Motivation
Fear Has No Hold on You
Today is the second day I find fear circling around me like standing in the eye of a storm. Fear trying to consume me, pull at my heart and plant doubt. My heart guarded itself and walls went up. I pulled back and began to self-protect. That is when I began to see. It was as though through the fear that was ensnaring me I could see the truth. The enemy brought the fear but it was my submission to it and acceptance of it that was going to cause destruction in many areas of my life. If I did …
The Passover Lamb
John 1: 29 “The next day John (the Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” The Lord’s Passover Through Moses, God gave instructions to His people to remember the Passover event. Every year, God’s people would celebrate the Passover in the same manner: selecting the lamb on the 10thday of Nisan; keeping it in their home for 4 days until the 14thday of Nisan; making sure there was no spot or blemish on the lamb; killing the lamb outside the door of their …
No Kissey Kissey, We Went to Bed Mad
Spend a bit of time on Pinterest and you’ll almost always find a bedroom quote that reads “Always Kiss Me Goodnight” or maybe, “Never go to bed angry”… ohhh or even “Love conquers ALL.” So many quotes on so much ship-lap thanks to Mrs. Gaines and HGTV. Guess what – those quotes on that cute ship-lap can go jump in the creek. We went to bed angry! And you guess it, we woke the same! The Mr. seemed to give in and lose most of his immature frustration during the course of the next day; but nooo, not me. I …
God’s Plan Temporarily Interrupted
Scripture: And it grieved God that He had made man. Genesis 6: 1 God had great plans for man when created, and although his sin was not a surprise; perhaps it was a disappointment. He had created man, and sent the flood that destroyed all people on earth except righteous Noah and his family. But as always God had a plan: He told Noah to build an ark and told him exactly how to build it and its dimensions. Then God told him which animals, and other living creatures to take on the ark, and the number to take. We are not told how much time that took, but when …
Motivation
People are motivated by two things: They’re motivated by principle and pleasure, or they are motivated by pain. We create our own jail cells, where bars are made of anger, bitterness, resentment and grudges. What’s the key to all of this? Forgiveness. It’s your choice. Do you want to stay where you are, in misery, or do you want to be free from this state of mind? When we’re hurting it’s only human to want to blame someone else. Quit running away from it. Face the fear. Forgive. Once you forgive, you’re given the opportunity to live an amazing life of …
God’s Map
I recently went shopping with my friend Sara in an Amish town in Indiana. It’s amazing how time away with the friend who knows you the best is like medicine for the soul and was just the refreshment and renewal I needed! Once I got home after a few days full of belly laughs and miles of walking, I thought about the trip. The village where we went shopping, had many stores within walking distance. We were thankful they had maps available to guide us on our mission! We both grabbed a map, but after the first few …
In the Trenches of Grief
I recently lost a cousin of mine to suicide. As you can imagine it was a complete shock not only to his immediate family, but everyone who was ever blessed with his presence. He was a warm-hearted person with a lively spirit. Anyone you ask would say he always had a smile on his face and was a very happy-go-lucky kind of guy. When I first heard of the way he passed, my heart instantly broke! I knew all too well the pain they were feeling. Twelve years ago, I lost my dad to suicide. Twelve years …
Restored and Redeemed: A Marriage Story
We all have a story to tell. I would like to think that mine is not much different than yours, but I know that it probably is. As I think about celebrating 41 years of marriage, I know there was a time that the word “celebration” would not have been a part of my vocabulary in speaking about my life with my sweet, precious, ever patient husband. God knew when I married this man that my relationship with him would be filled with so many ups and downs, so many trials, but also so many joys….and He knew that this …
More Than Head Knowledge
I grew up in the church. Literally, since before I was born, I was in church. My mom sang in the choir, played the piano, taught Sunday school classes, directed Easter and Christmas programs…while she was pregnant, after I was born and through my adulthood. It is very safe to say I spent every extra minute of my time at church, going to church, serving in church, being in church. My parents wanted us to be grounded in God so they made the sacrifice to have my mother teach at small “Christian” schools. Not only was my extra time spent in …
His Faithfulness Remains
I have had the unfortunate opportunity to endure not one, but two, exceptionally difficult ministry experiences. The first one involved me directly while I was working on a small ministry team at a large church. The details aren’t important, but it devastated me at the time. It didn’t change my view of who God was, but it was disheartening to see a ministry leader behave in very ungodly ways that were destructive to me and many others. Eventually I healed, but I didn’t realize that first event was preparing me for things to come. The next ministry falling out also …
