Welcome to My Blog
How Do You Express Disappointment?
I'm very sensitive to frame words so that my negative feelings won't be communicated to the person who might have "inspired" that feeling. I'm careful to not give the impression that a person's actions "caused" my reaction, for I truly believe that my reactions are my...
Even THAT Is a Step of Faith and Trust
As I sat down to have my Quiet Time with the Lord, I knew I had made a great choice but I thought of all the work I could be doing at my desk. And I love working at my desk!But I gathered my Bible to me, ready to read and ponder, and the thought came, "Having a time...
Ministering to Those Who’ve Had Abortions
A few months ago, I met Shadia Hrichi at a women's retreat and I was thrilled to hear of her powerful ministry to those who have had abortions. It's called Beautiful Voice Ministries (www.beautifulvoice.org). She has written a book titled Nameless No More: A Journey...
My Article in Decision Magazine
Here's a link for reading my recent article published in Decision Magazine. It's entitled, "How to Survive in the Furnace of Adversity." I hope it will encourage you. It's about my 10-month journey in pain. But I trust you'll find that it can apply to any challenge...
Ask! Don’t Assume!
Do you know how often you are influenced by what you already believe--even if what you believe is false? I found an interesting encounter that the disciples had with their Master Jesus. In this case, the disciples were influenced by what their believed about their...
Five Results of Longing for God
Two weeks ago, I began blogging about longing for God and shared the five ways Dr. Kellemen wrote about that answers the question, "What do we long for when we long for Father?" (Soul Physicians).I've already written about how enjoying God is a part of longing for...
God is Jumping Up And Down in Excitement Over YOU!!
Would it be meaningful for you to better long for God if you knew He was longing after you? Wouldn't it be easier to enjoy Him if you knew He was enjoying you?Those were the questions I asked myself as I read this from Robert W. Kellemen's book, Soul Physicians: A...
Long and Enjoy Him through God’s Beauty
As I thought more about longing for God by enjoying Him, I thought of His beauty. How can we not enjoy a God who is beautiful, attractive, pure, glorious, and filled with qualities that should only create a longing for Him, rather than repel us?I've often thought...
How the “Cocoon of Love” Started
After I wrote in my last post about being in a cocoon of God's love and enjoying God's presence, I thought, "How did that actually happen? What caused it?" I had to think back to that last session at the conference. And I remembered that the speaker referred to Jesus...
How To “Long” for God: Enjoy Him!
Does "longing" for God sometimes seem like an unclear, ethereal, out-there-and-not-accessible kind of spiritual exercise? This morning as I opened the refrigerator and saw the chocolate covered donuts my wonderful husband had bought sitting pretty on the shelf (he who...
How’s Your Self Talk Today?
If you've heard me speak about self-talk, you know that I pass out rubber bands for everyone to put on their wrists to snap if they think something that is not true about them--from God's perspective. Women have always given me good feedback about how they finally...
This Fasting Is Different
(This is a third post on the theme of fasting from sugar.)I've fasted from sugar several times in the past. One time, I didn't have any obvious sugar for a year. (I say "obvious" because ketchup has sugar in it and I ate things like that.) I found out that once I...
Finding Joy in Hungering for God
When Larry and I decided to go out to dinner yesterday, my first thought was, "Oh, good, I'll get some dessert." Then I remembered my commitment to no sugar and was disappointed.But then I remembered the point of my fast: to take that passion for sugar and chocolate...
Give Me the Chocolate And No One Will Get Hurt
I love chocolate and sugar. At times, I believe I love chocolate and sugar more than God. I know you'll think it's too strong when I say that I worship sugar, but at times, it's really the truth. As I talked with a friend whose thoughts were consumed with getting her...
Oh, It’s Just a Little Exaggeration
Sometimes God's purifying work is harder when it's a "little sin" rather than a "big" one. Sometimes it feels like we have the major things under control and God starts using his spiritual broom to sweep into the corners to push out the dust bunnies. In God's kingdom,...
If The Resurrection were an Untrue Story
Here's an interesting tidbit that reminds us of the validity of our Bible.Considering the male-dominated society at the time of Jesus' human life, if the Resurrection accounts were actually fabricated, the writers would have written that a man saw Jesus first. They...
Can Technology Diminish Dependence upon God?
I recently visited a church and the service ended--but they didn't have an offering. I was dumbfounded. How does this work? Then I looked more closely at the bulletin and noticed a note saying people could give on-line or put their giving into one of the boxes in the...
Are You “Lying Down” in Trust?
I noticed a note in my Bible beside Psalm 23 pointing to verse 2: "He makes me lie down in green pastures..." A familiar refrain to us, right? But why does God have to make us lie down and why wouldn't we easily?The note I'd written who-knows-when says, "Sheep will...