Time? I don’t have time! It often seems that time truly does fly and I find one moment I’m waking up for work on Monday morning and before I blink it is Friday afternoon. So as I think about the word time I hear God teaching about what we don’t have time for. I don’t have time for: The lies of the enemy– His cruel words say ashamed, useless, messed up, washed up, unworthy and more. You fill in whatever it is that haunts your mind. “Set your minds on things above…” Colossians 3: 2 says. If it doesn’t line up with God’s Word about us, we …
You Can Fly
When I was a little girl I thought I could fly. Seriously. I’d stand on the couch and jump and in my youthful imagination I’d sweep around the living room through the air and back to the couch. It was pretty exhilarating and gave me a sense of oh so much freedom. Eventually I quit “flying”. I got older and attributed that ability to fly to my imagination. Oh beloved, God reminds me of youthful flying this morning because He wants you to know your abilities in Christ including flying! Soaring in the Spirit is your birthright as a born …
Unshakable Thanks
We are all on a journey. And as Paul says, we do not travel that journey as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4: 13). We know that we have a Savior sitting at the right hand of the Father who delights in us. We have the Word of God that is living and active. We have the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, giving us gifts to make the best use of our time here on Earth. And we have the fellowship of other believers to offer friendship, prayer, encouragement and council. We have hope, and …
And if not, He is still Good
The dictionary says thankful means “pleased or relieved” or “expressing gratitude and relief.” As I read over the definition right now, I ponder what it really means to me to be thankful? Am I thankful? Do I express gratitude enough in my life? When I think of gratitude or thanksgiving, the first thought that pops in my head are the people and things in my life I am extremely grateful for. Most people would agree, right? I know it was my first thought when I began to write about being thankful. I also wondered how many times a day I …
To Fear or Not?…
This morning started like most others, by getting up begrudgingly and taking on the task of exercising. Or should I say attempting to run again after an injury to my knee….which failed, so I walked instead. Little did I know what was to come. I read a blog post of a friend who titled it “time to quit fighting God”. While I read it, I was in tears. It was an amazing reminder of how often I have fought to keep the easy in my life without regard to what steps I should be taking, probably due to fear. Fear …
Dare to be Fearless
We are all born brave and fearless. From that day on we learn fear as its woven into our belief system. We are told to trust so we fight for it, but somehow cannot control the fear. We feel guilty and ashamed, so we tell each other that some fears are healthy. As we age we also learn that God is love and there is no fear in love, therefore no fear in the presence of God. But then we are taught to be afraid of God: to fear deception from God, to fear sin, to fear falling off …
Moving to HOPE
When you cannot find the light at the end of the tunnel, what is there to cling to? When the daily struggle of life seems too much to bear and you have nowhere to turn, what keeps you going? At the end of the rope, when the covers over your head are too thin to drown out the nastiness of the world, what is your blanket of protection? Sometimes the answers to these questions seem too difficult to think about, and the rainbow at the end of the storm seems too hard to reach. What keeps us moving forward? Growing …
Freedom and Personal Liberty
I am so glad to be born in America. So often I wonder why I was born in a land of so many freedoms, while someone else millions of miles away was born into an area of oppression and hardship. I know things are not always easy here in the US. There is a terrifying and growing slave trade here that rivals any other country. There is poverty, hunger, unemployment, abuse, and many other areas that are keeping America from becoming the amazing place it could be. Comparatively, however, the United States is a pretty great place to live. We …
Not Sick of Slavery
Are you fond of going to the doctor? Or do you wait until the last possible moment? When my mom was living, I always laughed at her because anytime I had the slightest sniffle, she urged me to visit the doctor. My first reaction, though, is usually to wait. Surely, it will go away on its own. Surely, my immune system just needs time to work. Sometimes that rationale worked. But sometimes it didn’t. I remember several times I waited too long and paid a hefty price in pain and discomfort. I think we naturally bear quite a bit before …
Slavery From Blessings
Tears spilled down my cheeks as I choked out, “I’m just so tired.” My writer friends encircling the table didn’t exactly know how to respond at my sudden outburst. I’m sure from all appearances I seemed as though I not only held all the proverbial plates at once but spun them with the skill of a circus performer. But the truth became evident as my eyes grew red. I was crumpling underneath the weight of it all. What is “it,” you ask? Well, that’s an interesting story. Before I even bought my first training bra, I had a desire to …
Oh Pioneer!
While we were hitting the back roads we came upon some campers. Now these campers were in a remote part of the area and had no electricity or running water. It was primitive. We’ve seen these types of campers in this area before. They were probably living in a tent and their vehicle. We didn’t see them at first. We did see their cardboard sign. That’s what made us stop. “Need $5 for cigarettes. Will trade for Firewood.” About the time we got the sign read we saw a woman in a long black dress moving through the thicket …
Stand Firm
Danny’s first visit by a physical therapist involved a belt. It was so colorful. It reminded me of a belt Danny had in the 70’s. The therapist put it around Danny and then they stood up together. Huge victory! He was standing firm. I now find myself having to stand firm. And I realize that it’s in the big mountains of life where we learn to stand the most firmly. Oh beloved, this is no ordinary day. This is the day when you can stand firm in your faith. You can stand for righteousness. You can stand against evil. And …