Category: Faithfulness
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Planting New Seeds When the Old Don’t Sprout
I’m a bit of a gardening nut. When the days get longer and temps start to rise, I’m excited to put my hands in the soil again. I watch anxiously for the seed I placed in the ground to emerge as tiny plants. But, if nothing comes up, I’m in a dilemma. Should I be…
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Am I Faithful in My Focus?
Where is your attention right now? Is it caught up in the chaos of all the recent changes we’ve experienced as a nation? With all the media hype, it would be difficult to not feel at least a little anxious about what’s coming next. I guess a person could avoid it all by immersing themselves…
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Encountering An Easter Morning Surprise
Jesus was dead—or so they thought. Mary Magdalene and the other women had witnessed the horrific act of crucifixion from the foot of the cross. Who could possibly survive a Roman execution? In modern times, we try to downplay its brutality with the gold crosses we wear as jewelry. In reality, it was anything but…
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What is the Measure of Success?
Over this past weekend, my husband and I spent a considerable amount of time digging around in the mud. We were attempting to replace a broken stock tank in order to divert water from the natural spring which runs down the mountain behind our home. Between the tremendous amount of water flowing from this spring…
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Pressing Forward in Faith One Step at a Time
Oftentimes the most difficult part of a journey is the first step. We have brilliant ideas, new projects swirling in our heads, but they never come to fruition. Fear paralyzes us and procrastination keeps us stuck at the starting line. We lack confidence in ourselves, yet more than that, we lack confidence in our Creator….
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Whatever the Outcome: Live with Integrity
The election is over. The candidates you supported may have won or lost. Some shout victory, others mourn, while a few important races remain undecided. However, whatever the outcome of the election, of this I’m sure. God is still on the throne. It may not feel like it, but He remains in control. Leaders come…
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But If Not…Three Powerful Words of Faith
But if not. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego spoke these three powerful words of faith before being thrown into the fiery furnace. With courage, they told King Nebuchadnezzar that their God was able to save them. But if not, their decision remained the same. They would not bow down to the golden image set up by…
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Keep a Fierce But Compassionate Heart
My husband knows I love to write so, he bought me this new journal for Christmas. I’ve filled many over the past few years. Somehow it seems fitting to start it on this cold, blustery winter morning just before Valentine’s Day. He thinks I was born with a fiery spirit. Though how do I keep…
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Miracles Evolve Daily
Miracles evolve daily yet we don’t often recognize their significance. Every morning the sun rises then sets again in the evening. We count on it’s regularity. By the light of it’s rays, flowers emerge from seed in the ground while busy bees produce delectable honey through collecting its pollen and nectar. Amazing! All around us,…
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Planting Trees: A Pure Act of Faith
For several years now, instead of putting up an artificial tree for Christmas, my husband and I decided to purchase a live tree. But rather than cutting down a pine, we go to a local tree farm for a balled tree so we can plant it later. Yes, it’s a lot more trouble. In order…
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Known By Name
I was the one in grade school that had the name no one knew how to pronounce. Maybe you were that person too. On the first day of school, the teacher called out all the student’s names alphabetically. When she came to my name, there was always a pause. Suzanne Van…Cycle? No ma’am, it’s Van…
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Open Hands and Open Hearts
As many of you know, I work in an inner-city community health center serving the needy in our neighborhood. My co-workers and I intentionally chose where we work because we are helpers by nature. However, even helpers find it difficult to keep helping if they’re not seeing the results of their efforts. Often we question:…
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Leave a Legacy
I want to leave a legacy…but not in the way you might think. We define a legacy as anything passed down from a predecessor or ancestor. Generally this means a gift of personal property such as money or land through a will or bequest. There is certainly nothing wrong with planning to leave an inheritance…
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Start Small but Dream Big
Twenty-five years ago in an adult Sunday School class at Tabernacle Presbyterian Church, an idea was born. There was a need for health care in their inner city Indianapolis neighborhood. Out of this need, a few people dreamed of starting a clinic for the community. They began small with an all volunteer staff of nurses…
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The Power of One Seed
Seeds are amazing. Within every seed is the genetic material needed to create a whole plant. A single seed in the crevice of a rock with enough soil, sun and rain, can produce a tree that will split the rock as it grows. Little by little, as the roots and trunk grow, they push the…
