Category: Relationship with God

My heart has been drawn to the story of Hannah lately.  Hannah, the mother of Samuel the prophet, can be found at the beginning of 1 Samuel.  What drew my attention was not the miracle that God gave her of providing her a son, or the fact that Hannah was willing to give her son… Continue reading Hannah’s Hope: Finding Peace in the Hard Times

I didn’t realize it until a friend pointed it out, but do you know how important the word “up” is in the Bible? So many miracles in the Bible involve the idea of something moving or looking or rising up.  As the Israelites were fighting the Amalekites, they would win as long as Moses held… Continue reading Your Miracles Come from Looking Up

Every year at one of the schools where I taught, the local police would hold an event to teach kids about the dangers of driving intoxicated.  The students’ favorite part of the day was when they got the “intoxication goggles” out.  The googles would so distort the kids’ vision that they were no longer able… Continue reading Clearing Our Distorted Vision of God’s Love

I have a hard time doing nothing.  It feels lazy or irresponsible.  It feels like I am letting others or God down because I am not serving or helping or producing.  It feels like I am letting myself down.  So I look for what to do.  Where can I serve?  Who can I help?  What… Continue reading Sometimes the Most Courageous Thing You Can Do Is Nothing

A lot of us seem to live most of our lives in the big moments – a series of peaks and valleys.  I know I do, and not just spiritually.  In everyday life, we talk about stress and vacations, pressure and playful recreation.  I experienced plenty of that while teaching school – the nightmare schedule… Continue reading The War Is Won in the Waiting

Anyone who has ever attended church or read the Bible is familiar with it: the parable of the talents.  It can be found in Matthew 25:14-30.  In it, a man gives talents – bags of money – to his servants and then leaves.  One servant got 5 bags, and turned them into 10.  Another servant… Continue reading When Do You Earn the “Well Done”?

I just got back from attending a writer’s conference for Christian women.  In the three days of the conference, I met so many beautiful women from all over the country.  I heard amazing stories of pain overcome, wisdom gained, and hope fulfilled.  I also heard stories of faith in the midst of ongoing suffering, joy… Continue reading Sharing Our Stories Safely

I love camping.  I love the outdoors and everything to do with it:  the pine forests, the river, the campfire, eating outside, my RV.  It is a time of deep relaxation and peace away from all the noise, worry, and chaos that is too often daily living.  Yet it is also a time of some… Continue reading Into What Family Is God Placing You?

I am on a journey to find myself.  Oh, there is a version of me, but it is one that was shaped by years of meeting the needs of everyone else.  I lost myself somewhere in the years of taking care of family members.  I know a lot of you have experienced that, as well. … Continue reading Inspiration or Aspiration: Finding Myself in God

In my eternally frustrating quest to make physical fitness a part of my daily habits, I decided to hire a personal trainer one day.  The woman who the gym assigned to me was young, energetic, healthy, and also happened to be a former student of mine.  I was older, tired, out of shape, and well… Continue reading Some Spiritual Strength Training