I was playing the piano while our community group sang “We Three Kings” at a local retirement home. The children had just acted out a portion of the Christmas story, crooked little halos and all. Little Calvin, one of my charming grandsons, eager to help me play, was whisked away from the piano by his daddy. I had mixed feelings about coming back to this home. This was where my […]
Read More →Category: Encouragement
“What sins?”
“We need to hear that the sins we cannot forget, God cannot remember.” Tullian Tchividjian I love this quote. I need to remind myself of this every day. I need to believe it. I need to act on it. My sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus. Praise God. “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25).
Read More →Jesus Wins!
Last month, I went on a trip to India, along with my brother and sister and a group from our church. We spent twelve days serving along side the Bengali Christians at the Grace Community Centre in Kolkata. The first two days were spent teaching computer and English classes and helping with GCC’s daycare ministry. A leaky boat then took us on a three-day excursion to the Sundarban Islands, stopping […]
Read More →Stop and Wonder
“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14) And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. The One who caused the world to exist, the One who sustains it by His power, the One who spoke us into being — He became flesh. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. The Maker was made. The Word that spoke everything into existence, was conceived by the Holy […]
Read More →Thirty (One) Days in Philippians 2 for Busy, Busy Mamas, Day 31: More Study Ideas!
For those of you who didn’t join our study on Philippians 2, this is our last study post, and then we’ll be back on our regular twice-a-week posting schedule! Thanks for your patience! I love doing our 30-Days studies together (even if it means literally falling asleep over the computer several nights this past month!). It’s exciting to see how much is right there in the text when we start digging […]
Read More →Thirty Days in Philippians 2 for Busy, Busy Mamas, Day 30: Paraphrase and Personalize, plus a Giveaway!
Today is our last day studying Philippians 2 together. 🙁 It’s time to put what we’ve learned into action. Assignment: Pray that God will work in you to will and to do His good pleasure — giving you understanding, a desire to obey, and the power to do what He has called us to do. To finish up our study, let’s write a personalized paraphrase of a portion of Philippians 2. Read Philippians […]
Read More →Someday . . .
As immersed as I’ve been in Philippians 2 for the last few weeks, I couldn’t help but think of verses 5-11 yesterday as I drove down the freeway. I was heading east. Not a single car was driving on the westbound side of the normally busy road. But on the shoulder, for literally miles, hundreds of police cars and emergency vehicles made their way to a coliseum to honor the […]
Read More →One Thing Is Necessary
I can identify with Martha. How about you? Take a minute to read this short account of Martha and her sister from Luke 10:38-42. Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him […]
Read More →He Delights in Us — Now
Motherhood’s a challenge. How many mothers can say when they finally fall into bed, that they’ve made it through the day without sinning? Our patience wears thin with those who keep needing us. We snap at someone who has asked the same question too many times . We feel sorry for ourselves when no one seems to notice what we do, or when they undo what we did. We look […]
Read More →What Am I Doing When I Complain?
“Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD.” (Exodus 16:8, ESV) I have to confess. I complain. People aren’t perfect, and for some silly reason I often seem to think they should be. The circumstances of my life aren’t perfect either. They’re tainted by the effects of sin in the world. But still I find myself thinking that my life should be peaceful and challenge-free. When people and […]
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