Prepare for War: 1 Peter 5

Faith was never meant to be a comfortable journey from here to eternity. If yesterday’s assassination of one who championed the name of Jesus reminds us of anything, it is that the enemy has declared war on God and His saints because he knows his time is short. Followers of Jesus are not wrestling against …

Won Without the Word

I get quite a few messages from women asking for prayer and guidance when it comes to living with a lost or backslidden husband. From experience, I know what it is like to live with an unsaved husband who claimed salvation. It was confusing and frustrating. I did not live up to the challenge from …

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 …

Back to School: A Study of 1 Peter

            School supply lists and new teacher meetings announce the return of the orderly routines of another school year. The children groan and the parents cheer this day every year, unless the parents homeschool, which is a post for another day! 😊 With the new school year comes the teaching and the testing meant to …

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 …

What Have You Learned on Your Spiritual Journey Thus Far?

A Titus 2 Command, Part 2.          ETA: I need to be up front and honest about this—I got this mentorship program all wrong. It is such a blessing when the Lord meets you in your mistakes and literally redirects you to a better way. Because I am a product of the previous generation, this …

Spiritual Motherhood: A Titus 2 Command, Part 1

Life is busy. Family units are often separated, leaving young mothers to navigate family life with little to no older women in her life to help with questions or support. Church classes are usually separated by age, disallowing the older women and younger from getting to know one another. Sometimes there is little time for …

Navigating the Unspoken Things

            The unspoken things will break your heart, and rarely will those untouched by their confusing events know how to help someone else through them. I speak of mental disorders specifically, but every person is touched by some unspoken word that cannot be formed into a prayer request. Having spent more time that I ever …

Welcoming Leviathan

The description of the fire-breathing dragon in Job has always intrigued me. You can find it in Job 41. The King James renders its name “leviathan,” and the end of the chapter calls him the king over all the children of pride. This is the very last thing God describes before Job declares his repentance. …

If I Perish, I Perish

            As we light up our grills and sparklers, this July 4th, a good history lesson might be in order. According to Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese, authors of the book, Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed The Declaration of Independence, only two men actually signed the document …