It’s Absolutely True: You Are Really Loved By God
Years ago I sat down on the couch to have a quiet time. Tov, my loveable dog, immediately hopped up, walked over and made himself at home on my lap. Full of expectation, he gently poked his nose into my hand, then sat contently as I stroked the back of his head....
God Will Find You No Matter Where You Are
“Where are you?” my husband asked. I was 45 minutes away from home and in a part of town I wasn’t familiar with. The accident that had just totaled my car left me unhurt, but shaken. As a result, I couldn’t seem to think of the specifics to answer the question....
God’s Offer to Reason Is An Awesome Gift
God makes a startling request in the first chapter of Isaiah. “Come now, let us reason together” Isaiah 1.18a This is the only place God invites us to reason with Him. God told the Israelites to reason with their neighbors to avoid sin (Lev. 19.17). Paul...
10,000 Reasons To Be Thankful
It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; ~ Psalm 92.1 How many times have you heard, “count your blessings”? I’ve heard it more than I can count. It was only after reading Ann Voskamp’s 1,000 Gifts that I was...
What Happens When A Puzzle Piece Is Missing
Years ago, I thought it would be fun to give my sister a puzzle made from her high school graduation picture. To add to the fun, I gave the pieces to a group of friends. Over the course of the evening they were to give her the pieces with no explanation. At the end of...
The Great Relief Of Knowing Life Is Not Fair
“It’s not fair!” How many times have we heard children make that statement when a siblings seems to be getting the better deal? How often have we, as adults said the same thing when circumstances in life don’t seem to fall in our favor? Genesis 4 relates a...
The Danger Of Attempting To Control Evil
The jailbreak was quick and unexpected, at least from the perspective of Ivan Vanko in Iron Man 2. Justin Hammer claimed to be a fan of Vanko’s work and facilitated the escape in order to put Vanko’s knowledge and ability to work. (Click here for a clip of the scene.)...
Pruning: How Pain Can Actually Lead To Joy
As humans, we don’t like pain. We can be easily overwhelmed by persistent or unexpected pain. Our culture has developed all kinds of ways to substitute, medicate, replace and avoid pain. Yet what if pain was not something to steer clear of? What if pain had a greater...
These Commands Actually Lead To More Joy
Road closed. Detour. I watched as bold drivers completely ignored the signs and drove around the barrier, only to be pulled over100 yards later by a police officer just around the curve and out of sight. I don’t know if he was issuing tickets, but I did observe the...
Know The Wonderful Truth Of Who You Are
Who you are can be a nagging question that has many and varied answers. Parents, teachers, friends, spouses, children, bosses, co-workers, and pastors, among others, can have very different answers. Sometimes other people’s answers can even be in direct opposition to...