“Rejoicing in hope.” Romans 12: 12. In this chapter of Romans there is a wonderful list of instruction for us to live godly in Christ Jesus. One of these instructions is to rejoice in hope. How do we do that? How shall we be in hope and then also rejoice in it? I am so glad you asked! We are to rejoice in hope. Rejoice in Greek is chairo and carries the meaning of being cheerful, calmly happy, or well off. This is a place of settled peace and feeling good about what we believe in and stand upon. In …
Finding Joy
It was in the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas, Ft Bliss, that I first met Judy. Perhaps it was the heat, the lack of any color beyond melted butter and toasted cacti, or the distance to the nearest lake that masked the joy of the adventure, but the desert brought out the worst in me. I fell victim to a depleted spirit as we left the lush landscape of Arkansas and the closeness of family for our first duty station at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas. With deployment looming and the day-to-day difficulties of being a mom with three …
God Satisfies Me
Scripture: God Satisfies me with Good Things and my youth is renewed as the eagles. Psalm 103: 5 An eagle is thought to be one of the strongest most fearless of all birds, but It is said when an eagle is about five years old, it begins to lose its feathers and that gives one the appearance of renewed youth. During that process, the bird may look sickly and weak, but when the process is complete, an eagle has the look and feel of renewed strength and power. I’d like to compare elderly believers to the eagle, and will use myself as an example. Although one hundred one …
The Hope
We went to visit my aunt yesterday. She is so ready to go home from rehab. She was sure she was going home today. While we were there, she was convinced that surely tomorrow would be the day. After we left, I got the message that Thursday would be her day. She will be living, hoping and waiting for Thursday. Scripture comes to mind – Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when longing is fulfilled, it is a tree of life. I get it don’t you? Sometimes we can so focus on what’s going on around us that we …
Life’s Storms
The I 30 corridor…not a pleasant phrase when the storms are kicking through in East Texas. I watched them all day yesterday, first one tornado warning and then another. It was the positioning of the storms that gave me pause. So often in the past those East Texas storms would fly up the interstate and cause us problems in Arkansas. At one point I got a text from a precious cousin, whose daughter and husband were on their way to a storm shelter near Texarkana. We prayed together via text and asked God to watch over them. Finally, the storms …
This Hope Does Not Disappoint
It’s hard for me to even type that title. Not because I don’t believe it, but because it overwhelms my soul. You see, it has been a season of crushing disappointment for me and I wonder how many of you can say the same? I was joking with a friend that I was really tired of being surprised. Not, “oh that’s wonderful news!” surprised, but “I can’t believe I didn’t see that coming.” surprised. And it makes me mad at myself for holding on to my last thread of hope that circumstances will be different this time. But that is not …
Anchor of Trust
With our new internet we decided to try tv as well. We have been off the grid with regular channels for quite a few years. Now I love getting to watch home remodeling and such again. But some of those channels now have programs that we just have to avoid. Things have changed on tv. Things are changing in the world as well. But we can’t give up, can we? Just as we pray for our loved ones and friends, so too we keep praying for our country, our leaders and those who wish to destroy our godly heritage. It’s …
Lessons Learned: Abide in the Vine
A Repost from My Journey of Faith Magazine 2016 by Mollie Moncrief Moore that can be applied to your life for this year. Life Can Get Hard 2015 was bookend with bad news for our family. On January 3rd, just after the start of a fresh new year, my oldest son’s good friend died in a car accident. He was 18. In December we found out that my beloved Aunt has stage 4 cancer. She is 58. I have found myself asking “why?” I have prayed for these loved ones and cried with them. I began to be fearful of …
Burden Carriers
A 2016 Repost from My Journey of Faith Magazine by Karina Allen current for today. 2015 was quite the year! There were so many highs and lows I feel like I have spiritual whiplash. There were amazing places I went to and amazing people I met. God opened several doors of opportunity that brought me closer to my calling. Then, there were the rough spots. There were several situations that continued unresolved for months. There were people who betrayed me. There was financial strain and a number of disappointments. One right after another, each circumstance arose. Good and bad, happy …
A Cup of Hope
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15: 13 I had a coffee mug which a dear sister had given to me some years back. The mug was blue and brown and had the word hope on it. Lisa had asked if she could use my mug the first day she arrived. I replied that of course she could. She asked if she could use the mug for the time she would be staying with us. …
Passion for the Hurting
Passion: a noun meaning a strong and barely controllable emotion. What are you passionate about? I believe the area that you are most passionate about is an area that God can use you far beyond anything else. So, what are you most passionate about? What gets you fired up? What keeps you awake at night? When I was thinking about this I thought, “I know exactly what my passion is!” I have a deep passion for hurting women. And the only way I can describe it is to share the reason why. My testimony. It has been a little over …
