The Pinterest projects we started with such excitement have been pushed aside. Our plans for the day have been derailed and our long-held dreams lay forgotten as we face the realities of life. Furthermore, the unexpected phone call, the colicky baby, the wounding words, and the interrupted night’s sleep all Read more…
When the message of joy is hurtled through the darkness into our broken world it creates havoc in our hearts. The huge contrast between joy and darkness brings about an incredulity at the impossibility. Yet a glimmer of hope flickers and we struggle to fan the trust in a good, Read more…
Before time began deep darkness enveloped the formless earth. There was no light to pierce the dark. But God saw beyond the darkness into a world created for his glory. He envisioned a people created for a relationship with himself. Therefore it was with joy, a world was born in Read more…
As I followed the footsteps of Jeremiah I was struck again with the reason he is often referred to as the ‘Weeping Prophet.’ It was with a breaking heart that Jeremiah shared God’s message with the people of Judah who refused to listen. Though judgment and destruction are in the Read more…
The soft question reached my ears on a summer evening not too long ago. Between the field of fireflies and the starlit sky the question lingered. “What do we have to live for if we let go of hope?” It was an admonishing reminder, yea, even a wake-up call from Read more…
Seasonal thaws, melting snow, and rain produces mud. Slippery mud. Knee-deep mud in high traffic areas. Mud that coats and smears any and all surfaces. Here on the property we seem to have more than our share of mud. It’s a mud that hinders forward progress. Determination and grit are Read more…
I recently had a conversation about expectations that dug around the soil of my soul. Consequently, I dove into a word study. The word, expectations, brings to mind a variety of different thoughts for different people. For example, we look forward with expectation when we know something good is going Read more…
She would remember that night always. Her expectations of life had changed that evening. Much of the presumption of her life remained unfulfilled. However, in her unmet expectations she found promises kept. The whiff of smoke from the dying embers, the feel of the smooth wooden stool beneath her touch Read more…
For twelve years she was the joy of their life. It was for twelve years the sparkling eyes and girlish laughter brought sunshine to their home. The baby firsts were celebrated. The childish wonder was captivating and the reality of the future was bright. Those same twelve years there was Read more…
Have you ever found a hiding place so ingenious that in the game of hide and seek the seekers had to give up their search? The seeker would search every available nook and cranny, yet come up empty. It was as a toddler I first played a variation of hide Read more…