I read the same verse three times the other night, and it made me nervous. Three separate times, in less than thirty minutes, God directed me to focus on 2 Corinthians 12:9 -- My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. And after the third time it showed up, I think I stopped breathing for a minute. You know how preachers say, "if God says something more than once, you better pay attention"? Yeah, I was definitely paying attention! And then I got nervous. Was God preparing me for something bad that was going to happen? Was He reassuring me before the fact, so the verse would be fresh in my mind? Visit Finding Purpose in the [...Read More]
When Your Sponge Runs Dry
April 29, 2013 By 9 Comments
You are a sponge. And so am I. We drink in whatever we're surrounded by. And when we're squeezed too tightly, or over-saturated, we let it out again. We go through phases of soaking and seeping. We take in encouragement, then offer it to friends in need. We take in unkind thoughts, then direct those unkind words toward loved ones. We take in {you-name-it} and share it with the world. It doesn't happen like clockwork: one thing in, one thing out. It's more like overlapping waves of the sea: one-thing-after-another-after-another -- getting and giving all muddled up at the same time. Sometimes your sponge runs dry. And you go through weeks of taking in, wondering and awed by [...Read More]
Salt of the Earth
April 15, 2013 By 2 Comments
Pin this! How can you be the salt of the earth? Well, what does salt do? It seasons, adds flavor, highlights the essence of the original dish. So as a Christian, you should... Season your relationships with love and holiness. Add the rich flavor of truth to your conversations and interactions. Highlight the essence of God's character in your daily life. If you don't... if your speech tastes unloving and unholy, if your relationships highlight the world's discord, if your life is seasoned with selfish desires and lusts... then are you truly being salt in this world? Or have you lost your flavor? Question: How do you faithfully remain "the salt of [...Read More]
How to Be Courageous
April 8, 2013 By 11 Comments
Are you courageous? No, I'm not talking about the movie. I'm talking about being courageous in the nitty-gritty everyday. Living how God wants you to live. Believing His Word, acting on His promises, obeying His commands. Standing for His truth. It's so easy to be discouraged by everything -- not just the big stuff, but even the mundane things that happen over and over again. The little challenges that wear you down. Like laundry that's never finished, car problems that keep recurring, relatives that frustrate and annoy, money that never seems to stick around. You know what I'm talking about, right? Think about the word discourage for a minute. It means to deprive of courage, [...Read More]
Read the Bible Daily (Part 2)
March 22, 2013 By 2 Comments
Should a Christian read the Bible daily? I think so, and so do many of you. But why is daily Bible reading the expected "normal" for Christians? Why do we teach it to our children, and preach it from our pulpits? Why do we strive to master this discipline? Looking through your comments, I found 3 major reasons to read it every day: a relationship, a command, and a benefit. Read the Bible daily to grow in your relationship. "I try to read daily because it is where I hear God's voice. Direction, peace. Building a relationship with Him. I don't like missing a day talking to my husband. Why would I want to miss a day talking to the Lover of My Soul? It is a habit. But it is a [...Read More]
Why Should You Read the Bible Daily?
March 18, 2013 By 14 Comments
I've been quiet, I know. Book revisions and visiting family (and a birthday! woohoo!) have taken a lot of time and energy lately. And this week will probably be quieter too. My husband's seminary has their annual Bible conference, and I'm hoping to make it to a few services -- it's always refreshing to listen to good preaching and soak up the truths of God's Word. I'm really hoping to get back into my "normal" routine after this week. But in the meantime, I have a question for you to think about. I'll probably be writing about this soon.... and I'd love to hear your thoughts: Why should a Christian read the Bible daily? Because you grew up doing that? Because it's something to [...Read More]
Preparing for Eternity
August 27, 2012 By 8 Comments
It always surprises me how what you read in one section of God's Word affects what you see in a different section. For instance, right now I'm reading through Psalms and 2 Corinthians. And as I absorb the comfort and refreshment of the Psalms, I find similar encouragement in Paul's epistle. And they just tie so perfectly together, even though they were written centuries apart. For example - Psalm 119 and 2 Corinthians 4. In Psalm 119:9-16 (the second section), David writes about seeking after God. And seeking hard, seeking purposefully after Him. Notice the action words he uses: Guard Seek Store up Declare Delight Meditate Fix upon Not forget These are all definite [...Read More]
How to help your friends through hard things.
July 30, 2012 By 8 Comments
Quick note: I've decided to pause the linkup feature for the time being. But I still welcome your comments and questions about your Bible reading! Life is messy. People are hurting - your friends, your family, your coworkers. Your neighbor down the street, or that person who sits in your pew at church. They may be fighting through depression, or anger. They may be fighting uncertainty about the future. One thing is certain: they're fighting with something. It could be an empty bank account. It could be a friend's betrayal. It could be a family torn apart by sinfulness, or a home broken by natural disaster. It could be health problems. It could be loss of work - or loss of [...Read More]
What is the Bible?
July 23, 2012 By 6 Comments
I read Psalm 19 this past week, and have been meditating on it ever since. Why? Because it tells me all about why we have the Bible. Why the Holy Spirit whispered those words through the minds and pens of believers, so many centuries ago. Why it is a timeless, always-relevant Book. Why we should be reading every single day. Psalm 19 gives us a few other names for the divinely inspired Word of God: His law, or instruction about right and wrong His testimony, or that which testifies about its divine Author His precepts, or what He charges us to obey His commandments, or the divine orders of our great King His rules, or His divine judgments (both good and bad) Fear of the [...Read More]
Are you losing power?
June 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Are you missing out on the greatest source of power? There is a power source available to us that's so dynamic, so compelling, it's like a dream-come-true. It provides a way to feed you, keep you clean, satisfy your cravings, fight your battles, destroy your enemies, protect you, direct you, help you grow and mature... And yet we ignore this power source! We refuse to use it, for whatever the reason. We reject it, pretend it doesn't exist, shrug our shoulders at it. But why? The Bible is so clear about the scope and intensity of its power! Take a look at what types of power it offers us: Lamp and light, which guide and direct - Psalm 119:105 Fire and hammer, which destroy false [...Read More]
