God Is Here
The evening before the birth of my second child, I went into a "nesting" phase, that time of urgency to clean and organize to prepare for my new baby. I had decided that our bedroom needed a splash of character, so I had bought a few frames and pictures to put up on the wall. After deciding what wall needed what frame, my husband pulled out the measuring tape and nailed them up carefully in their precise positions. About three hours later, I went into labor. We rushed to the hospital as my labor was intensifying, my husband driving with
Keep Building
Is anyone old enough to remember the game Red Rover? When I was a kid, we didn’t have phones so this was one of our options at recess. In this particular game, there are 2 teams facing each other. The members of each team hold hands to form a type of human chain. The first team yells for a member of the opposing team to come to their side, “Red Rover, Red Rover, let ______ come over.” If that person can break through the opposing chain, they get to go back to their own team along with one other person.
Power of Agreement in Prayer
Have you ever prayed about a heart's desire which no one around you seemed to fully understand? When I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, I felt a prompt from the Holy Spirit to leave my career and become a stay at home mom. I was surrounded by people who I believe meant well, but lots of questions and concerns came my way when I asked them to cover this desire in prayer. "You're going to stop working??" "What about all those years of college and graduate school? What a waste!" "Can you really afford to live on one income?"
Seed in the Barn
"When you hoped for a twenty-bushel crop, you harvested only ten. When you expected to draw fifty gallons from the winepress, you found only twenty." (Haggai 2:16) Have you ever felt like this? Maybe you don't have crops or wine, or maybe you do. Have you ever felt like your hard work had nothing to show for it? When I read this passage in Haggai chapter 2 this morning, I felt like it was written about me. And maybe about some of you out there as well. The content of this chapter is meant to encourage those Israelites who have returned home from captivity and
You Are Greatly Loved
You live life differently when you know you are loved. We all know Daniel from the Bible - and if you've seen one too many Veggie Tales like I have, you may be picturing a cucumber right now but that is not the case. Daniel was a solid guy with solid faith but even he grew weary at times. With all of the visions/revelations he was having along with everything that was going on with his people, he was burdened. So, Daniel prayed (as Daniel often did) and received a message from an angel: At the beginning of your pleas
One Year Later
Last night, I watched my husband and his father scroll through pictures from the past year. Pictures of a totaled car, pictures of dad and mom surrounded by tubes, connected to a ventilator, and then there was this picture. A picture of us praying. It was the first picture of hope. This picture was taken one year ago. It was the day after the accident, the day my husband's father coded. First, for nine minutes and then again for eleven minutes. Dad was on life support and Mom was in critical condition. That night, we stood and prayed together in
“I’m JUST a Wife”
As a married woman, I have believed the lie that “I’m just a wife.” After all, my husband is the the leader of our family and the breadwinner. What could I have to offer that would bring glory to God when my husband is so talented? I didn’t understand the fallacy of that thought until I received the revelation of what a godly wife is. Priscilla’s life shows us that a wife is “one who comes alongside her husband, respecting his God-given leadership in a way that shows respect, yet strength" (Ashley McIlwain). Priscilla is seen sharing the same occupation
Trust Beyond Borders
The following is an excerpt from my prayer journal written last month: "Dear God, I have been having stomach pain for the past 3-4 days. Everything I eat is causing me discomfort. So, I'm hungry because I am afraid to eat anything as it will lead to discomfort. I decided to call in sick at work, which was a big decision. There were a lot of rearrangements that needed to be made at work due to my absence. I rested today, and it was good. While I was resting, around 10:15 am, my husband came to the room I was resting
Take A Look
Today, I am another year older. The wiser part is still to be determined. It was a busy day at work but I still found myself thinking a lot about my life in general. I guess birthdays will do that to you. I was looking back at my past, looking around at my present and looking ahead to my future. I look back at my past and think of the kind of person I was and the decisions I made. Some were good...some were not. Because of those “not good” decisions, I ended up hurting others and myself. I look
Jesus Loves Me This I Know
“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so…” This is not just a cute Sunday school song. In fact, I’ll probably never listen to that song again without understanding the impact of what it really means. You see, for the first time in my life, I’m reading through the entire Bible with our discipleship program this year. And from being almost 70% through the Bible, the one thing I am sure of is this….God LOVES me. And He LOVES you. From the beginning God always provided good things for his children....the Garden of Eden, Freedom
