On Christmas Eve and day, our first Christmas without Mark, I wrote in my journal: Well, Lord, here I am. Christmas Eve. Running until I drop. Trying not to think…
"Your mother has six other children. Why is it so important for you and your family to go to her house for Thanksgiving? She might be…
Children in foster care and many adopted children deeply grieve during the holidays, even little ones. They may not understand why they are…
As I mentioned in Sunday’s devotional, about two weeks before Thanksgiving every year I begin to feel disorganized, disconnected…
No matter how much we plan and prepare for the holidays, I know we will all agree, especially those like me whose loss was…
What gives us the strength to get through the holidays when our hearts want to give up? I never want to forget the anguish and tears…
Dear Friends, It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, It's the Hap-happiest season of all... except... when it's not.…
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This is our last devotional in the Life-Giving Encouragement series and it seems appropriate for us to circle back to where we started. In our first week, Jane Anne Wilson shared her thoughts on what it means to be a life-taker vs. a life-giver…
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Can you hear the pathos in Paul’s plea for Christians to take up the privilege of sharing the Gospel message of Jesus? I imagine tears streaming down his cheeks as he asks, “How will they hear about Jesus unless …
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A grandmother’s heart broke as she considered the ramifications of her beloved granddaughter’s choice to move in with her boyfriend. Her first thought was to set straight their sinful thinking. Instead, she started praying fervently for the Lord…
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Jonathan’s father wanted to murder Jonathan’s best friend, David. Jonathan offered the only help he knew would equip his friend for this battle: Jonathan helped David find strength in God. It’s important to remember that the purpose of life-giving encouragement can be a solution, but most
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Job’s friends started out doing just what that young man did for us. They sat with Job and wept, but then they just couldn’t stand it. They had to figure…
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Without fail, whenever I have a question and answer time after I speak, someone asks, “How did people practically help you after the death of your son?” I always refer them to Chapter 11 in Treasures of Encouragement.
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In the days after the death of our son, Mark, many people filled our home, looking for ways to help us get through the unending grief. Much of their service appeared mundane: they watered the garden, fed the dog, prepared meals, washed clothes, ironed shirts, answered the phone, or accepted deliveries.
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As our kids grew into adulthood, Chuck and I decided that we wanted our home to be their safe place. We committed that we would not gossip about them to their siblings. This commitment hasn’t always been easy to keep…
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How can we be life-givers instead of life-takers when we open our mouths to speak? When you are in the presence of a hurting person, do you join their vitriolic or fearful words with similar statements? -Or - Instead of seeing prayer…
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“Your back side is as broad as the side of a barn,” said a mother to her daughter as the teen modeled her new jeans. Life-taking words?
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Many of us struggle to reconcile our dreams with our reality: Parents of grown children are speechless when their cherished adult child makes life choices in direct conflict with Scriptural mandates…
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When a person’s life seems out of control, either through their own choices or through no fault of their own, how can we pray? How can we pray for young adults facing a new world of choices they are ill equipped to make? When your daughter or son…
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Carol and I were tired but excited as we landed in Japan for a week of speaking as well as counseling military wives, missionaries and Japanese women. Our hostess, an older woman exuded warmth, encouragement and most of all, Jesus. Soon after we arrived…
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