We live in a Veruca Salt world, don’t we? You know, Veruca—the quintessential spoiled little girl from Roald Dahl’s classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? If you’re like me, you know Veruca best from the movie adaptation starring Gene Wilder. Even now I can picture her singing at the top of her lungs about everything she wants, a goose that lays golden eggs being at the top of that …
Spirituality
Over and over God calls us into a deeper, more loving, more peaceful relationship with Him. His perfect love is sufficient for us, it heals the most painful wounds, it shines a light in the dark places, it gives peace to the chaos. He draws us closer to Him by calling us to let go of fear and to focus our thoughts on gratitude. In Philippians 4:6, He promises …
When I think about all that our nation—and the world—is experiencing with regard to the coronavirus and COVID-19, we all are impacted in many different ways. Our routines have been dramatically altered, the health of loved ones is in question, physical contact with family and friends has become minimal, employment is unstable, our freedom to shop anywhere we desire is no longer an option, and statistics are sobering as …
Waiting for the news of a diagnosis, waiting for your son to find the courage to make the right choice, waiting for your marriage to heal, waiting to feel more content in your job, waiting for the pain of the past to stop interfering with your present… If only you could know the future maybe then the waiting wouldn’t be so painful. If you could have a small glimpse into …
Feeling fear and anxiety? Be anxious for nothing, God’s got you!Feeling sadness and grief? Have hope in eternity! Focus on what’s yet to come.Feeling overwhelmed? God will never give you more than you can handle. These responses are merely “emotional band-aids” that do little to treat the gaping wounds of our hearts. What if there was no such thing as a “bad emotion”? The unspoken rule in our society …
The word for “sincere” in Italian is sincero. “Sin” means “to be without.” “Cero” is the Italian word for wax. It was a term used in the practice of pottery. Artisans would mold a vessel out of clay and place it into a kiln in which the clay would harden under intense heat. Cracks would often form in the vessels as they were pulled from the heat into the cooler air outside of the …
What is the greatest gift God can give you this Christmas? I don’t know what you or your family may be walking through this Christmas, but I do know if you have felt loss and suffering at any level in the past days, months or years, this Christmas could be very difficult for you.Depending on the grief, trial, or pain you are experiencing, your answer simply may be for God …
Accepting “what is” is a theme that God has been working out in my life for many years. Acceptance doesn’t mean approval, endorsement, or even liking the circumstances. It simply requires a mental and heart-felt shift from resistance to submission through acknowledging and embracing the reality that whatever is, “IS”. Each of us can identify with the notion that, in various areas of our lives, we would have chosen a …