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When It Just Won’t End!
What else? How long? Have you asked that once or twice in the last couple of years, the last couple of weeks, as I have? Jut about the time things seem to be healing or changing, a variant COVID pops up. Then world events just take our breath away. Add to that personal crises, several friends who are in a health fight for their lives, on and on. Seriously? What’s next?…I guess the same thing that I wrote about so recently in He Speaks, before the last couple of “issues” mentioned above popped up. So this is how that morning a couple of days ago played out as I did…
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Discipleship Today
Last week I shared a post (read What Now? here) asking what you are hearing from women you serve and lead. Many are ready to take a deeper dive into knowing and growing in Christ. Are you ready to lead them well? I am currently leading my 4th D-Group at church since retirement in 2017. Discipleship has always been the core of women’s ministry as far as I am concerned. Of course, the first step is salvation, but that is NOT the final step in a woman’s spiritual journey. She needs women who will shepherd her through the next steps. This was not my experience as a new believer when…
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What Now?
If you lead or disciple women in any way, I want to ask you a question. What are you hearing from them regarding this past year of COVID and all the other issues we all have faced? Here’s some positive things I’ve seen or heard: Yes, there have been many negative responses and experiences as well. People have lost jobs, health, political and social unrest, finances, and the joy of being with people in person. Most of us wearied of online church and zoom meetings. But, for sure, God has been at work in so many lives. Recently, Jim Denison quoted Desmond Tutu in one of his Daily Articles: “Hope…
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Blogs For You!
Often I run across some really relevant blog posts that I like to share with my readers. Today is one of those days! 1. Consider who is speaking into your life as you read Who is Influencing You? from LifeWay Voices and Rachel Sinclair. 2. In seasons like we have been through and continue in right now, hope is sometimes hard to find. This is a great post on ways to recover and keep hope alive. 6 Ways to Preserve Your Hope in 2021 by LifeWay Voices and Yvonne Faith Russell . 3. Our churches want to grow and continue to reach the younger generations. They are leaving the church…
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In the Aftermath
I have loved serving Jesus over the years in the area of women’s ministry. There have been both highs and lows throughout the journey. Often, when I have been on a mountaintop experience or event, not long after (or even during!), there has been a huge valley to walk through. When I should be flying on wings of hope and power and joy, I have felt low and even hopeless. Well, so did Elijah! As I finished Priscilla Shirer’s Elijah this week,I can’t help but write one more post on this amazing study. You can read the first two posts here and here. Why does this happen, to us and…
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Do You Need Courage?
Who knew, when Jennifer Rothschild began writing her Bible study Take Courage, on the Old Testament book of Haggai, how desperately we would need the messages of encouragement for tough times that Haggai preached! No one knew we’d be in the middle of a global pandemic, or that we would have such turmoil in our nation! But God certainly did. Perhaps you have faced difficulty, opposition and discouragement that causes you to question your purpose, especially as you reflect the 12 months we have just lived through. Maybe situations have not turned out like you thought they would, or how you wanted them to. Maybe you are desperately needing encouragement…
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Hold Loosely
Hold what loosely? I’ll get to that! God has taught me SO much over the last year. Retirement 4 years ago gave me more time with the Lord each morning than I’ve ever had before…and I have LOVED it! Retirement also has taught me how to live with my husband of 50 years full time…and it’s not all been pretty since it’s the first time we’ve ever lived together 24/7! You can read about that here in this post, Retired Together…3 Issues and 7 Tips. During pandemic, it’s as though retirement has gone to whole other level. Although we have made so much progress in learning to live together well,…
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Blessed New Year!
I am sure most of us are praying for a different year in 2021 than we had in 2020. But what a perfect time to think about the things God has done THIS year! Yes, among COVID, hostility, politics, loss, cancelled trips and church services, and many other disappointments, there is SO much we can be thankful for. Even with the Christmas day bombing in downtown Nashville (and 3 days without cell or internet service at our home!). Praise that only the bomber was killed and only minor injuries for a couple of police. Shout out for our Nashville police for protecting so many from harm that day, especially as…
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For the Christmas Season
This week I am sharing some helpful blog posts for this time of year. Christmas 2020 may look different for most of us this year. Many are dealing with a variety of situations and concerns. May these posts encourage you as well as provide practical help for making this Christmas all about Christ! If you have some tough relationships that sometimes overwhelm you, Perhaps you or those around you are struggling with grief this year…for any kinds of reason or loss. Check out this post from Josh and Christi Straub Finding Hope Through Grief | An Advent Family Experience from LifeWay Voices. One last one for this week that I…
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He’s In Our Boat!
The banner photo above looks lovely, inviting, serene, peaceful. I would love to be in that boat pictured here. But what about the boats that are in the middle of a storm, waves crashing over the sides? I would volunteer to jump in to the boat for that ride! I recently started the Angie Smith Bible study, Matchless: The Life and Love of Jesus. One of the miracles of Jesus that I studied was one I’m very familiar with. But reading it during the 2020 season we are experiencing, just days after this crazy election, it was a reminder of what I really do know…but needed to consider once more.…
