“Worry is an old man with bended head, carrying a load of feathers he thinks are lead.” – Corrie Ten Boon The ever-changing weather for the last month has been a constant reminder that seasons are shifting. Spring and summer are on the way and they are bringing with them, new adventures and opportunities. In my line of work that means the slower season has arrived. Every time this season arrives I feel a bit anxious because of the change of pace. The work phone doesn’t ring as much and I have more free time in my day. I can either let those two things worry me or I can…

Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 Years ago my oldest son walked away from his faith. It was heart-wrenching to see and I spent many hours crying out to God in prayer. God responded to those prayers by telling me to study the story of the prodigal son where I received clear direction to keep praying, watching, and loving unconditionally. I was also given a mental picture to hold on to, a picture of my son returning with his wife and daughters. God reassured me that salvation would come from…

The day before Easter a sweet friend of mine went to be with the Lord. The thought of her spending Easter with Jesus brought such comfort and peace. At her funeral there were other precious moments to be witnessed. Her daughter who has down syndrome gave her a heartfelt hug and kiss as she said, “Good-bye Momma,” which touched the heart of everyone in attendance and on her announcement was a declaration of her faith that brought a new depth of understanding to communion with God. Her life’s motto, “Come what may…..I am blessed, along with a poem she had written several years prior were written in the program and…

The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. Luke 8:24 My husband has a hat that reads, ” Who’s in the boat with you?” It’s a beautiful reminder that Jesus is ever present with us as we experience the storms of life and what a wonderful thing it is to have the storms calmed and the fear removed. On Good Friday I experienced this stillness, the calming of my storms in a different way. While the waves were not raging around me, my mind was swirling with…

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;    He’s the one who will keep you on track.Don’t assume that you know it all.    Run to God! Run from evil! Proverbs 3: 5-6 MSG Early in the morning on the Saturday before Easter, I was reading through the Bible events that took place on that day many years ago. The disciples were no doubt in shock at the events that had transpired the day before and fearful of what lay ahead. I can relate to the numbness, the mind fog and the utter brokeness of loss. It’s as if…

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18 During Holy Week I was reading about the daily activities of Jesus in the gospels. It was a beautiful and personal way to reconnect and recommit my heart to the Lord, resulting in a reignited passion for Him. While reading about the day He taught at the temple and then explained the signs of the end times I was reminded of a book I read years ago. It was about a young woman who was a Christian and found herself in a Roman arena facing vicious and hungry lions. That’s when…

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Proverbs 19:14 I was given the opportunity to take my thoughts captive the other day and to think about them before I spoke them into existance. Did I make the most of that opportunity? Sadly, no. I was frustrated at a conversation with my husband and felt he wasn’t listening to me. As he made his parting remarks, my mind was stirring with my own thoughts and I could hear the Holy Spirit prompting me to be slow to speak and slow to become angry, because…

“Therefore _________I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can you, _____________ add one hour to your life by worrying?               Matthew 6:25-27 God has not given ____________ a spirit of fear. But he has given her a spirit of power and love and self-control.…

He is not here; He has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where He lay. (Matthew 28:6) I would have liked to walk with Mary Magdalene and the other ladies as they made their way to the tomb that morning. Mostly because I know how their day was going to turn out and I would have loved to see the amazement on their faces when they heard the Good News and saw the Risen Lord. These women faced two overwhelming problems as they set out to honor Jesus’ body. The Roman guards and the huge rock in the tomb’s doorway. These were impossible obstacles, yet urged on…

What just happened! Yesterday was a day like no other and the believers were emotionally crushed and in observance of the Sabbath, were at their homes. The stillness must have been deafening compared to the uproar of the events the day before. How their minds must have been trying to remember the words that Jesus spoke and comprehend their meaning now that He was dead and buried. Was this real? What would happen next? As the believers sat in silence, the Pharisees remembered and were actively trying to prevent the predicted outcome. The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.  “Sir,” they…