Conntecting the Dots

Posts Tagged: Psalms

Finding Courage and Strength Through Songs of Praise

Finding courage and strength through songs of praise became a living reality to me during a  time when I felt emotionally and physically depleted. I filled my home with worship music during those difficult days, but I also basked in the beauty of worship songs sung in church every Sunday morning. The sound of six… [ read more ]

Finding Calm in the Midst of Chaos

Finding calm in the midst of chaos is hard to do sometimes. When I’m in a tough situation, my thoughts tend to flit from one thing to another, bouncing between what’s happened, what could happen, and what needs to happen. In order to respond to the challenge well, I have to continually bring my thoughts… [ read more ]

Encouraging Words for When You Face a Test

Tests make me nervous. In fact, I remember lying in fourth grade to skip writing a math test. I’d been sick with the flu for several days prior, and on the day of my return to school, the teacher plunked a math test on my desk. I took one look at it, felt the fear… [ read more ]

5 Reminders About God’s Love for Us

We can all use a few reminders now and again about God’s love for us, yes? That’s because our human minds have a hard time grasping its reality and actually believing it. Most of what we know about love is based on what we’ve experienced, and those experiences aren’t always the best teachers. Valentine’s Day… [ read more ]

How Does God’s Goodness Pursue Us?

How does God’s goodness pursue us? Here’s one example: An acquaintance of mine had attended a conference in Istanbul. He’s a committed follower of Jesus, yet discouragement had set in, and he’d begun feeling distanced from God. When the conference ended, he stayed in the city to visit the sites for a few days. One… [ read more ]

How Does a Yearly Focus Word Help Us Grow?

  A yearly focus word is a great tool to help us grow in our faith journey. One year, my word was “joy.” It reminded me to reframe the way I viewed difficulties. I learned to see them not as hindrances but as opportunities to experience God’s presence and promises in new ways. Another year,… [ read more ]

Surrounded by God’s Presence

  You, my friend, are surrounded by God’s presence. Some days, your thoughts might tell you otherwise, but don’t believe them. Instead, hold onto the promise found in —”Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, both now and forever.” The Cambridge English dictionary defines surround as “to be everywhere around… [ read more ]

How to Remain Confident When We Feel Like Giving Up

How can we remain confident when we feel like giving up? By ignoring the little voice that feeds us doom and gloom. You know how it goes…. Worry whispers that inflation is going to make it impossible for us to pay the bills and we’ll soon end up a homeless statistic. Anxiety assures us that… [ read more ]

Sitting in God’s Waiting Room

Sitting in God’s waiting room is not an easy thing to do. Patience wears thin after a time, and our human bent starts tapping its toe. C’mon, c’mon already! Bring my prodigal home. Restore my marriage. Provide finances to pay the bills. Heal my body. Give me clear direction for the big decision looming. Fix… [ read more ]

Living in Awe of God

“Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy.” ( NLT). Sailor-Man and I left home early Thursday morning for yet another road trip. The wind blew and the rain pelted our car for the… [ read more ]