We have been on a journey in the last several posts to understand prayer, how to make it a regular part of our days, and why we want to pray with friends. Part of my goal on this blog is to encourage you in the midst of real life, a life that can sometimes be pretty hard. While we’ve focused… Read more →
Last night I was talking on the phone with relatives and I was doodling on the whiteboard that happened to be sitting in front of me. The marker wasn’t really working well, but I liked the distraction it was providing for my hands. Here’s what I drew… Now I know what you’re thinking… “That’s…umm…interesting.” Here’s what happened at my house. I’m finishing… Read more →
Where are we drawing the line in our lives with God? Are we willing to do anything He leads us into doing? Do we only want to do the fun stuff? Are we living our life the way we want and promising we’ll do what God wants later? Paul was a tentmaker. Everywhere he went, he preached and he made… Read more →
My precious grandma passed away a few weeks ago. She was 96 years old. Her breath slowed, then stopped and that was it. She was sleeping and then she woke up in heaven. I prayed for the last few years that her passing would happen in her sleep. It just seems like the best way to leave this world. Her… Read more →
As I was celebrating the freedom of being an American citizen over this past week, two beautiful Americans were shot. No crime, no jury, no conviction – just shot. This alone is tragic. The fact their skin color bears the history of racism just rips open centuries of wounds. I’m white. Yet, I don’t really see people based on their… Read more →
Depression. I hate that word. I hate what it means. I hate how it feels even more. I’ve needed to write this article for some time, but I’ve been avoiding it. It’s complicated. It seems even more complicated in some Christian circles. Yet, I think we need to talk about it. I think we need to help each other understand.… Read more →
As frequently happens, life has thrown a perfect scenario for learning into my path and I figured I’d share what I’ve been learning. Last Friday afternoon I was taking a shower in my recently remodeled bathroom. (Now before you get jealous of my new bathroom, let me tell you it was remodeled because my bathroom was filled with water and… Read more →
I had a dream the other night that I was with some children near a house. Suddenly a snake came into the midst. I didn’t know exactly what kind it was, but I knew it was deadly. I started to back up, tripped and fell down. My fall got the attention of the snake and it started pursuing me. I… Read more →
God is a true gentleman. He is an incredible God of mercy and grace. He is patient and his love is unstoppable. All of this sounds great, but there is a flip-side we have to be aware of. Because he is a true gentleman, he will never force you to learn a lesson. He will allow situations to occur… Read more →
Yep – I said it. Fear sucks. I can’t find a better word to describe it. Fear can stop us from doing anything, even the things we desire most to do. Obviously, if something is dangerous, fear is there to protect us. But I have found that fear usually operates in places of my life it has no business being.… Read more →
I have journeyed through my life with a lot of physical pain. I actually don’t have many memories of times in my life when I didn’t have pain. Because it’s so present, I really don’t give it much thought. When the pain is very intense, I realize that it is never really gone. I’ve tried all sorts of things to… Read more →