Struggle and Loss
-
Sun and Clouds Together
I love all beach sunrises, even gray days, because…well, we’re at the beach. But my absolute favorite is a combination of sunshine AND clouds.There’s just nothing quite like the beauty of seeing the colors as sunshine peeks through the clouds. Only a creator God can design this kind of beauty. As I watched these views, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the beauty that comes through the sunny joy filled days AND the gray seasons of life as well. Romans 5:3-5 reminds us that … we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope…
-
A Reminder After the Storm
During our beach trip this year, we kept our eye on not one but two hurricanes. One landed in Louisiana (Francine), the other in Tallahassee (Helene), about 3 weeks apart. There is another one brewing that could also land on the Gulf coast, but we will be home by the time it arrives. After the eye of Hurricane Sally went right over us in 2020, we are much more cautious about any category hurricane anywhere close by. Around 36 hours after hurricane Helene made landfall, destroying so much and taking over 225 lives in several states (at the time of writing this), I awoke to the most amazing sunrise we’d…
-
Getting Through the Muck
After a month at the beach, you can expect Beach Lessons in my posts! Here’s the first. This year we had a some seaweed just beyond the shore. If it’s out a ways, I don’t mind walking in the shallow water. But walking on and through wet, grassy gunk is not something I enjoy. But, what’s just beyond the seaweed? From the 18th floor balcony of our rental, I get a great look at the clear water beyond the dark mucky stuff. There is a sand bar out beyond as well. It’s shallow enough to stand on and draws many, including me at times, especially when it is clear and…
-
Be Alert to Satan’s Tactics
My pastor is preaching through Revelation this year and as we got to chapter 12, we studied John’s vision of spiritual warfare in the heavens and the earth. Another quote from my favorites list (see past posts) is by one of my former presidents at LifeWay, Thom Rainer, who said, Satan has a simple agenda…to keep people lost. But another tactic of his is to keep saved people ineffective as disciples. Pastor Robby Gallaty recommended a book by C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, and since I hadn’t read it, I ordered a copy. It truly exposes how subtle the devil is and how naive we can be about how…
-
Something Better
Unanswered prayer. A loss you can’t wrap your head around. A betrayal from someone you thought loved you. A life threatening health diagnosis. How do you handle this type of experience? My answer would have to be: different ways at different times and in different life phases. Even when I struggle to hold on to hope, my goal is to find a way to trust what I know is true about the Lord’s love and faithfulness. George Muller once said, Our heavenly Father never takes anything away from His children unless He means to give them something better. Priscilla Shirer prays it this way: God give me what I ask…
-
Cast…Because He Cares
How many times has someone said something, or you read a quote, and it stopped you in your tracks? I love to read and I read a lot! I also love to listen to podcasts and attend conferences to continue to grow as a person and especially as a follower of Christ. Years ago I began collecting quotes so I wouldn’t lose them and decided to share these on my blog in a new series I’m calling Favorite Quotes. So, here is the first: If God cares for you, why need you care too? Can you trust Him for your soul and not for your body? He has never refused…
-
Hope…Earthly or Eternal?
Do you hope it will rain this week like we do? We were drenched all spring, and are now totally dry! Do you have a hard relationship you hope to fully restore? Do you hope you get a big raise soon? Do you hope the doctor’s diagnosis will change when you return for follow up? All of these are good things to hope for. We should hope, and pray, for these things. But, the reality is, we may or may not get what we hope for. For a believer, hope takes on a deeper level of meaning. Complete hope is fulfilled in eternity. Nothing good will be held back. Every…
-
From Garden to Garden
In finishing up my current D-group with a special celebration, we discussed the end of the Bible as we read through Revelation. I’m not surprised anymore by new things God reveals through reading His Word over and over. Sometimes it’s something completely new to me, or understood at a deeper level. Other times, it’s a timely reminder of something I already knew. That’s what happened as I read Revelation 21-22 this time. My thoughts turned to the idea of “garden to garden.” What was revealed through John’s revelation was an indescribable new heaven and earth. Similar to the newness the original garden was to Adam and Eve, the new garden…
-
Texas Legacy Tour Part 2: Tearing It Down
As I begin part two of this Texas Legacy Tour Series, I can’t help but reflect back on the biggest shock I had.(Please read to Part 1 if you haven’t read.) I grew up in Houston and lived in a home from 6th grade until I married at 19. Eleven years ago, I was in Houston for a convention and drove out to the location. Thinking it might be less than I remembered, or run down, I was pleasantly surprised that it looked as good, maybe even better than when I lived in it! They even got grass to grow in a shady spot my dad never been able to…
-
Texas Legacy Tour Part 1: The Trip Begins
Perhaps it’s my age, although I’m not old! It’s a state of mind more than chronological years! But I think back over my life a lot these days. One of the items on my retirement bucket list got checked off last week. I wanted to make a trip back to Texas where we had a lot of history. My husband was born and raised in Texas and I grew up there. We met, fell in love and married in Texas. Our parents were born and are buried there. It’s also where we spent the first 25 years of our married life, became parents and raised our daughters. It’s also where…
