Gaining a heart of wisdom
Sunday Scripture “Don’t go past the birch tree!” I called to my sons whenever they played in the front yard. The boundary gave them plenty of room to play, but kept them well away from the road. We settled disputes over taking turns with a timer–twenty minutes for one brother’s turn and then a quick… Continue reading How Are You Managing the Boundaries in Your Life?
Thirty years ago, I married into a family that celebrated Thanksgiving Day with All-American fervor, featuring a day-long gathering and a loaded table. As the new bride, I was eager to prove that I had what it took to be the holiday hostess. Having done my research, I had planned all the best sides, multiple-choice… Continue reading Gratitude: Look at the Loss and then Give Thanks
Michele would love to share Truth at your next women’s event. She delights in reporting on the lessons in grace that God is leading her through with the goal of equipping women to move forward in knowing God by staying close to His Word. You can expect biblically-based material presented with practical application (and a… Continue reading Speaking
The walls had been rebuilt. The people living in and around the city of Jerusalem had gathered. Along with the fresh aroma of new lumber from Ezra’s wooden platform and his strong voice ringing out over the hum of the crowd, celebration was in the air! Within the barely-renovated city walls of Jerusalem, there was… Continue reading Celebration and Lament
“I’m glad you’re the one reading this,” said the patient husband. He was referring to the tongue-twisting list of names in I Chronicles 5 with all their adjacent vowels and unexpected consonant blends. I could see his point, but, to be honest, I was enjoying the effort of decoding the names and then saying them,… Continue reading Why Read the Lists?
Spare narrative and a stoic reporting of the facts — this is the tone of the Old Testament book of Nehemiah: “So I came to Jerusalem . . .” (Five words about a dangerous two-month, one-thousand-mile journey.) “I wept and mourned for many days.” (Three months!) Based on a careful study of Scripture, Lynn Austin puts… Continue reading Stone by Stone
Whenever I read Psalm 125, I am in awe of this unnamed author’s trusting words: 1-5 Those who trust in God are like Zion Mountain: Nothing can move it, a rock-solid mountain you can always depend on. Mountains encircle Jerusalem, and God encircles his people— always has and always will. (The Message) The image is one… Continue reading A Confident Faith
In a meandering, three-way conversation with far-away friends, we began to ponder the term: just exactly what does it mean to be “reformed”? Without thinking, certainly with no editorial or theological censors in place, I said, “I would, actually, rather say that I’m reforming!” After that conversation, the statement lingered in memory and wafted its way into… Continue reading Just One Thing: Reforming
As an artist, Kelly O’Dell Stanley brings a fresh perspective to her every day living. As a Christian, part of her every day living includes prayer. Praying Upside Down is her road map toward a life in which prayer is not merely an afterthought or a rabbit’s foot. Following the paths of her high school insecurities, her… Continue reading A New Perspective
I’ll admit it. I can be just a teensy bit compulsive about my daily to-do list. Could this be why it does my heart good to see that God has included lists in the Bible? Chapters eleven and twelve of Nehemiah are, essentially, a series of lists: leaders (v. 3); members of the tribes of… Continue reading Just One Thing: Order
