September 1st is looming. At 8 AM those registered and those registering will gather to begin an event. Money will be raised for…

The pastor’s words rang from the pulpit.  Each word pronounced distinctly and clearly.
“We live our lives as if it’s all about me, it’s all about me”. What does that mean?  What does that look like?

Zephaniah prophesied during the reform of King Josiah who brought spiritual revival to Judah after a long reign of evil.  He pronounced God’s judgment on corruption but also talked about God’s plans to lovingly restore Judah…

My mother informed me one day as she was telling stories about my childhood, “Your kindergarten teacher tirelessly encouraged you to rework your project in a different direction.  When you felt you had made a mistake, not doing what you had planned to do…

It is 3 AM right now. I cannot sleep. I toss and turn and silently pray, “dear Lord please clear my thoughts and let me fall back to sleep”. It doesn’t work. I tiptoe…

As I write this, my multiple sclerosis is causing some balance difficulties.  My doctors are working with me to figure things out. MS is as unique as its victims are unique.  Necessary to “figuring things out”, is waiting. There is a lot of trial and error…

It’s so good to have Sherry Bitler back as our Guest Writer this week. Sherry and I have been doing life together for over twenty-five years. We have…

In Matthew 8, an exhausted Jesus climbs into a boat with his disciples and immediately falls asleep. The disciples are expecting a calm trip…

In Matthew 8, an exhausted Jesus climbs into a boat with his disciples and immediately falls asleep. The disciples are expecting a calm trip…

“Give it a few years, you’ll be more suited for motherhood when they’re older…

A few years ago, a light bulb went on in my marriage. While on a weekend getaway with some couple friends, we were asked: “What have your biggest marital arguments been about?” As we answered, an embarrassing and unfortunate…

We have a Savior who is as much coming as he is come. The beautiful yet sometimes excruciating tension of the “now and not yet” can cause us to stumble and to doubt the risen Jesus. I look at my feet and I trip. I look ahead and I walk…

I might not labor or spin, but I sure do know how to worry. I can fret with the best of them—I can spin possible negative outcomes that would make TV writers beg me to lend them a twist ending…

I’m so excited to bring you a second series of What She Said! Your response to the summer series encouraged me to recruit six more guest writers. Each one brings a different style and personality but the same passion for offering help and hope…

We need endurance to finish a race well, and that includes our lifelong journey of faith, obedience and love. I’m strengthened to know that Jesus is with me and that He eagerly provides running mates along the way. Friends, mentors and teachers are provided by God to encourage…

God uses disappointments in powerful ways in our lives, if we’ll receive it!  As I type this, I’m facing some disappointment in a relationship, and feel sad. Nestled in the melancholy cloud over my heart is an assurance that He is at work in me, His workmanship, whom He has created for specific good works.

Escape. Vacation. Getting away from it ALL! Life sometimes feels like too much, doesn’t it? I mean, the pressures of ministry, financial burdens, health trials and tough relationships can tempt me to a) dream up a fantasy career…

A friend of mine shared about a painful disappointment in her marriage. Seems that her husband had planned a day trip by himself to a favorite getaway in the mountains for some solitude and refreshment. After settling the details and booking a reservation, he casually mentioned his plans to my friend…

Have you ever, like me, had the humbling experience to realize that a certain electrical gadget or appliance wasn’t broken but just needed to be switched ‘on’? After getting myself in a frenzied, frustrated state with “Ugh! Yet another broken thing to get fixed,” I remembered to check that important little on-off knob.

Most of us love a great relationship story. It might be a romantic movie like “While You Were Sleeping”, or a soul-knot friendship like that between David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel, or Anne and Diana in Anne of Green Gables. There’s something about people truly caring, loving and being devoted to one another that stirs something in our emotional DNA…