Encouragement
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Weekend Devotion – For All the Strivers Out There
“Cease striving and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46:10 I have this Scripture written on an index card right now. (Yes, a pink one!) I need this verse so badly. See, I’m a perfectionist by nature and very performance driven. This verse tells me I don’t have to be. It tells me that…
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Unified by Circumstances
I had the wonderful opportunity to speak and share with a group of ladies Monday evening as part of the Daughters of Sarah ministry at Riverslake Church in Bakersfield, CA. We all share a common bond-being unequally yoked. Again, I’m amazed at how just knowing we’re not alone can minister to the ache in our…
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Showing Christ
If I could tell my husband one thing today, I would tell him I love him. If I could speak special words to him today, I would speak of my love for him. If I could show him who I love most, I would show him Christ. How do we show Christ? How do we…
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Marriage Monday – It’s back!
Marriage Monday is back! This week is an open topic and since Lynn is on vacation, this little mousey (Dineen) gets to play! So I’ve chosen a topic I’m betting you can relate to. We Have a Failure to Communicate Have you ever had a conversation with your spouse that turned into an argument? (I…
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Letting Go…Again
I did it again. I took back something I had given over to God. And it took losing my peace, joy, and confidence to realize it. I don’t like getting angry at God, and I can think of only one other time I’ve been angry with him. Now I can count two times, unfortunately. So…
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The Third Attitude of Waiting
The last two weeks I’ve talked about the significance of waiting in our spiritual lives. Click here to read part one. Click here to read part two. Today I’ll continue with the final attitude of waiting. Waiting Expectantly. We all inevitably have times of waiting for God to move. Through time and trial, we learn…
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Weekend Devotion – Are You Esther?
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” – Esther 4:14 (NIV) Against opposing odds, Esther met the call…
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The Second Attitude of Waiting
Last week I talked about the significance of waiting in our spiritual lives. Click here if you’d like to read that post. This week I want to explore the next attitude of waiting. Waiting Patiently. Our natural tendency leans toward a continuous sense of movement. When we feel our progress stalling, we grow agitated and…
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The Attitudes of Waiting
How much time in a day do you spend waiting for something? We wait in car lines to pick up our kids. We wait in line to pay for our groceries. We wait for our food to arrive at a restaurant. On a spiritual level, I’m beginning to think we spend a lot of time…
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The Choice
“I feel like a failure.” “I can’t seem to do anything right.” “Why can’t I overcome this?” “How can God still love me when I keep screwing up?” Do any of these statements sound familiar to you? I know I’m very familiar with the first one and lately, that last one has crept in. I’ve…
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Discouragement
This past Sunday I went with my daughter to her church for the first time. When we walked in, I felt comfortable right away. I enjoyed the worship immensely, but it was the sermon that truly had me near tears. The pastor* spoke about being discouraged, especially if you’re a perfectionist and disappointed because things…
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Called to Wait
Waiting. It’s the one thing we all are called to do at some point in our faith journeys and most likely, more than once. Sometimes these are small blips on the radar-waiting to see if God will open the door to a new job, ministry, or relationship. Other times these periods define our very existence,…
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On the Personal Side…
Something pretty amazing happened to me this weekend. I thought I’d share a slice of “my life according to me” with the intent of showing how awesome God is. Frankly, I’m still blown away by it all. So from the beginning… The backstory… My sweet hubby is an avid disc golf player. Absolutely loves the…
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Weekend Devotion – The 23rd Psalm
If you’re like me, you’ve heard the 23rd Psalm so often, your eyes kind of glaze over when you hear it. Yet it’s one of the most popular Psalms. This little gem came up one day in my Bible reading, so I asked God to show me a deeper meaning. Now why was I surprised…
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The Meaning of Love
After looking at John, I’m finding my interest sparked now by Peter. We know Peter denied Christ three times, then in John 21, Jesus asks if Peter loves him three times. I love the symbolism here, and again, God brings more than one purpose to light. Just as Peter denied Christ three time, Jesus gives…
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More about John…
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the…
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Weekend Devotion-What about John?
They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan-the one you testified about-well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that…
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To Our Readers…
Today I would like to dedicate this post to our readers. You’ve given Lynn and I the privilege of sharing our lives with you, and you’ve even allowed us to step in the gap with prayers and encouragement for many of you as well. When I think of what God is doing, how He’s allowed…
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When Your Best Isn’t Good Enough
I had concluded I was a hindrance to my husband. I was not serving the Lord with all of my heart because I was torn between honoring my husband and obeying the Holy Spirit moving with in me. Simple choice? Sounds simple, but wasn’t. You see my husband and me were like fire and kerosene…EXPLOSIVE.…
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Weekend Devotion by Guest Contributor – Amy
2 Kings 6:16-17 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire…
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Contentment
Have you ever had one of those weeks where you notice a common theme? The subject of a devotional, an email that comes over your favorite prayer loop, Sunday’s sermon, this weeks subject at your small group Bible study… Those are the times I pay close attention, because I know God has something teach or…