The truest friends stand by you. Even when you’re at your worst. Especially when you’re at your worst. They know your sometimes not-so-pleasant demeanor isn’t a reflection of your heart, but the battle being waged inside it. And rather than abandoning you to your enemy to seek more agreeable company, they’ll move mountains to help […]
“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” Read More »
Don’t judge a book by its cover or a blog post by its title. I know this one sounds like a complete departure from what you’ve come to expect here, and, if you’re not building a house, perhaps not like anything you’re interested in. But this isn’t just about building a house. Like every other
8 Things to Know When Building a House (Or Anything Else) Read More »
Planting seeds is always an act of faith. Whether tomatoes and cucumbers or something less tangible–hope, trust–you can’t know what they’ll yield until you sow. Nothing’s lost if the harvest is all you hoped, but is it worth the effort and heartache if it’s not? After several years of growing a garden and a few
Planting Seeds of Faith: Lessons From Our Garden Read More »
My favorite scripture is apt to change with my circumstances. One verse speaks to this battle, another speaks to that. But with seven powerful verses bundled together, How Firm a Foundation speaks to every condition, which makes it my favorite hymn no matter what’s happening. This is admittedly a lengthy hymn. Unfortunately, that often means
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In 2013, I had the rug yanked from under me. Not for the first time, certainly not for the last, and not nearly as traumatically as what some people experience. But that’s where I learned what is probably often true no matter when or how we’re sent sprawling–that when it feels like everything is falling
When You Think Everything is Falling Apart Read More »
The ring I wear on my left hand is what hope looks like. Well, it’s what mine looks like, anyway. Some might say it’s bent completely out of shape. I rather think it’s bent into shape. No, this slightly warped, oblong little band doesn’t look as nice as the perfect, unabused circle it was in
What Hope Looks Like When It’s All You’ve Got Read More »
Is it really so reassuring to know my heavenly Father knows? He’s God. Of course he knows. Our storms, frailties, wounds. Nothing we carry to him is a surprise. Nothing we keep from him escapes his notice, either. He’s not called omniscient for nothing. But if you’re like me, it’s not so much what he
“I Know My Heavenly Father Knows” Read More »
When asked how he survived eight years in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, Admiral Jim Stockdale said, “I never lost faith in the end of the story.” His freedom, his family, prevailing to be defined by the experience instead of destroyed. Through the haze of horrors, that’s where he always believed he was going. That’s why
Never Lose Faith in the End of the Story Read More »
Adversity doesn’t typically ask permission before it plunges you into the depths of despair. It just happens and down you go, sometimes before you’ve fully comprehended what even hit you. But it’s your response to adversity that determines how long you stay there. Or at least what your stay is like. One day, my seven-year-old
A Response to Adversity That Won’t Invite More Read More »
“Have thine own way, Lord.” Five of the hardest words to say and actually mean. Deep down, we may believe God’s plans are as perfect as he is, perfectly designed for our perfect happiness. He’s a loving God. They must be. Why, then, are they so hard to trust? This hymn was sung at my
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