God, hear my cry; pay attention to my prayer. I call to you from the ends of the earth when my heart is without strength. Lead me to a rock that is high above me, for you have been a refuge for me, a strong tower in the face of the enemy. I will dwell in your tent forever and take refuge under the shelter of your wings. Selah Psalm 61:1-4 ...
She was sharing her first-time visitor experience at our church. “I remember seeing your hair,” she told me. “It was so warm and inviting, and so I followed your hair right into the church!” I smiled. Her recollection transported me back to the 1998 reflection in my mirror. There I stood, in front of the vanity, in my one bedroom apartment, ...
The pumpkins are still on the porch, but the Christmas train is already picking up speed. If your family is anything like mine, plans are already being made for dinners and parties. If your grocery store or craft store is anything like mine, turkeys and candy canes showed up the minute they put away the unsold school supplies. If your DVR is ...
Loving other people can feel like stepping across a field of land mines sometimes. Perhaps this is truest of all online. Politics. Social issues. The latest offense at school or work or the fast-food drive-through. It’s all there. Angry words, sharp-pointed opinions, the shrapnel of bitterness and envy. Why do we do this to each other? I’ve come ...
So, I'm newly thirty-nine, and I thought I was okay. I was okay, until I wasn't. I recently sat in my car and sobbed for a while. I was overcome with hopelessness and grief. I had just come from a sweet friend's concert. She did an amazing job. She loves Jesus and is super talented. Her journey to where she is in her life and career has not been ...
I’d had enough. I sat alone, curled up in a corner with my knees to my chest. I didn’t know how I could continue like this. I had done everything I was supposed to do: I was praying, I was reading the Bible, I was going to church and serving in ministry. I felt like I had given God all I had and still had come up empty. I wanted to ...
I came across an old journal while unpacking from a recent move, and my breath caught in my throat. Life is full of surprises and changes, ups and downs, and a whole lot of days somewhere in between. This particular notebook has moved with me from place to place many times, and I’m certain that one day I’ll pack it up again and bring it along ...
Sometimes in the midst of struggle, it’s hard to remember that worry from fear won’t change anything. I know in my heart that faith is the opposite of fear, that if I go on with my worrying, it means I am not trusting God. I know He is ahead of me on this. He knows what’s happening, He knows what will come ahead. He does not want me to live in ...
The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart — not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always ...
In the middle of Aldi’s frozen food aisle, I did church. Right in between the tater tots and frozen peas, I almost missed it, but I’m so grateful I didn’t. I've spent the last few years studying the theology of hospitality, and I’ve begged the Holy Spirit to heighten my awareness on the topic. After four decades of following Him, I’m having my ...
