Latest Posts

When I am Afraid

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.Psalm 34:4 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.Psalm 56:3 The incessant rise and fall of drum rhythms pounded through the inky blackness, creating a sense of desperation, terror and pending doom in our East African village. Men, women, and children danced around the large fire in the middle of the compound, their undulating forms casting eery shadows… Read More

Don’t Travel Hungry

I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.Psalm 81:10 The desert sand mounded along the shoulder of the road, if it could even be called a road. Two tracks, created by others who had gone before us, wove across the dehydrated landscape. The way was barely visible as I craned my neck to peer over the steering wheel of our 4… Read More

Smartphones, Snapchat, and Shame

All day long I feel humiliated and am overwhelmed by shame.Psalm 44:15 Like a flood that creeps in overnight, flowing under doors and rising over baseboards, shame has come into our hearts and homes, invading the privacy of our most personal dwelling places. The introduction of smartphones and social media has brought convenience and benefit to our lives. We can now take passport photos on our phones and get them the same day at the… Read More

You Never Know What Someone Else is Going Through

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger (James 1:19, NET). “You never know what someone else is going through” sounds like a mother’s well-worn admonition to her children. I know I say it often to mine, and the words ring true if we stop a moment to think about it. In our fast-paced, busy culture, we race past one another, forming immediate… Read More

Save Your Photos Day: When Shame Blots You Out of the Picture

thanks, Edie Look towards him and shine with joy; no longer hang your heads in shame.Psalm 34:5, New English Bible Hello, readers. I am breaking tradition today and sending you this post a day early. According to the National Day Calendar, today is Save Your Photos Day. In a recent conversation with a friend, I was reminded of the power of shame to blot out our faces, to erase the photos where we once smiled… Read More

The Days of the Battle Are Numbered

for SW For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening (1 Samuel 17:16). Dear One,  The battle seems relentless. The attacks are cruel and unfair. You don’t want to ask, but you must ask, Why does God let it go on? Where is the victory? I see your shoulders drooped low with weariness. You have fought long.  And those hands. Strong hands, loving hands, serving hands. Hands that washed… Read More

He Helps the Helpless

One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get… Read More

Emotional Temptation

Come down from the cross (Matthew 27:40). We don’t often think of Calvary in terms of the emotional temptation of Jesus. But if we listen closely to those insulting dagger words thrown at Jesus by the chief priests, teachers of the law and elders, we will recognize the voice of the deceiver. Just as he challenged Jesus’ lordship in the wilderness during the famous temptation recounted in Matthew 4, he can be heard in the… Read More

Good Work

God saw all that he had made—and it was very good! (Genesis 1:31, NET) And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done (Genesis 2:2). bzzzzzz! bzzzzz! bzzzzzz! My phone practically vibrated right out of my pocket as a flood of messages came in all at once. I was out of town, but my children and… Read More

The Search for Stability

God's words are like stepping stones through the landscape of life. Trust in the Lord and do what is right! Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! Then you will take delight in the Lord, and he will answer your prayers. Commit your future to the Lord! Trust in Him and He will act on your behalf. He will vindicate you in broad daylight, and publicly defend your just cause (Psalm 37:3-6, NET). In the… Read More