Jeremiah 17:7-8 “the man who trusts in the Lord …does not fear when heat comes.” In 2001, our family visited Yellowstone National Park. We were stunned to learn that in 1988 almost 800,000 acres of the park—36%—had been ravaged by a forest fire. No tree was affected more than the Continue Reading…
John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” One time I was babysitting for a family in our church and had an interesting experience with then two year-old Claire. The parents were ready to go out for the evening, but before leaving, Continue Reading…
Hebrews 3:7-8 “…Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts…” How many of you have been wounded by unmet expectations? Hit by a mischaracterization of who you are? Have you ever had a relationship explode in front of you? Have you experienced disappointment so strong that it Continue Reading…
Isaiah 61:1 “…He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted….” Not long ago I had the opportunity to fly to Colorado Springs for a conference. I was excited to be heading back to Colorado. I had attended graduate school at the University of Colorado and worked there a year Continue Reading…
1 John 3:1 “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.” High school cheerleader. Colorado flower child (sort of). “Bleeding-heart liberal.” “Compassionate conservative.” Wife. Stay-at-home Mom. Professional. Born-again Christian. Worst of sinners. Anyone ever experience an identity crises? Our Continue Reading…
2 Samuel 2:29 “You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.” Not long ago, I woke up one morning with the word penumbra on my mind. I had actually dreamed about the word. What made it even stranger was that I had no idea of Continue Reading…
Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” The results of a recent study conducted on senior citizens captured my attention. When asked whether there was anything they would change if given the opportunity to live their lives over again, three answers dominated the responses: Continue Reading…
Psalm 52:8: “I am an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever.” I didn’t know quite what to expect when the Lord led me to a quaint little town on Lake Erie to spend an uninterrupted week of writing. I Continue Reading…
1 Corinthians 13: “…But the greatest of these is love.” We hear a lot these days about extremist groups—Islamic extremists, right-wing extremists, environmental extremists—over 250 separate groups, worldwide, have been accounted for. Although characterized by passion for their various causes, their radicalism is most often defined by hatred. In fact, Continue Reading…
Psalms 69:1 “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.” Have you ever gotten yourself into situations that were clearly “over your head?” You thought you could handle whatever it was but as time went on you realized you were drowning in your efforts. Maybe, Continue Reading…