Waiting with ….
My daughter Maggie is due with her first baby any day now. Her sister Emmy came to Chicago for a few days, hoping to be present for the birth, but little Hally Christine isn’t quite ready to make her grand appearance… yet. We’re all waiting. Waiting is hard, isn’t it? I know we all have had circumstances that have brought…
Theme Verse for 2020
Not too long ago, I came across one of my favorite Bible stories. It’s found in 2 Chronicles 20:1-22. I encourage you to take three minutes to read it. To paraphrase, Judah was being attacked on all sides. King Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:3). He called the people of Judah together and lifted…
The Privilege of Cradling Christ
I have a collection of manger scenes, some small, some large, all unique. I love getting them out each year and finding a special spot for them. For some reason, as I have looked at these over the last couple of weeks, my eyes have been drawn to the manger bed that holds the Christ-child. How strange to focus in…
Humble Thoughts about the Humble One
As we are now in the thick of the holiday season, the propensity to be distracted by so many things increases by the day, so much so that we lose focus of the one thing we are celebrating (see Luke 10:41-42). Let’s face it, we are a frantic and frazzled people, all in the name of Christmas. Today, I’m hoping to pull you…
Fall Wreath of Thankfulness
My interior decorator friend Madelaine and I have another wreath to add to our seasonal collection. All of these wreaths, Holiday Wreath of Hope, Winter Wreath of Peace, Spring Wreath of Grace, and Summer Wreath of Life, bear a spiritual significance to their intentional elements. Here is the Fall Wreath of Thankfulness: Start with a grapevine wreath. All our wreaths…
Filling vs. Feeling
My feelings cannot be trusted. One day I’m skipping along without a worry in the world; then the very next day, I might be carrying the weight of this world on my shoulders. Things that sway my emotions range from fatigue, hormones, outside circumstances, inner wrestlings, discouragement in the present, or fear of the future. If I operated from these…
Beyond Loved
When we think of God’s love, we tend to define it with human parameters by using personal relationships we have known and experienced. The thing is, even the best relationships have flaws. The good news it that God’s love is perfect and it is beyond what we can ever humanly comprehend. The apostle Paul prays, “(I ask that) Christ may dwell…
5 Benefits of the Christian Life
I’m not sure why, but early this morning as I was sipping my coffee quietly, an out-of-the-blue question came to my mind: “What’s the benefit of being a Christian?” Within 10 seconds, I came up with 5 reasons why I have chosen, by grace, to walk this daily path. Read and rest in these truths with me: Benefit 1: I…
Learning to Soar
In Scripture, God uses so many beautiful analogies to encourage His children. I recently read this verse which compares an eagle and its young to God and his own children: (He cared for them)…like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions. Deut.…
Marriage Tip: Love and Respect Hold Hands
Culture has given the biblical phrase “wives respect your husbands” a negative connotation. We have been told that if we don’t fight for the leadership position, then we are in the “lesser than” role. Depreciating one’s identity is not what God intended for wives AT ALL, so this kind of “respect” is not what I am talking about in this…
