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Reconciliation Joy
In my chronological Bible reading this year, I just read again the story of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 33. I love when Jacob and Esau reconciled and saw each other again for the first time in many years and Jacob said, “For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God’s face, since you have accepted me.” (Genesis 33:10) Jacob deceived both Esau and their father Isaac (you can read all about that in Genesis 25 and 27). And that meant he had to hightail it out of town to avoid Esau’s anger. Now after years apart, they reconnected and it was sweet. At least in…
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Joy Restored
Have you ever witnessed an old rusty, beat up car being restored to an earlier version of beauty? I love seeing the new ones on the road but if I saw it before it’s restoration I might turn away and not even notice. Or I might comment on how beat up it is! I’ve been doing the Bible study by LifeWay, The Faithful: Heroes of the Old Testament. Each week is authored by a different Bible teacher and this week I’ve been studying Jennifer Rothschild’s portion on Hosea. I’ve been challenged to take a look at Hosea’s wife Gomer at her worst and at her best. Kind of like the…
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What is THIS?
Have you ever said that? “What is THIS?” You feel blinded by the situation as though a veil covers your eyes and everything you once saw clearly is dimmed in a strange fog that is your new reality. Something happened that completely took you by surprise. Something that you could’ve NEVER prepared for ahead of time. Something you think is impossible to live through or even figure out how to navigate. I bet you can say yes to that. Probably more than once you’ve felt this way as I have. Maybe so many times you’ve said it that you’ve lost count. If you are like me, your first thought is…
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When Holidays are Hard
I decided since the holidays begin in full swing this week, I’d link you to a post I wrote for LifeWay Women, Celebrating Holidays With a Prodigal Child. I pray this ministers to your heart if you are in a difficult season as you face the holidays. God knows your hurt and He knows you hurt. Trust Him as He walks with you through your story. Banner photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash
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Feeling Like a Failure?
How often to you feel like a failure? Daily? Yearly? Have you ever thought about how God can use our failures to move us forward in Him? Today my daughter Alycia is again blogging for me. I know you will be blessed as she shares her recent feelings of failure. This picture popped up in my TimeHop from 6 years ago and caused a whole slew of emotions. Six years ago I got my first very own horse. Amadeus was a tad nuts and not the right fit, but he started the passion of riding again. I have struggled through the past 6 years of trying to find the right…
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Surrendered, but NOT Defeated!
I wrote an earlier post on surrendering all we are to Christ. You can read I Surrender here. Today I want to address surrender without defeat. If you are a believer, you should never surrender to defeat! Why? Because as a believer, we are NEVER without hope, no matter what you are facing. Let’s just be honest…life is hard! Sometimes our own decisions cause us difficulty. Sometimes it’s the decisions of others. And often, it’s the work of the enemy whose job is to seek to keep believers living in defeat. Since he cannot change our eternity, he wants to cause us to live as though we have no hope as…
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Wanderer, Come Home!
Today my daughter is blogging for me again. And as before, this will no doubt speak to a deep place in many of you. Alycia knows this journey and has seen God’s love wash all over her. All of us have if we are followers of Christ. Our stories are different but our eternity is the same! My hands were full when I tried to quickly shut the backyard gate behind me, but my dog, Walter, was able to quickly squeeze past my legs and he took off into his new-found freedom. I was talking on the phone at the same time and hollered his name. The person on the…
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Restoration and Redemption
Today’s post is written by one of my daughters, Alycia Neighbours, who is blogging for me as we enjoy an extended vacation. You will be touched by her honesty and willingness to help others as a result of her own journey: The prodigal son had reached such a desperate place of despair, he humbled himself to return to his home hoping to be treated as a slave and therefore better than where he had found himself. The lost lamb finds itself separated from everything familiar due to its wandering and bleats out longing for rescue. I was at my rock bottom. Separated from my family, having no friends and…
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Contentment..No Matter What Part 4: Transformational Steps
This is the last of this series on contentment, and can I say that even this weekend, after teaching on this at a women’s event Friday night, I’ve been challenged to stand on what I believe about contentment. You can read part 1, part 2, and part 3 if you missed those. Then come back and let’s get practical! We must remember, we do not have the whole picture..but God does! Paul understood this. He said in Philippians 4:11-13, “I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know both how to make do with little, and I know how to make do…
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Finally, Retreat Time! 8 Tips for Retreating Often
Yes, don’t you wish you were saying “retreat time” right now and heading out for a weekend at your favorite place…alone or with a few people? Me too! I’m so grateful for those week long stays at my favorite place, the Gulf Coast beach. Last year my husband and I began a new tradition: a month at the beach! Sometimes I have to schedule it around speaking engagements, or as I will do this year, fly from Perdido Key (via Pensacola) to the East coast, Miami! But that extended time of rest and reflection is something I truly look forward to. When I was in full time vocational ministry, that…
