My husband and I enjoyed many safaris together while we lived in Africa. We had a four-wheel-drive vehicle; we had all the necessary gear for such excursions (tents and coolers and cookstoves and such); and we had maps for where we were going – so why not head off into the wilderness alone? Among other things, those journeys taught me a lot about the need for prayer, because we very soon learned t...  Read More

Have you ever struggled to hear the Lord (or, feel close to God)? Ever struggled to really know what it is that He’s saying to you?Perhaps the first question we should really ask is, Do you even think that there is a God? And if you do, do you believe that He speaks to people today? Or do you think He is pretty much uninterested and uninvolved in the concerns and cares of people like us?If we are ...  Read More

I was thinking about the Easter Season the other day when a childhood memory flooded into my mind. I grew up in a non-Christian family, but my parents did send me to Sunday School at the local church for a while when I was little because they thought it “might do me some good”. Unfortunately, they didn’t let me attend for very long, but I remember how much I used to enjoy the classes and the Bible stories.  Read More

There is an old saying in various parts of the world that “An east wind blows no good.” An “east wind” has become something almost synonymous with hardships, storms and trouble of the worst kind. Remarkably, Scripture shows us that God can even use an east wind to bring us good!  Read More

If you have grown up in the care of loving, kind parents you are blessed! Over the years I have met many people from difficult family backgrounds. A friend of mine once confided in me that her own father had never kept his word to her growing up. He would promise to take her to the park or the store; but when the time came to go, there would always be some reason for him not to follow through on his promise. Consequently, when she came to faith, she somehow transferred her father’s failure and inconsistency onto God. She struggled to trust that her Heavenly Father would keep the promises in His Word, because, without realizing it, she expected Him to be just like her earthly father had been.  Read More

God often directly intervenes in the lives of His people when they begin to praise Him. Remember Paul and Silas in Philippi? We learn in Acts 16 that after casting a demon out of an abused young slave girl in Philippi they were “dragged … into the marketplace to face the authorities” and accused of “advocating customs unlawful for … Romans to accept or practice.” Paul and Silas were “stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison” where they were placed “in the inner cell” and the jailer “fastened their feet in the stocks.”  Read More

The Apostle Paul declared in Romans 8:1 that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. How is it possible to be released from the judgment that we deserve? Who exactly is our judge? And is He truly merciful enough not to condemn us? No place is this better seen in Scripture than in John 8:2-11.  Read More

The rain is pounding on the roof. I can hear it splashing out the gutters. It seems so cold and dark right now, I don’t want to get out of the blankets. Two weeks ago, I had to say goodbye to my husband. He died from Leukemia twelve days after our 35th wedding anniversary.  Read More

Type your new text here. Shortly after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem to consecrate Him to the Lord, as was the custom. There they encountered an old man by the name of Simeon in the Temple courts. As it turned out, he had been sent there to meet them, though they didn’t understand it at the time.Simeon was a righteous and devout man who knew the Scriptures that prophesi...  Read More

Death came to our peaceful little valley this past week. It was an uninvited caller. Its dark shadows quickly seemed to seep in to every corner and there was no escape. Now destructive scars are everywhere as once verdant hills stand blackened and smoldering, their trees are but charred sticks or piles of ash swirling in the breeze.  Read More

A friend and I were talking one day about the different pressures we were facing — deadlines on projects, family concerns, new opportunities that were presenting themselves — and she asked me how I paced myself…how I refreshed my mind and recharged my batteries for the next push. And because she’s getting to be a good friend, she didn’t laugh when I said, “I watch cooking shows.” It’s a natural th...  Read More

We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Life is good. Plans are on track…it looks like we might even finally get ahead a bit. Then something we didn’t anticipate arises and we are brought up short. Stopped in our tracks.  Read More