“Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” (Romans 15:2, ESV) When Jesus walked here on earth, He often sent His disciples out two by two to minister in surrounding towns. Have you ever wondered why He never sent them alone? Could they not…
We’ve all been overwhelmed with the pressure to do it all. Adding more and more tasks to our already busy schedules will weigh us down and will affect every part of our lives; a lot of times in a negative way. North Americans are, on average, over-spent with their time,…
“That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” (Romans 1:12, ESV) I received a text message last week that said, “We need to get tea on the calendar.” I understood the message immediately. It meant we hadn’t talked in a while, and…
“Then Job answered and said, I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all. Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest? I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul’s stead, I could heap up words against you, and…
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (I Thessalonians 5:11, ESV) Joses, whom his fellow believers called Barnabas, was an encourager. That’s how he obtained his nickname. Barnabas means “son of encouragement.” He was the kind of person we would all appreciate having as…
The Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia welcomed me to a ladies’ retreat where I had been the main speaker the year before. The pastor’s wife was a dear friend, and the ladies of her church were quite precious to me as well. Only this year, I was not their special…
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (I Peter 4:8, ESV) I recently read a statement that said, “As you move about this world, be more than just another passing face — be a source of grace” (author unknown). It reminded me that…
Leadership can be draining at times. There is the constant task of keeping people on track with the vision and dealing with challenges and obstacles on a regular basis. One of the greatest challenges of leading people is keeping yourself refreshed with inspiration, motivation, vision, and passion for what God…
“I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.” (Psalm 102:7, ESV) Today, July 11, is “Cheer Up the Lonely Day.” I’ll admit I had not heard of this observance until I read about it in a magazine. I did a little research, and yes, there is…