Promise Keeper

  The Bible is filled with promises for our lives. The promises cover everything from health, His presence, to joy to our future generations. It’s easy to believe those promises when you see glimpses of them being manifested in your life. But how do you continue to hold on when there seems to be no evidence of the promise? How do you keep believing although there seems to be no hint of the promise on the horizon? 1. Recognize the...

What I Learned From Keep It Shut

Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, When to Say It by Karen Ehman The title says it all for this book! The author focuses on the power of our words and how we should use our words as children of God. She discusses how we should approach gossip, arguments, unnecessary chatter, etc. by giving practical suggestions, specific situations and lots of personal stories. Pray More Than You Talk One of the most memorable passages of this...

The Power of Agreement

  Amos 3:2 “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” Imagine a three-legged race where one of the two individuals participating refuses for whatever reason to participate. Maybe that person is hurt, offended, too exhausted, busy with other things, not ready, not focused not interested, etc.  His/her refusal to participate presents a challenge for the willing party and leaves a few options for the other person who wants to participate in the race:  Drag the other...

Friend of God?

“I am a friend of God…oooh, I am a friend of God…He calls me friend!” I love this song and you can tell how much I love by how much I belt it out when it is sung at church or when I listen to it in my car. Sometimes these words excite me – to consider the concept that the King of the Universe considers me a friend. But most times, the song convicts me – Am I truly...

3 Things that Hinder Your Faith

 “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”  James 2:14, 17 We can talk about faith all day, but in order for our faith to grow, we must put it to work. It’s one thing to say “I trust you God” and it’s...

Stand Alone Faith

Genesis 6:9 “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.”   Hebrews 11:7 “By faith, Noah being divinely warned of things not seen moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household…” It’s usually no fun to be the one doing something that others are not doing. You feel like an outsider, like everyone is staring at you, like people are whispering when you are not looking.  Sometimes we have to...

Jumping Without Details

 Hebrews 11:8 “By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Most of us trust that when we enter an address into our GPS, it will take us to our desired location. We trust that the information is updated, relevant, and accurate.  If you are like me, you probably take a second and glance at the trip overview...