What’s your natural response when someone hurts you? Mine is to stew about what’s happened or been said, and then I have internal conversations that sound something like, “I can’t believe she said those things about me,” or “How could she do such a thing? What’s wrong with her thinking?” Our natural response is to… [ read more ]
Posts Tagged: forgiveness
5 Promises God Keeps and Why
In the past four days, God has reminded me several times that He always keeps His promises. The first reminder came last weekend as I researched for a First 5 assignment. refers to Abraham believing God’s promise to make him the father of countless descendants. Humanly speaking, this was an impossibility. He and his… [ read more ]
How to Respond to Unmet Expectations
Relationships can be testy sometimes, right? Conflict happens for various reasons, but common unmet expectations is a common cause. That is—one party places expectations upon another and responds negatively when the second party fails to perform according to those expectations. Sometimes they’ve been verbalized; other times, not. Sometimes they’re reasonable; other times, not. It’s complicated…. [ read more ]
What the World Needs Now
Years ago, a lilting tune said that the world needed love, sweet love. The writer said love was the only thing of which there was too little. A simple tune, it was, but its simplicity carried a powerful message. Truth be told, I’ve been so busy writing the new book that I was going… [ read more ]
10 Gifts Our Shepherd Gives Us
holds a special place in my heart. It says, “The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need.” On my fiftieth birthday, I sat in my backyard with Bible and journal in hand. “God, please give me a theme verse for my next 50 years,” I prayed. Psalm 23:1 instantly came to… [ read more ]
The Truth About Trying to Hide Sin
I began eating in secret when I was about six years old. My dad brought home a stash of chocolate bars and little bags of potato chips from a restaurant where he’d done some electrical work. The restaurant owner was doing a remodel job and needed to clear out his storage room, so… [ read more ]
The Perfect Christian
Hi! I’m still in Romania. On Monday and Tuesday, our team will serve children and do home visits in a village a couple hours’ drive from Resita. This has become an annual event that complements the work our career staff are doing in the area. We’ll drive back to Budapest, Hungary on Wednesday. On Thursday,… [ read more ]
A Prayer to Pray When Someone Hurts You
Our human bent tells us to withdraw physically, or dish up the silent treatment, or seek sweet revenge when someone hurts us. Praying for that individual’s forgiveness seldom enters our mind. But if we profess to be Jesus’ disciples, then we’re to follow His example. Jesus was innocent of all wrongdoing yet He suffered… [ read more ]
Worship with a Kiss
I know, I know…Christmas proper has come and gone. Still, it’s nice to linger a little longer. Why rush the season away, right? I recently read the lyrics from a carol titled, “In the Bleak Midwinter” by Christina Rossetti. Angels and archangels may have gathered there, Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air; But… [ read more ]
God Gives Second Chances
I once interviewed a former police officer who told me how he’d tried to solve his financial difficulties by robbing banks. His actions led to prison time and divorce. He eventually hit rock bottom and committed his life to Christ. Now he’s helping at-risk teenagers realize the importance of making wise choices before they,… [ read more ]
Recent Comments