Tag: christ
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Good News When You’re Waiting
“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.’” (Luke 2:10) Most of the time, we’re waiting on good news of some kind. We’re checking our inboxes, hoping for the call or the text, and scrolling our social media feeds….
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Our Hope Is Built On Nothing Less Than…
I laugh at the memes featuring people peeking out from behind their doors, wild-eyed, saying, “what chapter of Revelation are we doing today?” I’ve chuckled at stoic, cynical jokes about bracing ourselves for the last few months of 2020- a year that seems doomed. Humor is good. Laughter helps. But in case, like me, you…
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5 Encouragements When All You Can Do Is Pray
I wrote the following post before COVID-19 was an issue. How much more real this is today, when we feel helpless in the face of suffering, unable to even extend a hug… If I’m honest, “just praying” makes me feel helpless. The frustration and despair in my heart when I’m told all I can do…
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A Sneaky Strategy of Sin
One of the strategies of sin is to wear us down. My husband recently said that to me, and oh did it resonate. Often, we think of temptation as a flashing sign, a beautiful handwritten invitation, or the suggestion of something alluring. We say “that’s tempting” to junk food and vacations and fun plans when…
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Grow in Grace
As a new mom, a friend of mine regularly reported sleeplessness. Sipping hot drinks while her infant alternated between fussing and sleeping, she told me how it had occurred to her one late, loud night that her baby was doing his job: He was growing. The sweet little guy didn’t understand what was happening as…
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Thinking on What We Already Have
Anyone else wake up thinking through their to-do list? Or zone out mid-conversation because someone said something that reminded you of another item to add to your to-do list? Many of us spend more time thinking about we need, want, or plan on than what we already have. What We Have as God’s Children The…
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The Secret to Glorifying God
Looking at others around me, it’s easy for me to assume they’re God-glorifying because of what great people they are. Sometimes I want to ask, “what’s you’re secret?” As for me, I don’t feel like I’m good at glorifying God. “This has me so ugghhh,” I complain to a friend. What I wish I said…
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Who is Paying the Price? (Mini-Series)
When my guy and I were first married, we lived and worked in an inn. Our “front” door opened into the front office. Guests checking in smelled whatever I’d made for dinner, and co-workers would have needed earplugs to not overhear what was said in our living room. The proximity to others was a privilege-…
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Prospecting for Treasure
It was 1866. The Yogo Gulch in Montana was full of prospectors. They came for gold, but found disappointment. All that stood out in their sifting pans were the numerous little blue pebbles in the area. They threw them away. One man, Jake Hoover, took a different approach after some time. He sent them away….
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Conviction about Christ’s Call
King Josiah was just about my age when a secretary told him “they found a book” in the temple. Hearing it read, he tore his clothes. Soon, all the people in the land heard the words of the book. They sought God, and reformed their practices. Hundreds of years of idolatrous landmarks and openly sinful…