Acceptable and Reasonable Sacrifice

            “It is not supposed to be this way” is a common refrain in this generation. I do not ever remember my grandmother complaining about the trauma she endured throughout the dust bowl and Great Depression, though I do know she was shaped by those experiences. Neither of my grandfathers served in World War II …

Teachers of Good Things

            Full confession: my youngest child is entering her senior year of high school this year, and I don’t feel old enough to be entering the empty nest season. Because she is the youngest, however, I have learned some things with my older children that have helped me prepare for the transition. Some of the …

Casting Burdens

I am away from my computer this weekend, but this thought so encouraged me this week, I wanted to share it with you. I hope it encourages you as much as it did me. There are burdens in life that are so heavy, we must seek God’s help to carry them. The longer we attempt …

Effective Prayer

One of my classes required me to read a book that is out of print, but well worth reading—“Effective Prayer” by J. Oswald Sanders. It has encouraged, convicted, challenged, and instructed me on the topic of prayer. Because of its influence, prayer was the subject of one of the classes I taught this week, which …

So the Next Generation May Know

There are so many ways to study God’s Word. We live in a blessed generation with a variety of options at our fingertips. There are apps for phones, free computer programs, and old-fashioned pen-and-paper methods. A quick computer search offers hundreds of companies that create Bible studies and journals. If you have not found a …

Christians and Politics: A Bible Study for Changing Times

If you have ever had a prodigal child, it can be excruciating to watch him speed one hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction toward a wreck you can see miles ahead. You may plead, warn, yell, even forcibly detain, but his heart is bent toward his way, and nothing will stop him. As …

Crocheted Bible Bags

If you did not know this about me, I love to crochet! I have started making these beautiful Bible bags, which could also be used as a simple purse. They work up quickly and can be ordered in the size and color you would like. The blue one above is still available as of this …

What Do I Know About My God?–A Journal Companion

Amazon link--https://a.co/d/irb9EGl My girls and I are looking forward to starting this study together this summer. I have been searching for a study that does not implement an "outside-in" approach, but rather, a "knowing God" approach. I do not just want them to know how they are supposed to behave. Knowing God gives them the …

Bitter Songs: God’s Care in the Pit

And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? Ruth 1:20-21 …