In the middle of the night, I thought of a woman I had met at one of the Grief Share classes at my church. It was one of those moments when you become wide awake with thoughts that fill every part of your mind. I don’t know what was going on in her life at that moment, but I knew I was to pray for her. I began praying while lying in bed and then felt it was to be an “on my knees” kind of prayer that needed to be prayed. You know the type that requires your full attention and no distractions. After the prayer, I was to…

On Monday, I was becoming increasingly discouraged by all the world events that were taking place. Wars, riots, greed, deliberate hate, and the list goes on. I generally don’t watch the news for this very reason, but there just seemed to be issues happening everywhere. Then I saw a notice that the son of a friend of mine had died. He was a soldier in the Israeli Defence Force. It was like the straw that broke the camel’s back. It was too much. It seemed like evil was winning, and I just cried and cried for all the hurting that is going on in this world. As I prayed, I…

Just before Christmas, I was debating whether to go shopping or postpone it for another day. As I thought about it, the idea of buying my husband some new jeans came to mind, and I felt that I was supposed to go that day to a specific store. When I arrived at the store, I was greeted by my sweet friend Molly, whom I didn’t know worked there. It was such a nice surprise. We hugged each other, and we were blessed with a few moments to talk. Earlier in the day, while working on my bible study, I was reminded of Divine Encounters and had written in my journal…

I recently met a woman who had just been released from prison. She shared part of her story with me and was telling me how God had helped her overcome some of the addictions that she had dealt with for years. She was eager to find ways to share her story and help others who were trapped by their own addictions. As our conversation continued she asked me, “What is your ministry?” Her question stuck with me because the truth is that we all have a story to tell of God’s redeeming love in our lives and because of that, we all have a ministry. By definition, ministry is acts…

I use to have a bird feeder on my patio that was in the shape of two strong hands held together. You would fill it by placing the bird seed in the open hands. There was an inscription on the base that read, “By His hands we all are fed.” I would watch for hours as the birds flew by and stopped for a bite to eat. They tweeted away as they enjoyed their meal and I thought about how true those words were. God provided the funds and desire for me to purchase the bird seed and the feeder. He then not only provided food for many birds, but…

A couple of years ago I started exercising on a nearby trail. I saw a man with two small dogs and I would tell him hello every time I saw him. At first he completely ignored me and kept walking. It became a personal challenge to one day, have a conversation with this man. After a year he would raise the stick he carried as a type of wave. This year he started replying back with a hello. Then to my surprise and joy, last week he stopped and talked with me! His name is Dan and his two dogs are Frosty and Bits. We had a delightful conversation and…

While in the grocery store yesterday I was waiting in the check out line when I noticed a tattoo on the forearm of the clerk. It caught my attention because of the beautiful butterfly and one of the words that I could read from a distance….daughter. When it was my turn to check out I asked her about the tattoo. She excitedly said, “You noticed it?” Then showed me the entire tattoo which read, “I am His daughter.” I asked her if the “He” was God and she said yes. She told me that she got the tattoo to remind her of her worth. I told her she was a…

When I consider your heavens,    the work of your fingers,the moon and the stars,    which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them,    human beings that you care for them?  You have made them a little lower than the angels    and crowned them with glory and honor. Psalm 8:3-5 One of my favorite things to do when I’m camping is to look up at the stars. In the mountains, the sky seems to be so much bigger. No city lights to block out the millions of stars that God has sprinkled across the heavens. The other scene, that I make sure to wake up for, is the full moon shining on…