Trial
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Who Said It Would Be Easy?
When my husband and I surrendered to ministry, our lives became harder than ever before. Everything started breaking, including cars, furniture and appliances—big stuff on a very limited budget. We began to question whether or not God really called us to full time ministry. Shouldn’t it be easy to follow Jesus, especially since we were committing our family and vocations to His work? We only have to read the book of Job to answer “no” to the title question. In reading Disappointment With God by Philip Yancey I was stunned as he reminded us God never told Job what was happening behind the scenes. Job never knew about the bet…
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Grateful for Sacrifice
What a blessing to be a recipient of those who fought for our freedom and gave their lives. As we remember families who also paid the price for their lost military loved ones, let’s pray for them, express gratefulness for loved one, and thank God for using each one to protect our freedom. Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash Banner photo by Ludovic Gauthier on Unsplash
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What I Fear
What are your greatest fears? It’s not often I’ve feared for my life but several memories remind me I’ve had a few. Traveling home from Belize with one of my 10 year old twins as we flew through a terrible storm was terrifying. I was not sure we would make it safely back to Houston. Once in a hotel while traveling for work, someone tried to enter my room. Coming out of a dead sleep I instinctively screamed at the top of my lungs, “Get out!” Last December, there was this ride…and I love big, fast rides. Not this one! For the first time I got off vowing “Never, ever,…
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The Upside of a Struggle
The disappointment, the losses, the failures, the fears, the betrayals, the waiting and waiting. Why? What good is this in the life of a believer?? I’ve asked these questions many times. If I do get an answer to one, it’s not usually the one I want. It took 8 long painful years praying before the Lord brought restoration in a family relationship. But one thing I have learned over the years, nothing is ever wasted. The Lord uses it all. Scripture tells us: We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he…
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Are You Blooming? Update
I blogged last July after purchasing a colorful new deck flag that said Bloom Where Your Are Planted. This year as I was looking at that flag for a second spring season, I was also reading 1 Corinthians with my D-Group and discovered something I’ve missed in the past. Three times Paul says basically the same thing: Whatever circumstances God has called you into, stay in it! Check out 1 Corinthians 7:17, 20 and 24. This made me ponder the message of my flag. The current life circumstances are by design and I must stay in them, at least for now! I am currently reading a book by Lisa…
