My husband and I sat across the table at a steakhouse from one of my best friends and her husband. She was barely able to make it through the meal due to morning sickness. I was barely able to make it through the meal due to despair. My heart ached for what she had growing inside of her. Although my husband and I hadn’t been trying for a baby for all that long, it seemed like forever. My greatest fear was that my mom’s seven-year struggle to conceive would be my heartache as well. I tried …
Who are we pleasing?
A thought has been in my mind for quite some time. A thought that seems to judge, but I am just as guilty. A thought about parenting, about the past, about what my spirit is teaching, and about what I am learning… a thought about truth. You see I look around and see. I see more deeply than before. I see what my past has done to me; the thoughts, the inescapable connections in my brain that have been hard wired because of a choice or a thought, whichever it may be, that occurred a long time ago. Sometimes I …
Embracing the Hem of His Garment
“Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years, and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped.” Luke 8:43-48 For twelve long years, she bore the weight of her affliction, seeking solace from countless physicians but finding no remedy. She stood at the crossroads of despair, yearning for an elusive change. Can you relate, dear friend, to feeling trapped in a cycle where every day resembles …
Embracing God’s Affirmation of Worthiness
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 In the depths of our hearts, we often yearn to believe that we are worthy of receiving the abundant blessings God has in store for us. We desire to see breakthroughs and victories, to witness our dreams take flight, and to be surrounded by goodness in every aspect of life. Yet, the journey can be filled with setbacks, rejections, and an overwhelming chorus of “no” …
A Day of Soul Stretching Exercise With Jesus
Reflections From Corinne’s Garden Magnifying the Light of Jesus in our Daily Lives Day 4 – A Day of Soul Stretching Exercises with Jesus “I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. “ John 8:12, NET As we move closer to the end of this week I want to look at what it means to stretch our souls. 2 Peter 1:5-8 enlightens us with ….”.In every effort to respond to God’s promises supplement your faith with a generous portion of moral excellence”……….When I …
Hannah
Women of Strength Hannah 1 Samuel 1:1 -2:21 The story of Samuel, the last Judge of Israel, cannot be told without mentioning his mother, Hannah. She was one of two wives of Elkanah and was childless, which caused Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife, to ridicule Hannah. This left Hannah bereft and desperate. One day Hannah went with her husband to the temple to pray and offer a sacrifice. Overcome by her grief, she stood up and began to pray to the Lord for a son. She promised God that she would dedicate the child in service to him. She prayed silently, …
Faith
There have been seasons in my life when time seemed to stand still. Anxious to see a situation turn around, yet all was quiet from God. But I pressed on. I trusted Him in everything. Things may not have happened in my timing and that’s ok. My God is a God of miracles. I’ve seen it before and I know I’ll see them again. Faith is so important because it is the means by which we have a relationship with God. Having faith in Jesus Christ means relying completely on Him—trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love. It includes …
Finding Faith
“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” – Matthew 17:20 To have faith means that you have a full belief and trust in knowing that something will work out for the good. This could be having faith that you’ll get chosen for a promotion at work, having faith that the pregnancy test you just took will come back positive, or having faith that the …
Churches Should Be Model for Others
While We Wait for Christ’s Return – Our Churches Should be Models for Others Not only are individuals held accountable for how we live, but churches are accountable for their testimony in their communities. “We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, since your faith is flourishing and the love each one of you has for one another is increasing.” II Thess. 1:3 How would you rate the church’s relationship with God? Is faith continuing to grow? Is your church consistently trusting God? How would you rate relationships within the church? Is love increasing? …
You’re No Conditional Winner With Christ
Sometimes I sign up to win stuff. LOL Especially if it’s something that gives a prize that is useful. Like a pickup truck or a vacation. There was one I was looking at that had prizes from our state, so I was especially interested. I clicked the link and then the form to fill out. So far so good. Then I saw that you had to “join” to submit your entry. Okay, it was a good cause for sure. But you also had to pay a membership fee to enter. Okay, the fees go for a great cause …
Faith
Faith Reading: James 2:14-26 Faith is the act of believing in something or someone when you have no concrete proof of existence or that the person will follow through with their promises. Hebrews 11:1 tells us faith is the essence of our hope, the evidence of the unseen. Having faith is so easy, even a child could do it. In Luke 18:16-17, Jesus tells his disciples that to enter the kingdom of God, people must have faith as a child would. The key word in the above definition of faith is “act.” It’s one thing to say we believe something, …
Walk Out Into The New Year
On New Year’s Day morning I walked out to my car barefoot. In December. Unbelievable and yet that’s just what I did. Oh beloved, maybe you didn’t walk out to your car barefoot. But you are walking into this New Year without hesitation. Your feet are shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. You don’t have to stop and make preparation. Even though thorns and stones are out there, you are fully covered by Christ. It’s time that God’s people walk like God’s people. Peace is your birthright. Even though you may have much you feel you should …