Faith + Willingness = Fulfillment
I have been taking a stroll down memory lane again ... as you can see from the photo :) This time I stopped at the very first tragedy my husband and I ever experienced in our marriage. I remember how our hearts were broken and we grieved immensely. The pain seemed to be more than we could bear. It was not how we envisioned our lives would be. In the midst of that sorrow, a preacher, who did not know what we were walking through, gave a word of encouragement to my husband about the assignment God was calling him
Draw from the Well
As a child, my family would spend about six weeks every other summer at my grandparents' house. They lived in a very small village in Kerala, India. I remember playing with rocks, trying to kill larger than life spiders, bumpy car rides and drinking Tang made with water from our own well. I would watch my mom draw water from the well, boil the water, cool it, then add Tang to the water. Such a process....I savored every sip! Drawing water from the well wasn't as easy as it looked. A pail filled with water is heavy and bringing it
Stay With Me
This past week, the lights went out in my daughter's room, and it has not been an easy fix. She has no problem with that, though, because it means she doesn't have to sleep in her own room, which she is absolutely thrilled about. While her brothers are carted off to their rooms at bedtime, she proudly announces that her lights don't work, so she gets to sleep with Mommy. Last night was day #4, and you should have seen her smile at bedtime. Kids love snuggling next to their parents in bed, but a good night's rest for the
In His Time
Something really cool happened this past week - something I had been hoping for, dreaming of and praying about...for years. And then it happened again.* I was blown away. What was God up to? I traced back my steps. Surely I had done something to finally cause this to happen? Or did I say something differently when I prayed? I couldn’t come up with anything. In the New Testament, we read about the story of Elizabeth who had her own dream-come-true moment. Luke 1:5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah...And he had a
Pray AND Do Something!
Natural disasters. Shootings. Division. It seems as if these are the frequent headliners lately. I don't know about you, but hearing of such tragedies is pretty disheartening and causes us to respond in different ways. Some folks remain in a state of fear and pity: "Oh how terrible!" Some quickly move on with their own lives because they don't feel affected: "That didn't happen to anyone I know." And then, there are some people who pray about what they can do and then, do it! When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston just a short while ago, it was amazing to watch
Keep Calm and Trust God
How should you respond when put into a situation that is totally out of your control, and completely unfair? After reading the book of Daniel, I would say...Keep Calm and Trust God. You see Daniel was taken from his homeland of Israel as a young man as part of the exile to Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem and took the wise and intelligent young men of Israel to serve him in his royal courts. Daniel and his friends were among those taken against their will to serve the Babylonian king. But Daniel quickly stood out among the captives.
Blessed Because You Believe
This week, our readings finally brought us into the New Testament. It was such a dramatic contrast to go from reading the gloom and doom of the last few books of the old testament to these first few chapters bursting with hope and joy in our Savior's birth. As we read Mary's story, the angel greets her as 'highly favored' and says that the Lord is with her. Gabriel describes what is about to take place to Mary, and she responds so beautifully, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants." (Luke 1:38). When
From Taco Shells to God’s Word
Not sure how I missed it, but I did. The big warning on the side of the taco shell box that states- do not use in toaster oven. Well, I did exactly what the box advised me not to do. I wasn't trying to be rebellious. I was just trying to heat up some taco shells. I put the taco shells into my new toaster oven then walked into the other room. As I returned back to the kitchen, I saw flames shooting out of the toaster oven. My kids saw them too and we all screamed the name of
Ordinary But Extraordinary
When the name Joseph is referenced in the Bible, what comes to mind? Usually, it's the guy with the coat of many colors - the guy who dreamed - the guy who became a big deal in Egypt. However, there is another Joseph in scripture. The Joseph in the New Testament - the husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus. That’s a pretty big deal too. I think that Joseph might be one of the unsung heroes of the Christmas story. Everyone else seems to get a lot of press and fanfare: Mary (obviously), the angels, the shepherds and
The Miraculous Power of Unity
Have you ever had one of those amazing cleaning days? The kind where the whole family gets involved in the work. Folding laundry, mopping floors, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms. Like little elves, everyone does their part. And voilá, within hours, your home is clean. What would have taken you all day is done before lunchtime. There is just something about unity. Our discipleship group is currently reading through the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the King of Persia. His heart was broken when he discovers that the walls of his hometown were torn down and his city was
