James 1: 5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. …
We’ve been studying the Israelites’ exodus out of Egypt and their journey to the Promised Land at our church. Their story is not one of starting at Point A, and following a straight line that ends at Point B. Their path was a tortuous one, and if you saw it drawn on a map, you …
I’ve begun the Beth Moore study on the book of James, as of last Friday, and while I realize her studies are not to everyone’s taste, I am inordinately fond of “Blonder Than I Pay To Be” Beth Moore. I find her to be honest, humble, hilarious, and absolutely passionate in regard to her faith …
On Sunday morning, I go to church. The songs of worship are encouraging, and good for my soul, and most of the congregation enters into the lovely singing. But last Saturday? Saturday I entered a building that didn’t look one bit like a traditional church building. Inside of it, I had the privilege of getting …
It’s been dry, dry, dry around here lately. And it’s not just the soil that has suffered: my spirit feels withered as well. I told someone the other day that if life is a test, I feel like I’m failing it these days. And then, out of the blue… (Who could have predicted it? Our …
In the Friday morning ladies group that I attend, we’ve been tossing around the phrase, “orphan mentality”. It touched a nerve for me. Because too often, I catch myself living like I’m an orphan. What do I mean? What is an “orphan mentality”? And where did we even come up with this terminology? The …
Ashley Judd. Image from here. Ashley Judd recently wrote an excellent article in response to a viral discussion of her physical appearance. HER APPEARANCE. I want you to pause for a moment, and imagine what it might feel like to have a large number of people in the media having an online discussion critiquing YOUR …
What would it be like if every morning, when I woke up, one of the first thoughts that came to my mind was how deeply I am loved, cherished and completely accepted by the Father? What would it be like if I didn’t just know in my head, but actually believed in my heart, that …
My husband and I threw a dinner party Friday night. You might wonder at our audacity, since the last time I threw a dinner party, a rattlesnake showed up as the uninvited guest. The Uninvited Guest from our last dinner party. (Could I make this stuff up? And yes, this is the picture to prove …
Joy to the world. Really? That’s the sentiment I hear and read a lot on line these days, as the holidays approach, and people wrestle with the difficult realities of their own lives. Where is joy, in the midst of the busyness, the stress, the disappointment, the pain, the worry, the fear, and, well, let’s …
I had a little epiphany the other morning. Epiphanies don’t look the way they used to. Image from here. It came in the midst of a telephone conversation I was having with my dear friend Anne. There was a connection in my life between something gloriously wonderful that had happened to me, and something so …
Have you had any pivotal moments in your faith life? A moment where a verse came alive for you in a way that it never had before? Quite a few years ago, a woman who had been a true spiritual mentor for me needed to step down from her leadership position in a Bible study …
On a discussion forum that I participate in, my friend Robin recently asked this question: “Which is more important? (only one) Honesty Niceness I know it’s ideal to be a combination of both. I hope we are all striving to find ways to be honest and kind. But – when things get tricky and tensions …
Continuing on in my reading of Luke, yesterday, I picked up Luke chapter 6, and here’s what I read in the first eleven verses. Wheat image from here. 1 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 2 Some …
I went to a funeral on Saturday. It was the funeral of a man I have known since a I was a baby. He was a dear friend of my parents, from their college days. He was a kind man, quiet, but brilliant, with a delightful sense of humor. If ever a man lived with …