How Can We Know God Better? Photo courtesy of unsplash Sometimes I think we know God as well as we know our distant aunt who lives states away. We believe our aunt exists, we’re related to her, but we live too far away to know her well. Maybe this kind of distant relationship with God is what Apostle Paul felt when he prayed for the believers in Ephesus to know God better (Eph. 1:17). He used two different Greek words for “knowing,” which emphasizes the depth to which Paul longed for...
11 months ago • 2 min read
When You Walk Through the Valley Photo courtesy of unsplash My grandma was the first person I saw die. Several of our family members stood around her hospital bed as she took a painful last breath—and I'll never forget what came to my mind: She was surrounded by loved ones, but she had to cross the valley of death on her own. I think the same is true for many kinds of valleys in our lives—no other human can walk with us through them, completely. This week on the podcast we mediate on Psalm...
12 months ago • 1 min read
(This post is almost a week late. I was at a writing and publishing conference, but here it is, friend.) Fear's Shadow Photo courtesy of unsplash My children ask me to pray over them before bed. They're afraid of the dark, afraid of a bad dream, afraid of the shadow on the wall. But fear's shadow seems to project everywhere these days. I type this at my hair appointment, where I just talked with my stylist about politics (yes, we went there). She shared her fear of our government trying to...
12 months ago • 3 min read
Turmoil Happens. Sometimes difficulty arrives like a tornado, blasting through the glass walls of our lives—and leaves shattered remains. A tragic death. A cancer diagnosis. A spouse that leaves. But most of the time (in my life), the volcanos of turmoil exist only within me. I stress about a deadline. Worry about my child's future 20 years down the road. I pace impatiently for God to answer a prayer. What might feel like turmoil in your life today? This week's podcast passage is helping slow...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read
God has plans to prosper you. If we walk into any home decor store, we might find a wall plaque or mug with the Bible verse from Jeremiah 29:11—that God plans to prosper us. But let's be careful. We need to think about how we apply a verse because we can imagine it means what it doesn't. A friend of mine used this verse as her personal mantra when she started with a home-based multilevel marketing business. She hung onto it as if God personally promised her that her business would sell...
over 1 year ago • 3 min read
God has plans to prosper you. If we walk into any home decor store, we might find a wall plaque or mug with the Bible verse from Jeremiah 29:11—that God plans to prosper us. But let's be careful. We need to think about how we apply a verse because we can imagine it means what it doesn't. A friend of mine used this verse as her personal mantra when she started with a home-based multilevel marketing business. She hung onto it as if God personally promised her that her business would sell...
over 1 year ago • 3 min read
Finding Your Path LISTEN NOW How Do I Know Which Way to Go? Turkey Run State Park hosts a few moderate hikes through a gorge dressed with Indiana maples. It's my favorite go-to locally when I need a nature fix. Recently I hiked with a few friends and we came to a trail crossing, several of us not knowing which way headed back toward the car. We picked one way. It was right (thank God). It seems to me life can feel like this sometimes. We stop in a place where we're not quite sure which good...
over 1 year ago • 3 min read
Need Wisdom? Start Here. LISTEN NOW Use What You've Got Living in poverty makes a person resourceful. That's how I learned to throw epic birthday parties for my kids using what I found around the house (solo cup games, homemade pinjatas, and baking cupcakes for the win!) On the other end, sometimes, when we live in abundance of something, it sits in a drawer, unused—(can anyone say, "junk drawer"?) In this week's episode we remember how Solomon asked God for wisdom—and got it all: wisdom,...
over 1 year ago • 3 min read
God's Promise of a Forever King LISTEN NOW God's Promises are Golden Sometimes I change plans on my kids and they think I broke a promise—or sometimes they take my "maybe" and consider it as good as if I sealed a parchment with a signet ring. Has anyone ever let you down on a promise they couldn't keep? In this week's podcast, we meditate on the promise God made to David—an everlasting promise that would never be un-made. We can take this to the eternal bank. THIS WEEK'S EPISODE Read 2 Samuel...
over 1 year ago • 2 min read