Releasing Our Worry

Lack of support from peers at work gets to me at times, especially when we work hard year-round to raise money for our resident’s Christmas presents and endure hurtful comments or apathy from our co-workers. Frustration built up in me for a long time and when the opportunity presented itself, I voiced these frustrations to my boss. He didn’t provide […]

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Praying for the Lord’s Provision

When a friend and I began a new Christian writer’s group in our area we weren’t sure how much interest we would find. We worked to send out notices to the proper media channels, events calendars, bookstores and churches in our area. However, we also hit some roadblocks and snags along the way, as some of these places refused to […]

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Faithful in a Little

Recently, a friend and I started a writer’s group in our area.  Leading up to the days of the event, we were unsure how many would attend. I must admit, moments of doubt and panic crept in when the fear that only the two of us would attend took over. Talking with my friend she reminded me of the words […]

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The Foolish Ruler

Recently in Bible Study, we were discussing the foolish ruler. He told Jesus  he followed the ten commandments, but asked what he was lacking. “Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”  {Matthew 19:21} So how did the man react? “When the young man […]

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A Camel Through the Eye of a Needle

There is an acquaintance who enjoys talking about how much money he has and attempting to hold it over everyone’s head.  He doesn’t even realize he is doing this, but more than one person has voiced how this is a turn off to them. Someone approached me after Bible Study one day and mentioned Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:24. “Again […]

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Taking Our Troubles to the Lord

Doubt and fear was welling up within me and my thoughts were getting the best of me.  I could feel my anxiety rising and worry increasing. Normally when this happens I can spiral out of control and struggle to pull myself from this dark place.  This time I decided not to do this. Instead, I began to pray about the […]

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Asking the Lord for Help

Martin Luther said  “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” There was a time when I thought prayer was only when in trouble or a form of corporate worship. However, the only way I survived domestic abuse was to continually turn to the Lord in prayer. I had no one and […]

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We Are All the Same

Working in skilled care, we have a variety of people and personalities. Some came from the poorest of situations and little education, while others are well educated and have considerable money. However, we treat everyone the same, regardless of their background, riches or education. I remind my residents on a regular basis we are all part of the family of […]

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From Impossible to Doable

Hudson Taylor, who was a missionary to China, said  “I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.” His words resonated and I thought about my own struggles, especially to get healthy.  What first felt impossible is now just difficult.  However, it has […]

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Praying through the Struggle

Recently, a friend encouraged me to write prayers for thirty days to the Lord.  I decided to not only use this for my writing but also for my weight loss.  Each short prayer was accompanied with a scripture verse.  As each prayer is answered there is a place to make note of the answer and accomplishment. While doing this I […]

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Pushed Out of our Comfort Zone

I know of someone who had been in his job for over a decade.  He was happy where he was and with what he was doing.  Then everything began to turn against him, he lost his job and went through a very difficult time. After a couple of months, the Lord opened the doors for a different opportunity and position […]

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Work for Eternal Fruit

Recently I partnered with another writer on a ministry project.   Before beginning on the project we opened in prayer. Each time she prays, she ask the Lord “let us work for eternal fruit in this endeavor”. It had been a long time since I’d heard it put this way.  However, whatever we do, we should be working for eternal fruit.  […]

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Caring for Our Flock

There are days when I am overwhelmed at work.  There is so much I have to get accomplished, but one interruption turns into a dozen.  Some of these are legitimate, but others are to hear a story I could recite by memory or to answer a question I’ve already answered a dozen times.                 I wish I could tell you […]

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Taking Time to Rest

After work one Friday, I ran a few errands and before I knew it the nine o’clock hour had come. I wondered where the day had gone. After all, after work on Friday’s is my favorite time of week and I’d been so busy it had passed in a flash. But, I thought back to the three hours I spent […]

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Finding Gratitude

I have to admit, with my melancholy personality I struggle to be grateful at times.  This year, I decided to work on that and to search for gratitude and a spirit of gratefulness and thanksgiving. Overall, I noticed that my mind is beginning to change from the negative to the positive.  I still have a long way to go, but […]

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Praying Over Our Problems

As I mentioned last week, the power of my words landed me in trouble. The situation took several weeks to resolve.  This was a very stressful time and led to more than one sleepless night. I turned the only place possible. To the Lord in prayer.  I poured my heart out and begged the Lord to change the situation, but […]

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The Power of Our Words

Several weeks ago, after an exhausting week I snapped at a friend of mine. Although my words were not directed towards her, they were perceived to be and taken personally. The situation escalated and almost came to an end.  Even after apologizing the situation was not easily resolved. King Solomon wrote “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but hard words […]

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When Others Fall

Last week, I talked about owning up to my mistakes. But what about when someone we look up to falls? Recently the news has been full of role models who made a colossal mistake. So, what can we do when others fall? First and foremost, pray for them. Pray for the Lord to: Comfort them Guide them Direct their actions […]

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Owning Up to Our Mistakes

On two different occasions lately, I have had to own up to my mistakes.  This included taking ownership, apologizing and working to resolve the situation. Owning up to our mistakes is not always easy and in our humanness we often want to cast blame on others, instead of accepting blame and our part in the situation. Paul wrote “Brothers and […]

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When We Are Grateful

There are days when I struggle with depression and finding the gratitude in a situation. The other week, I heard a speaker say “When we are grateful our entire life changes”. I began to think of all the little things I take for granted, instead of being grateful for. The fact that I woke up this morning, breathe fresh air, […]

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