At times, part of a song gets “stuck” in my mind and I keep repeating it over and over. I am sure you experience the same thing. But as I get older I realize more and more how the Lord God uses all kinds of things to impress us with His purposes. For several weeks now I keep repeating in my mind, “And my unworthiness.”
The word storm is used 42 times in the NIV Bible, 19 in the New King James, 17 in the King James. No matter how many times the word is written, we know storms are a part of our everyday lives.
Ask anyone who knows me well and they will confirm that I am a crier. I can cry at a movie, a commercial, an accomplishment, and just about anything else. I also have the "gift" of sensitivity and get my feelings hurt easily. I am very aware of this about myself, and it becomes an issue that I have to process through quite often.
Dr. Charles Stanley (The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life) said, “To walk in the Spirit requires a moment-by-moment sensitivity to and dependence on the Holy Spirit. Spiritual fruit is the proof.” Christians can never produce this fruit; they can only bear it. The Holy Spirit is the only One who produces it.
The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 may seem like an old story, but if we take a fresh look at it, we can see it is a reminder of how God draws us to Him. His goal is for everyone …
I will be the first to admit that I can be a very fearful person. I still remember the feeling as a child of being so scared of shadows in the window at night.
At age 78, Miss Gay has thrown caution to the wind. She tried her very first Pop Tart last week - and loved it. “I ate the whole thing!” she exclaimed.
Well, the flu bug has hit our household these past few weeks. So far, three of the four granddaughters have had it, along with my daughter. I'm praying that our oldest granddaughter, Wayne, and I will be able to avoid catching it. The flu hit sweet Liza the worst. She hardly moved from the sofa for about seven or eight days.
New neighbors moved in across the street from another couple, and the wife started watching this new pair. Every evening, she looked out the window and noticed the husband arrive home after work. She couldn’t miss the fact that nearly every night, this man would bring home flowers or a little gift for his lady.
Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:14). All Christians should want to be friends with God. But how good of a friend are we when we sin and grieve the Holy Spirit?
Have you heard the phrase, ”timing is everything?” I use that quite often, probably sometimes more often than my family would like.
Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The Lord was telling us that the Holy Spirit is our strength, not we ourselves.
The motion detector kept going off in the middle of the night. Who or what would be in the backyard in the pitch dark? My beloved went to the back door but couldn’t see anything. He returned to bed.
I was always taught not to use the word "hate," so I will just say I "strongly dislike" going to the dentist. It has nothing to do with my dentist or hygienist, who I totally love. It just has to do with the sounds and feel of them working on my teeth.
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:48). He added, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever…” (John 6:51). The Lord was speaking to a multitude of people following Him for more of the miraculous food He had provided them previously. But Jesus was speaking of spiritual food, something far more important.
It was late November, and I was walking down the “Alphaloop,” a winding trail that sprawls throughout Alpharetta. Armed with a cell phone and a pair of headphones, I had a mission for the afternoon: to call more than a dozen pastors about convention-related business.
Over Christmas break, I took two of my granddaughters to get their nails done. They had received money and gift cards for Christmas and were anxious to use them. Honestly, they were ready to spend all of their money and gift cards on Christmas night but thankfully nothing was open.
It was pitch dark. Darker than usual. Something was different. And there was a nip in the air. Chillier than usual. That’s when we realized the power was off.
Edith Lovejoy Pierce said, “We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity, and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”
Recently, I was marveling at the scientific advances in technology that affect all of us today. And I realized that these things emphasize our modern way of life to the extent that one is tempted to think that this is all there is.
January 1st is one of my favorite days of the year. Like a kid on Christmas Eve, I am giddy with expectation: a new year, a clean slate. New adventures and experiences lie in wait as we step into 2025!
Why is it that I always end up experiencing the “After Christmas Blues” every year? It just seems as though it is hard to motivate myself, get in a routine, and just generally want to get back into my life again.
A man brought to Jesus his daughter who “had an unclean spirit.” Jesus told the man, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23). The child’s father tearfully cried out to Christ, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24).
Many Bible app users looked up Philippians 4:6 and made this passage the most engaged verse of 2024, according to YouVersion founder and CEO Bobby Gruenewald. The passage reads, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (NIV).
My Bible person obsession changes every December. Sometimes it has been Zechariah and/or Elizabeth, sometimes Joseph, or the shepherds. This season it has been Mary. Pardon me while I squeeze in one more story before I close this chapter.