• Spiritual Growth,  Struggle and Loss,  Test,  Trial,  Waiting

    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…

  • Spiritual Growth,  Struggle and Loss,  Test,  Trial,  Waiting

    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…