Gaining a heart of wisdom
I keep hearing this statistic, and it's like a pebble in my shoe: Regular Scripture reading is the most consistent factor contributing to spiritual health. It ranked higher than anything else, and it makes abundant sense when we realize that God has promised to speak to the believing heart through his Word. Regular Scripture reading… Continue reading Come Close To The Story: A Free Lenten Devotional
As a grownup with no little people living in our house any longer, my task at bedtime is simple and straightforward. I assemble the scattered experiences of a day, including all the moments of distress, puzzlement, or joy. At day's end, everything becomes an offering to the Lord as I simply turn the outcome over… Continue reading Is the Illusion of Control Your Favorite Idol?
When distance separates us from a friend's disaster, when there doesn't seem to be a workable solution to an ongoing problem, we promise to pray. That's what friends and families and church communities do for each other. But sometimes we just don't know what to ask God for. Do we pray for relief or repentance?Do… Continue reading How to Pray for Someone When You Don’t Know What to Pray
How does one live well before God amid life's challenges? Most of our decisions have to be made on the fly—like taking a test we haven't studied for! Sometimes, the wise course of action is hard to discern, and making a call is impossible until the choice and its consequences are already in the rearview… Continue reading 2 Reading Strategies to Get Wisdom from the Word
In declaring war against evil, it's the thoughts, the ordinary workings of our mind, that send us veering off course. These are the thoughts of one ordinary Christian woman in the twenty-minute drive home from church on an ordinary Sunday: She stews over a comment made during the meet-and-greet and plans a subtle stab for… Continue reading How Can the Church Understand and Resist Evil?
My number one, life-long recurring dream has high school band as its setting. I'm playing the French horn in the front row during a concert. It's lovely, and all is well until I remember... The French horn is not my instrument. I don't know the first thing about how to play the French horn! Needless… Continue reading Have You Talked Yourself Out of Trusting God?
We've all experienced the dissonance of prayers that seem to go unanswered and struggled to understand why God behaves in ways or allows outcomes that seem incomprehensible to us. Bible scholars throughout history have advocated for a position of "holy indifference" to preside over our feelings when we're disappointed with the will of God. Indifference… Continue reading Why the Painful Struggle to Accept the Will of God?
Last year, I started reading through the Old Testament book of Ezekiel with a friend. Initially, I dreaded the project, my only other exposure to the eccentric prophet having been my annual flyovers, gulping down three or four chapters at a time in a hurry to get to the end. This slow read has been… Continue reading Even After Everything, Will You Make The Choice To Trust?
When you’re five years old, baking cookies with your Sunday school teacher at her house on a Saturday morning is just about the best thing in the world. The moment I arrived to pick up my son, I could tell by his beaming face that he had enjoyed every minute of the baking, the snacking,… Continue reading Little People with Big Feelings: 5 Strategies For Emotionally Healthy Kids
Since April 2024, a story has been unfolding very vividly in my home, in our family, and, therefore, in my life. I've held it close, not sharing it here, but the story ended on December 5th, and I've had some time to process its impact. Back in April, a dear friend was diagnosed with advanced-stage… Continue reading Get Wisdom: It’s a Worthy Pursuit for 2025
Living Our Days 