Singing at Midnight
Paul and Silas died to self when they sang at midnight. They didn’t just sing, they sang loudly! They sang so loud that the other prisoners heard them. I often smile thinking about how bad they might have sounded! No doubt they proclaimed the faithfulness of God by singing hymns from the Old Testament. Maybe Today’s...
Will You Sing at Midnight?
Throughout Scripture we have stories of people faced with circumstances that crushed their plans and their dreams. Many were walking by faith, doing exactly what God was directing them to do. Paul and Silas were imprisoned...
The Risk of a Mission Statement
Someone has said: I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacation with better care than they do their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change. That’s the risk of a mission statement, isn’t it? Write it down, commit to it, knowing that to fulfill it will require change...
What Do You Do When You Don’t Know What to Do?
Last week we took a glimpse into the life of the Proverbs 31 “virtuous woman” and recognized that Lemuel’s mother used military terms to describe the dream wife for her son. Instead of calling her “virtuous”, let’s call her a warrior woman because the word for virtuous, hayil, regularly describes military action...
We Need a Mission Statement
Where do you turn when life turns upside down? What if that crisis means you cannot work the job you love, build the family of your dreams, or enjoy the last years of your life in good health? In the months following the death of our son, Mark, I struggled to understand my role. I was not finished mothering our son...
We Need Guides
When life came crashing down and I wanted to run away from life and faith, those many years of intentionally seeking out the wisdom of those ahead of me in life kicked in. One woman in particular imprinted a warrior woman image...
Default Mode
Let’s finish this week with the same question with which we started: What is your default mode when life comes crashing down? What is your automatic response when confronted with a crisis too big to imagine, overwhelming grief, or sudden loss...
Puddles of Grace
Mention Job and even those unfamiliar with the Bible, immediately know that you’re talking about someone who lost everything. One of Job’s friends, Bildad, the Shuhite, tried to comfort him by exhorting him to ask those who had come before him for wisdom..
Unbolted from My Love Affair with This World
When life comes crashing down, knowing I don’t belong “here” and that this earth is not my Home, fuels my journey with hope. About two years after the fatal car accident of our son Mark and his friend Kelly, I tried to comfort Leslie, another bereaved mother, by telling her...
What Drives My Actions?
Sometimes we mindlessly obey rules with little thought as to why they are in place or how they protect us. How many times have we yelled because of too many red lights or slow speed limits, with no thought to how such rules are fences that not only protect us, but also protect others? We forget the blessings of traffic rules...
What’s My Worldview?
The family room looked like a scene out of a Hallmark movie. The fireplace glowed, Christmas lights twinkled, and five of our grandchildren quietly explored their Christmas gifts. Our son, Dan, suddenly exclaimed...
A Pilgrimage Fueled by Hope
As we start a new year, we are excited to announce that we are continuing to offer Daily Treasure as a podcast.