great job on the trailer for The Soul Saver. So, for fun (and another opportunity for you to win a book, so leave a comment!) I'm posting it here for your enjoyment. Don't forget…
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An Interview with Lexie Baltimore, Part 2
Welcome back, everyone! Here's the second half of Lexie's interview. Okay, here’s a tough one, Lexie and I hope you don’t mind us asking, but I think it’s an area we should address. How did you wind up handling your feelings for Nate? First of all, I went to God and confessed them. I had…
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An Interview with Lexie Baltimore, Part 1
My friends, I had a lot of fun (and shed a few tears) doing this interview with Lexie. You spend months and even years with these characters and they become almost real. I thought you’d like to see the picture I used to help me visualize Lexie too. So, without further ado, here’s Lexie. Lexie,…