That morning, I wrote my prayers to God in my journal, beginning with these words: Please help Your presence be obvious in my encounters and conversations with people today. The next morning, when I opened my journal again and glanced at my prayer request, I laughed out loud! You...
Connections
A Race for Survival
Inge Stein lived an enchanted life as a Jewish girl in Bamberg, Germany, until Hitler came on the scene. When she was 10 years old the brutal Nazi dictator demanded that Germany and all of Europe be cleansed from all Jews. He set a plan in place to first...
Broken Bones and Hospitals
My great niece Piper and I, and her friend Val, were enjoying a girls’ day together. We’d been to my nail salon for their manicure and had wandered in and out of various stores in Orlando’s Fashion Square Mall. After grabbing a quick lunch, we finished our shopping at...
Lifting Lonely Hearts
Do you sometimes feel alone, lonely, forgotten? God knows your heart, understands your longing, and invites your honest prayers. He desires your companionship, and He knows how to fill up your empty spaces. Some years ago, I watched God unfold His loving plan for someone dear to my heart:...
A Christmas Letter to Jesus
Connections, Faith, Joy, Life
Jesus, when You were born, You weren’t just baby Jesus. You were so much more. The prophet Isaiah announced: A Child will be born to us. A Son will be given to us. And His Name—Your name—will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Who You...
New Life out of Tragedy
For the first time in my life, I feel like I belong in my family. This unexpected thought came to my mind because of a tragedy in our family: the loss of my young cousin, Ashley, in Oregon. That day the temperature was 116 degrees, and it appears she...
A Matter of Time
Connections, Faith, Hope, Joy, Life
“God isn’t bound by time.” Ron’s reminder cleared the confusion our group encountered during a recent Bible study. He added, “God knows and understands everything that has happened, everything that is happening, and everything that will happen. He is in control across all time and all space.” God is...
Unexpected Breakthrough
Sometimes breakthrough is a process. The woodpecker doesn’t stop to worry about what the other birds think about them, it just does what it is designed to do. ~ Sammy Robinson When I read this quote in the blog of my friend, Elizabeth Horbelt,* the words reminded me of...
Stretching Our Faith
“I want to do that, Lord, but I don’t know how.” Have you ever expressed these words to God when faced with a task beyond your ability? Why do we so quickly forget that when God gives us an unexpected idea, or challenges us to try something new, or...
New Beginnings
There’s something about turning the calendar to a new year. It represents a chance to start again. God has been weaving our stories throughout this past year. Each story has now come to an end, with all its twists and turns, traumas and triumphs, joys and heartaches. The ending...