One night, my tender-hearted husband let our two standard poodles into our bedroom to sleep. All 87 pounds of Max stretched out on the floor on my side of the bed. His younger and smaller brother settled close beside him. Afraid I’d trip over them if I got up during...
“Please pray I’ll know God’s will.”“Pray my child won’t miss God’s will.”“Pray for clear direction.” Whether we’re choosing paint colors, a career path, or a spouse, we’ve all felt the pressure: What if I get this wrong? We want God’s “good, acceptable, and perfect...
As Easter approaches, I’m revisiting a message I first shared a few years ago. If you’ve ever felt less loved when others seem to have more, this truth is worth remembering… “Did you feel less loved because you had less toys?” I asked my son who’d just told me the...
The animals gathered in pairs and trotted onto the ark as if drawn by a call only they could hear. There were seven pairs of each clean animal—like sheep, goats, deer, and cattle—and one pair of each unclean animal. Noah checked them off as they boarded: one pair of...
“If a man harbors any sort of fear, it percolates through all his thinking, damages his personality, and makes him a landlord to a ghost.” —Lloyd C. Douglas What do these examples have in common? A conscientious parent sharing custody with an errant spouse An unwed...
Discouragement can overwhelm us. In this excerpt from Little Strength, Big God I talk about how Joshua 1:8–9 and meditating on God’s Word defeated my discouragement. A simple email punched me in the stomach. It looked like my hard work on a project had failed. At...
In recent times, alongside growing antisemitism, I’ve seen claims that Israel no longer represents God’s chosen people—that the descendants of all of Abraham’s sons equally share in God’s land promise to Abraham. I don’t agree. Let me show you why. The Father of...
The transformation of Charles Dickens’ miserly, people-hating Scrooge into a generous benefactor has warmed the hearts of generations. Maybe, like me, you’ve found yourself joining Albert Finney’s Scrooge in singing “I hate people.” Rubbing up against certain people...
What do you say to someone who’s just lost her only child? Is there anything you can say? When a mother mourning the death of her son poured out her heart to me, mine broke with hers. At the end of our session, she surprised me by thanking me. Unlike someone else...
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