Whether a studio apartment in the city or a five-bedroom home in the suburbs, our home is our refuge, our safe place from the world. We not only want visitors to feel comfortable, but we want that same level of comfort for ourselves. A lot of physical labor and money…
FOCUS VERSE “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:4, KJV) LOOKING BACKWARD Most people can only remember the previous two generations of their family lineage: their parents and grandparents. Some people might remember their great-grandparents. Unless people record their family history…
Do you like to forgive? Do you enjoy it when you need forgiveness? God calls us to both—to forgive and be forgiven. But He doesn’t stop there. He calls us one step beyond forgiveness. However, we must first forgive before we can go one step beyond forgiveness. We know we…
Focus Verses: Luke 10:38-42, John 11:1-44 Martha and Mary are two sisters with two personalities and two stories in the Bible. It’s interesting to study who chose to record their stories and learn more about the writer. THE WRITER, LUKE If you read the Gospels in the order they appear…
Focus Verse: “Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah.” (Psalm 77:9, NKJV) Do the words from Psalms sound familiar—perhaps because you’ve said something similar to this yourself? When troubles come and we struggle to understand, it’s easy to ask, “Where are…
Focus Verse: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, ESV) Have you ever heard someone describe their weariness or fatigue as “worn to the bone”? Maybe you’ve been there yourself. You are weary, running on empty, worn out, and…
“Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.” (Hebrews 12:15, NKJV) At the time of this writing, I am experiencing a weed problem in my yard. I have tried pulling them out…
One of my piano students’ families comes every week with four beautiful, well-behaved, little children. They sit and play quietly while the others have their lessons. I watch in awe because my kids weren’t like this at their age! It’s not how God made our personalities. Our family is quirky.…
If we can’t hear God speaking into our lives–it isn’t a physical problem, it’s a spiritual problem. God is speaking, but we must learn to distinguish God’s voice from other voices. There is such a multiplicity of voices that try to speak into our lives and all of them are…