As a young girl I loved sour things. Rhubarb, green apples, dill pickles, gooseberries, black raspberries and cherries, but I especially loved to eat lemons. My parents had a fit claiming that I would get sick or get a belly ache from all of those sour things. Eating them in abundance never seemed to bother me, and no doubt they were more nutritious than the typical diet of today.
Read MoreHave you ever been disappointed when you volunteered for an event or production, and you imagined yourself playing a significant role, only to find out that you were assigned to help clean the toilets and take out the trash? It is so easy to build imaginations and expectations of how our lives will be, and the type of role we will play. Often, those thoughts include God using our lives in ways we view as important and valued by others in our circles.
Read MoreAs we were traveling back from a Youth Conference in Tennessee, I looked out my window and saw a sign posted on a tree that said, “Don’t forget Jesus.” When I saw that sign, I thought to myself how many times do I forget about Jesus. Jeremiah 2:32 says, “Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire?
Read More“Make lemonade!” That’s cute… And a great go to saying.. but what if God doesn’t want lemonade? What if He wants lemon meringue pie?
Life isn’t always sweet. Sometimes it’s sour. And confusing.
As teens, you are constantly being asked:
“What’s your plan?”
Read MoreHave you ever planned to talk to someone and in your mind, you plan out how the whole conversation is going to go? I’m going to say this and then they’re going to say that, and then I’ll come back with the other thing and on it goes. Then you get into the conversation and the other person goes completely off-script and you can’t understand what happened! That was not the way it was supposed to go! The conversation didn’t meet your expectations.
Read MoreWE are called to love as Christ loves, and this often means stepping outside our comfort zones. Luke 6:32 reminds us: “For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.” The true test of our faith is how we love those who may not love us back, who may challenge our patience, or who may even wrong us or may have already wronged us.
Read MoreI can’t even imagine how God feels about our normal. I imagine tears in His eyes and a broken heart when I think of Him seeing how we live. Sadly, we give God so little when He has given us so much!
Read MoreDid you sing this song yesterday? I am sure that you, like me, are still rejoicing in His resurrection following yesterday’s services, congregational singing, special music, and all the emphasis that was given to Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. It is, after all, what the Gospel is all about!
Read MoreLet's talk about OUR words and their effects. Words have the power to build up or tear down, to encourage or discourage, to glorify God or grieve Him. Proverbs 18:21 reminds us: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Our speech reflects what is in our hearts and can be a powerful witness for Christ or a stumbling block for others.
Read MoreEnvy wants to take another's blessing for themselves. Envy wants others to fail if its host can't succeed. Envy seeks to take what it thinks it deserves. Envy is angry and sad that someone else has something that it wants.
Read MoreHave you ever seen a mom who is crying and bemoaning the fact that her child is growing up? I’m not talking about looking back and remembering how cute their chubby cheeks were or missing them when they leave home. I’m talking about literal sorrow that they will be leaving her and her life will be over. My husband and I remind ourselves (especially me!) often that our children are not ours. They are the Lord’s. The end goal is to see them enter adulthood with a true love for the Lord and a plan to serve him with their lives. That means they will leave. Parenting isn’t about making ME happy, it’s about God’s glory.
Read MoreWhen I was younger, I thought it was only “old people” that talked about birds. My grandma knew most every species and their calls – the chirp of a sparrow, the whistle of a robin, the coo of a dove, the squawk of a goose. And when she heard their calls, her eyes would light up as she described them to me. At the time, I didn’t pay much attention, assuming that when I was “old” I would appreciate it more.
Read MoreMy prayer is that we get involved in our church's soul winning programs. If you're nervous, that's ok, just find a lady that goes regularly and ask to be their silent partner as you learn.
If your church doesn't have one,
get some tracts (I love the smiley face ones!) and hand them out when you're shopping. I have multiple friends who were saved from a gospel tract!
God often times has put people in my life that were faithful to God and gave me good
advice and were a great blessing in my life.
Read MoreLadies, if you are walking through depression or anxiety today, remember this: You are not alone. God sees you; He loves you, and He is with you. His peace is available to you.
Read MoreIn this most precious relationship, God is gently and continually helping me to untangle the mental weights I’ve picked up through my life and anchor my heart and mind in a healthier perspective on this “one thing.” Choosing that good part is often easy; following through is where we often fail. Here are a few areas I see women struggle and give up on their “one thing.”.
Read MoreThere is a place that our family loves to go. It is a little island off the coast of Georgia called Blackbeard Island. It is breathtaking with its views, untouched by man. The only way you can access this island is by boat and boy is it worth it!
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I am sure Mary shed tears in fear for her Son, our Savior. The Bible mentions the tears of Rachel for those innocent babies that were taken in Herod's wrath. I am sure Mary wept for them as well.How much time do I take to spiritually prepare? Oh, not specifically for the day we celebrate our Saviour's birth. But how much time do I take to prepare my heart to read God's word... to go to church... to listening to Sunday school... to listening to a message from the Lord in the way of preaching... to go soul-winning? Preparing on purpose!
Read MoreOf all of the reasons we hesitate to go “all in” with the Lord, I think the story of the Woman at the Well is the biggest reason. She couldn’t understand why HE as a Jew would even think about asking her as a Samaritan for water! Did He even know who she was? Of course, He did! He is Jesus.
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