Easter is just around the corner. When we lived in Venezuela, this whole week was celebrated–kids off school, church retreats, even some businesses closed.  I miss that opportunity for intentional focus on the gospel.  And I don’t want to miss it in my own personal reflections. In the interest of inviting you to ponder the […]

Tags: death, easter, eternal, evil, glory, God, good, hope, joy, resurrection
Filed under: Uncategorized

Before I get into sharing on God’s amazing love, I wanted to say that I haven’t forgotten my promise of three more principles to guide us in facing the mountains in our lives. I said last week that I would write on that this week. And then this morning I realized it’s Valentine’s Day AND […]

Tags: eternal, faithfulness, good, hope, love, real, winsome
Filed under: faith, Forgiveness, grace, humility, Joy, power, redemption

Hannah, wife of Elkanah, barren, distraught, desperate woman, harassed in her grief, but tenacious in her request. Hannah, mother of Samuel, the prophet and priest who fought for Israel’s heart to be turned back to God. Hannah, a God seeker, who wasn’t deterred from praying big. Her story is found in 1 Samuel 1 and […]

Tags: belief, faithful, good, honest, hope, obedience, prayer, promise, trust, wait
Filed under: Uncategorized

I am–no doubt about it–an over achiever. I am driven. I am motivated. I am always busy, always learning, always planning. I think I might be what some people call a “Type A” personality. Usually I’m also pretty efficient, pretty optimistic, pretty excited about all that is going on. I am a glass-half-full kind of […]

Tags: belief, good, health, optimistic, rest, Strength, trust, weary
Filed under: Uncategorized

Psalm 119:74 reads, “May all who fear you, find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your Word.” This prayer of the Psalmist comes just after a series of verses acknowledging how God has allowed difficulties into his life to train and correct him. He admits, “I used to […]

Tags: believe, Christian living, consequences, future, gift, gifts, good, grace, grief, hope, joy, life, sin, Suffering, trust
Filed under: Christian Living, Joy

December 18, 2008–A day with agonizing memories for our family. Nearly six months after the initial warrant and Joel’s police interview, we rushed out the door for school and were met by half a dozen black vehicles and armed federal agents. We had been assured previously by the police officer in charge of the case […]

Tags: delight, faithful, good, joy, pain, redeem, truth
Filed under: Christian Living

The boys and I are memorizing Isaiah 53 together. As we have memorized each verse we have talked about its meaning. This passage, although written in beautiful poetry actually describe the most unjust, heinous crime of all mankind against the only truly innocent Human to ever live.  Verse nine says, “He had done no wrong […]

Tags: faithfulness, good, love, sacrifice
Filed under: Christian Living

One evening in family devos, we were reading about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. (John 11) That story is so precious and chalk full of spiritual insight. It has become one of my favorite portions of Scripture. This time as I read it, I kept thinking about how Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus […]

Tags: belief, good, pain, Suffering, trust
Filed under: Christian Living