-
Simply Praying
Last week, on January 1, I found myself reflecting on the past year. I remembered sweet moments and hard seasons, times of questioning and wondering, and times of being settled and still. There were moments of lament and joy, anger and comfort—all woven together through the days of 2025. I imagine you experienced many of these emotions too. Several friends of mine are currently walking through extremely difficult seasons. Many of them live far away, so I can’t physically sit with them. But they are never far from my heart, and certainly never far from my prayers. I’ve committed to praying continually for them during these challenging days. My heart…
-
Facing Your “What-Ifs”
Kay Arthur was one of the most influential Bible teachers of our time—especially for women. For years, she stood out as one of the few who not only taught Scripture deeply but also equipped women to study the Bible inductively for themselves. Her impact is still being felt, and with her recent passing, many are reflecting on how her teaching shaped their spiritual journeys. One of Kay’s most memorable quotes has stayed with me: Wise words—but easier said than done, right? I’d hate to count how many times a day I worry first and then remember that the Lord is with me and promises to meet my needs. Still, there…
-
Thieves of Peace
Have you ever had something of yours stolen? When I was in 3rd grade, my family came home from out of town to find our house had been robbed. It was a house with an attic that could be accessed in the garage or the house and you could go from one end to the other once inside. I made my dad get up there to look to make sure the thief wasn’t hiding there! After that, I was never again comfortable in that house. I was glad when we moved away within a year! Not only were my silver dollars and $2 bills taken, so was my sense of…
-
His Salvation…My Worship
When I first accepted Christ as my Savior, I really didn’t understand all it encompassed. But at that point, I took all I understood about Jesus and said, Yes! to Him. It wasn’t until I was personally discipled several years later I really learned how to grow as I read His Word myself and got to see who He really is. His attributes were more than I earlier imagined. The apostle Paul grew quickly after His salvation. If you want a full dive into the doctrine of salvation, just read through the book of Romans he wrote. Perhaps because Jesus had so radically turned Paul’s life around—from persecutor of Christians…
-
If There Is Any Other Way
Sunday morning we celebrated Easter, so in this follow up post, I want to share something I was reminded of a few days before Easter Sunday. As I ponder Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, the agony He experienced, I am reminded through the study Navigating Gospel Truth (check last week’s post for more details) of His pain. Author Rebecca McLaughlin took us back to Jeremiah 25:15-29 to show us His agony wasn’t primarily the pain and shame of the cross. That was difficult enough of course! But it was the fact that He would carry the wrath of God for sin so that we don’t have to. This was…
-
Behold!
As so often happens by “design providence,” I’m flooded with all things Spring and Easter. I’m soaking up every warm sunny day I can. I wrote about spring last week in Hope that Spring Brings. All I can think is, “Behold Him, the one who became our sacrificial lamb once and for all time.” I just finished reading the gospels with my D-group as we’ve journeyed through the Bible chronologically since January 2023. I’ve also been reading a couple of Easter devotionals. Then a couple of weeks ago, I started the study Navigating Gospel Truth by Rebecca McLaughlin. She does such a great job comparing and contrasting the 4 Gospels…
-
Complete Control
I love studying about God’s sovereignty because it’s truth no matter the situation I’m experiencing. Knowing He is in control over every single thing is where my hope lands, along with His return, and my eternity in His presence. Elizabeth Woodson has put together a wonderful study, From Beginning to Forever, overviewing the entire Bible in 8 sessions! It’s a wonderful and quick way to get the “whole story.” And it will send you back wanting to learn more about the connections the make up this one story of redemption we see in our Bibles. In the final week we are quickly scanning Revelation and I love what she wrote…
-
Christmas Peace
Whenever I’m asked, “What’s your favorite name for God,” without hesitation I say, “Prince of Peace.” I praise Him for many other attributes, but this one comes to the top of my mind immediately. Perhaps it’s because I not only have peace with God eternally through Christ, but I also have experienced unexplainable peace on earth in some of my life’s toughest circumstances. I’ve just started LifeWay Women’s The Wonder of Advent study to prepare my heart to focus more fully on Christ during the hurry of Christmas. This week’s topic is hope. That’s the foundation for my peace, and I’m thinking it may be yours as well. I’m also reminded…
-
The Timeliness of God’s Word
Sometimes it seems the Lord is silent, but other times He just floods you with common thoughts as you are facing challenges. He did that (again) recently. I was finishing up the the two connected studies. Seven Realities for Experiencing God by Richard and Henry Blackaby and Experiencing God, upon which Seven Realities is based, also by the Blackabys and Claude King. I’ve spent weeks being reminded of how God speaks and calls us to work with Him, as well as making adjustments it takes to obey! In facing a tough relationship circumstance, I’ve been asking God to show me how to obey in the situation. I’ve also been walking…
-
A “Don’t Worry” Reminder
At the end of 2022, I got a call from my doctor’s office about needing some follow-up scans to ones I’d had a few days prior. Not a call you want to get right before Christmas…or anytime really. Unfortunately, they couldn’t schedule the scans until after the first week of January. My first thought was, “I have to go through the holidays with this on my mind? Wondering if there is an unexpected something that will change my life in 2023.” Yes, I would have to go through Christmas and New Year’s celebrations without knowing if something was wrong. Then, I remembered another time, years ago, when I got a…
