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From Torment to Worship
When I was in my early 20’s, the Lord took me off the fence of faith to show me how to walk more closely to Him as His disciple. Though I still struggle and fall short in so many ways, that began a journey in discipleship that continues to this day, and the drive behind my heart in women’s ministry. In my study of Mary Magdalene through the LifeWay Women’s Devoted Bible study, I was struck by the contrast this woman lived as she went from being tormented by 7 demons to worshiping Jesus (Mark 16:9). We shouldn’t be surprised because, isn’t that what we also experience through salvation? Aren’t…
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Sand Traps of Life
While at the beach, my husband and I watched a man hitting golf balls (probably the plastic kind) toward his kids in the water. I said, “That’s a great way to learn how to hit a ball out of a sand trap.” To which my husband replied, “The goal is not to get in the sand trap in the first place.” (FYI, I am NOT a golfer!) My next thought, and the first thing that popped out of my mouth was, “Yeah, but how else would you learn to hit one out of a sand trap if you’d never been in one?” My mind began rolling and ended up with this…
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Gratitude In ALL Things
I recently had the privilege of writing an article for LifeWay Women’s The Reference Desk department. The topic was “gratitude.” The timing of the request was designed by God, as it was during a really tough few weeks. Gratitude was not overflowing, but I desperately needed it! I was forced to look at my heart as I studied in preparation for writing this article, and as I prepared to teach my life group using the study Grateful. Banner photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
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The Changing Landscape
Each morning while at the beach, my hero husband goes down early to claim our spot on the beach. Each day, where he puts our chairs changes a little. We’ve watched the changes as the surf has gone from calm to strong. When we first got here, the beach was level at the shore. Easy to roll our beach buggy onto. But as the waves got choppier, we began to see a “cliff” form at the shoreline. We talked about how it will be harder to be beachfront with that drop off. I love watching thees shoreline changes each day. One morning the attribute of God I was focusing on was…
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Just Below the Surface
As I write this my husband and I are on an extended time away from home. We don’t live here, but the beach is our home away from home every chance we get. Our time here began a bit sad as I wondered what God was doing. The first couple of days we were here, I saw only a handful of dolphins. It was in the morning as I sat on the balcony spending time with Jesus. The dolphin sometimes jump and spin and are very obvious. Today, they were only showing their fins once in a while. It was a quiet and slow movement and I had to watch…
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When God Says No
I am typically upbeat and optimistic, but after this past hard season of loss, I have found myself struggling to find my normal happy self. I even felt some depression which is rare for me. And, this isn’t the first hard season I’ve faced! But this time, when I prayed for God to work a certain way, He said no. That hurt, a lot. So, would I still trust Him? Would I still walk in the truth of Romans 8:28-30? Would I say, His love and goodness are still true? Where would I focus my eyes and look for what sustains in the “even ifs” of life? For a couple…
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I’m Not That Bad! Part 2
The best part of experiencing conviction from the Lord, is the result when we repent…restoration. So let’s conclude this line of thought from last week with that beautiful gift He gives us. If you missed last week’s post, please read back to Part 1 . In Isaiah 38, we see what happens when Hezekiah, who was stricken with a deadly illness, prayed for God’s healing. As God extended his life, he wrote a poem. “Indeed, it was for my own welfare that I had such great bitterness; but Your love has delivered me from the Pit of destruction, for You have thrown all my sins behind Your back (Isaiah 38:27).…
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I’m Not That Bad! Part 1
I’ve noticed as I have aged and grown spiritually, the Lord is quicker to get my attention to sin in my life. My toes stay sore most of the time as He steps on them in conviction. Repentance is a daily ongoing activity! The more I learn about Christ and understand the depth of His holiness, the more I am aware of how far I am from it. I desire it but continue to miss the mark. What triggers awareness of sin in your life? What do you do to stop at the trigger before allowing the temptation to become sin? If we do not know the Word, our awareness…
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Timing is Everything
I often write about waiting, and God’s timing not usually matching mine. But throughout scripture we see evidence that God always has a plan, and His plan is always perfectly timed. In Genesis 21, after waiting basically a life time desiring to become a mother, Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time God had told him (Genesis 21:2). The year was perfect for Isaac to be born. The next Israelite patriarch was born and it fit completely into God’s big redemption timeline. The timing for Isaiah’s vision of God seated on His throne was specific as well. God was calling…
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Waiting with Patience?
I’m not necessarily a patient person. I applaud those who are. Tending to work fast on most anything, I am a “get’er done” kind of gal. Waiting in line, waiting on answers, and well…just waiting in general, is REALLY hard! This year the Lord directed me to memorize Romans 8. My verses for this week are 24-25. The context is how we were saved through our hope in Christ and now we eagerly wait for our full redemption when Jesus returns and makes all things new. Read back a few verses in your Bible, or better yet, the entire chapter to get a better look at the context. My post…
