Tag: courage
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Love One Another (Like Jesus)
Love one another…as I have loved you. These are some of the last words Jesus spoke to His disciples before his crucifixion. The world does not understand this kind of love. The world says: Love those who love you. Love those who look like you, talk like you and agree with you. The world divides…
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Where Are You Aslan? We Need You Now.
I’m writing during our recent winter storm. It’s snowy and beautiful outside. The giant pine tree boughs are laden with white fluff. Suddenly, the weight is too much and the mounds of snow flutter to the ground. This white mask encases everything in my world and a bluish-gray mist hovers over the mountainous horizon. The…
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A Gift of Quiet Grace
That morning, I made my decision. I would trim Dad’s fingernails. It was a simple task, wasn’t it? I could offer this service without much effort. It would be a gift of quiet grace. Dad had needed his nails trimmed for some time, and I’d asked his nurses to do it when I had them…
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Epiphany: A Revival of the Heart
Every early January we celebrate Epiphany, a Christian festival commemorating the journey of the Magi or Three Kings to Bethlehem. They followed a divine star in the sky that led them to the Christ child. These Wise Men recognized Jesus’ identity as King, while the rest of the world remained unaware. This earth-shattering revelation quietly…
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Advent: When God Broke Through the Silence
The Advent season is upon us. Now is the time for retelling the story of Jesus’ birth in Christmas pageants across the globe. Tradition paints us a picture of a diverse cast of characters from the very young to the elderly, the poorest in ancient society to the most powerful. The word of the Lord…
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Seeking Strength Within the Struggles of Life
If there’s one common diagnosis (besides viral illnesses) I see often in my medical practice, it’s anxiety. We all carry worries. High social standing or a stellar financial portfolio do not make us immune to life’s challenges. They only lead us to believe we can handle every set back on our own. But this couldn’t…
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Refocus Your Thoughts to Overcome Anxiety
What do you do when bad news presses you from all sides, threatening to overwhelm your heart? You purposefully refocus your thoughts to overcome anxiety. I know this sounds hard—impossible really. But remember—nothing is impossible with God. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and enable you to see beyond the constant tragedies reported…
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Boldly Break Free from This Self-Imposed Silence
There’s a strange sort of dynamic going on in the US for some time now. Even though everyone is guaranteed the right to free speech and religion, a number of people don’t fully exercise that freedom. A vocal minority bullies the majority into remaining quiet about their opinions and beliefs by claiming such talk is…
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What the World Needs Now Is . . . You!
I remember the moment when I first stumbled upon Psalm 139. It was a time in my early life when I first started reading the Bible—REALLY reading the Bible. Not out of any sense of moral obligation or intellectual study but out of curiosity. I had many questions for God (and still do), not the…
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The Storyteller’s Corner
Hello friends and Facebook followers! Pour yourself a steaming cup of coffee or tea and pull up a cozy chair. This next month I’m launching a new feature through my author website called The Storyteller’s Corner. Please consider signing up here to start receiving it. In this subscriber only email, you will find updates on…
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Discovering How to Be Still and Wait on the Lord
If you were to ask anyone who knows me well to rank my strengths, knowing how to be still and wait wouldn’t even make the list. I’m the first to admit, calmness within a delay is not a quality I possess. But if you need ideas and action, I’m your girl. Give me a problem…
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Open Our Eyes to See and Ears to Hear
The world competes for our attention. A variety of influencers from movie stars to media moguls vie for our interests. Politicians and corporate leaders work to redirect our focus toward their own agendas. With all these voices clamoring to garner our notice, how do we sort through the beneficial messages from the harmful ones? Do…
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Bent But Not Broken: 5 Ways to Grow Resilience
A solitary tree stands like a sentry in our backyard stretching upward into the sky. It marks the entrance to the holler leading up to the natural spring feeding water to our home. Although only a common tulip poplar, this tree has a distinctive feature not easily noticed in the tall grass. The base of…
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Don’t Let the Gray Hair Fool You
Don’t let the gray hair fool you. Even though I joined the ranks of senior citizens some time ago, I haven’t allowed it to deter me. And neither have a good number of my peers. We are a force to be reckoned with yet also a massive movement for good. While it is true that…
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God’s Grace Is Never Stagnant
The Jordan river in Israel flows into the Sea of Galilee then moves southward until it ends in the Dead Sea. It enters and leaves the Sea of Galilee, vibrant and full of life. Fishermen are still seen on the shores of the lake, as in Jesus’ time on earth, harvesting the tilapia that thrive there. In contrast, when the Jordan…
