A Stinging Realization
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…
Today and Forever
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…
She Blooms
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…
What She Said! Part 2
Welcome to the fall What She Said series. Each writer brings a different style and personality but the same passion for offering help and…
Victory and Rejoicing
At the end of Psalm 63, we once again find David rejoicing and praising God in his wilderness of suffering. He speaks of a God who is just and victorious, always faithful to His people…
Clinging and Being Held
If you are in the wilderness now, what do you do in the watches of the night? If you are like me that is often when my fears and anxieties overwhelm me when my questions and doubts…
Praise and Satisfaction in the Wilderness
Yesterday we were reminded that the dryness and weariness of our wilderness creates a thirst in us that draws to the Living Water, Jesus, who is the only One who can…
Longing in the Wilderness
“David did not leave off singing because he was in the wilderness, neither did he in slovenly idleness go on repeating Psalms for other occasions, but he carefully made his worship suitable to his circumstances,…
Better Than Life
“Your steadfast love is better than life.” To be steadfast means to be resolutely firm and unchanging, firmly fixed in place; immovable. The steadfast love of God is unchanging and is shown toward those of us who…
Guidance in the Wilderness
What about you? Most of us can relate in some way as we have experienced wildernesses of our own, places of barrenness, and lifelessness. Suddenly our circumstances are full of sorrow, confusion and loneliness…
Wilderness Worship
I reviewed Paula’s devotionals late one night when I could not sleep. Worry filled my heart. Though my body was weary, my brain would not shut down…
Purposeful Pondering
There are a number of days and seasons throughout the year when I intentionally open my figurative chest of memories, select the appropriate box and carefully remove the lid so I can inspect the contents. Sometimes the momentous events that trigger my reflections
Death Benefits
I’ve been known to gasp over a post-Christmas credit card bill or cringe when writing my annual property tax check, but this may have been a first – tears filled my eyes as I gazed at a deposit to my account…
A Time to Heal
Watching my hand heal from carpal tunnel surgery several years ago provided daily reinforcement of the truth of Psalm 139:14: we are fearfully and wonderfully made. It also reminded me…
In a Moment
Like most people, I’ve experienced numerous life-changing moments. But one, in a windowless hospital room with my 7- and 10-year-old daughters by my side, eclipses them all…
Wisdom from a Widow
Twenty—three years ago, Patsy Kuipers, our Guest Writer this week, lost her thirty-nine year old husband Ray. His death was sudden and unexpected. Suddenly, life as she knew it and dreamed about was over…
The End of Wrestling with Betrayal
It is time to bring our wrestling with betrayal to the foot of the Cross, where Jesus was made ransom for our sins. This, and His victorious resurrection are the apex of history. We who believe, trust and hope in…
Breaking the Never-Ending Cycle
Our home is in a semi-rural area, and we see lots of wildlife. Groundhogs dance, fawns learn to stand on wobbly legs, rabbits, geese, turkeys, and more live in observable proximity. Some are shy and some are bossy, but all of them are…