Taken from her home. Separated from her parents. Experiencing her sister die. Living in a concentration camp. Corrie Ten Boom survived some horrific circumstances. She suffered much loss and grief and yet gave the world such a strong witness of what it means to trust God with one’s future. Out of her pain, she brought…

Boom! Did you read what Scotty said? “If I am going to be in a hurry about one thing this year, may it be to linger longer in your presence. Everything else will fall into place.” That is powerful! Put what Scotty said with what the psalmist wrote, “Wait for the Lord!” and they create…

Have you ever had a song stuck in your mind, one that kept coming back even though it wasn’t being sung or played? As I pondered this scripture, I realized being able to remember can be a very good blessing. I also know some memories can be difficult and cause pain. It’s so important what…

Are you a Mary or a Martha? In our society it is so easy to be a Martha! Now, I’m not saying being a Martha is bad. In fact, I enjoy being around Marthas. Their energy and enthusiasm can be contagious. What I am saying is we can easily get caught up in doing so…

When was the last time you lingered? Lingering can calm our hearts and often allows us to take that deep breath and be filled with a sense of, “all is well.” I’ll be honest, there were seasons in my life when I didn’t know what lingering was. Six children. A job. Wife. Church. Cooking. Cleaning.…

What did you do today? When our children were young (many years ago 😊), Black Friday meant getting up veeerryy. early, with a list of stores and the best specials to be found. Then, along with thousands of other early shoppers, stand in line, in the cold, to get the perfect gift at the perfect…

How are you feeling today? Even if you are among family or friends, how is your heart? The days leading up to Thanksgiving through nearly Valentine’s Day can be more difficult than others if you have lost a loved one. There’s no easy solution because no two people grieve the same. However, below are just…

Wow! Did you ever think about happiness and gratefulness—and how they are connected? One affects the other in ways beyond our understanding. When we are grateful for whatever we have (even people or problems in our lives) our happiness becomes greater. Today, tomorrow, each day, even if we find ourselves alone, or grieving a loss,…

How is it going? Yesterday I suggested making a list of your “top ten” reasons to give thanks. Did you realize by sending forth to God even short, “Thank you God for the dirty dishes in my sink (probably not on your top ten list, but it could be 😊)” you pleased God? Sometimes we…

Is this week looking beyond busy for you? Would you like to add some joy and more gratefulness into each day? Here’s a suggestion for something you can do to make this week extraordinary! Take a few minutes and write down ten things for which you are most grateful. I suggest you don’t just think…