Are you anxious and worried about many things? Want to find peace in the middle of daily struggles? Here are 3 T's for Tackling Worry

For the despondent, one that has lost hope and courage, life is viewed from a lense of gray. Life appears with many troubles, even miserable, everything seems to go wrong, their anxious, foreboding thoughts translate into a life of glass 1/2 empty. (from Proverbs 15:15 NLT, AMPC, MSG, TPT) For the happy heart, those who have the Hope that anchors the soul (Hebrews 6:19), life is viewed through a bright yellow lense. It is a continual feast regardless of circumstances. For tho

Dear Lord, We have been under a safe-at-home order for over 6 weeks. It’s 2020 – the year the world stopped for a while. COVID-19 has ruled. We all have questions, concerns, opinions, and losses. This season has slowed most of us down in ways we never expected. It has impacted every single person from the youngest child who can’t see her grandma to the oldest grandma who can’t see anyone. We are all grieving, battling the losses…some greater than others…but felt deeply just t

Many of us looked to 2020 as a big year. For many reasons. We set new vision. 20/20 vision to be exact. Our direction seemed clear. Plans in place. Now, we may be scratching our heads wondering what in the world? Everything is upside down. We are feeling our way now through a fog of uncertainty. Nothing clear in sight. 2020 is a big year for our family. We have a senior in high school. We had made lots of plans to watch him play his last season of baseball, get ready for prom

Home. A dwelling place. A shelter. . Home. It is where most of us are finding ourselves these days…as things continue to get stripped away and sidelined. . “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”” Psalms‬ ‭91:1-2‬ ‭NIV‬‬ . To dwell means to sit down (in quiet), to remain, to settle. . God offers us a home. A dwelling place. A shelter from the st

While the world is waiting, God is still working. . “God is doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” John Piper . “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭130:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬ #aquietpause #scripturedoodles #goodnews #goodnessofgod #shebelieved #apromiseaday #shewrites #thinkontruth #godspromises #devotional #waituponthelord #thinkontruth #devotional #Godisstillworking #aquietpause #waitupontheLord #apromiseaday #encou

“And, we know God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those called according to His purposes.” Romans 8:28 ESV God placed this promise on my heart for the next Digging Deeper devotional a few weeks ago. It’s one that hangs above my desk. A life verse that I cling to when my circumstances have me saying “this can’t be good” – when my heart is having a hard time believing otherwise. In my usual study fashion, I start with the Greek Lexicon – to

Here we are in a new season, a new year. No better time for a new devotional series. Right? As many do, I always ask God at the beginning of a new year for a focus word. Two years ago it was the word: TRUST. Last year, it was the word BELIEVE. Both of those words developed into my last devotional series SHE believed; Developing a Foundation of Trust in God. As I learned what it meant to trust God, I began to Think on Truth, Remember and Rest, Unload my cares, Sing and Serve,

Paul was on a ship in the middle of a storm. Not just any storm…a typhoon, a nor’easter type of storm. It had raged for many days “blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone.” Everyone feared for their lives. But, an angel of God appeared to Paul and said, “Don’t be afraid…God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone with you.” Then, Paul declared: “So take courage! For I believe God.” How many times in the middle of our storms do we fear and gi

I love a simple message. One that is clear, easy to understand and apply to my life. I also love to study. Yeah, I know that’s weird. I am a word nerd! Drawing out key words in scripture helps me to remember and apply what I am learning. The first graphic are the key words from my study (see second pic) of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. I compared several Bible versions, but also used Matthew Henry’s concordance app and the Blue Letter Bible app (which gives the Hebrew or Greek mea

I grew up in and out of church. I accepted Jesus as my Savior in early high school, but didn’t really understand what a relationship with Him really meant. As with many young adults, my spiritual life was not a priority. I was too busy having fun in college and setting goals for the future. One day in my late twenties, my mom gave me this Bible and EVERYTHING changed. . For the first time in my life, I decided each morning I would sit down in my favorite white chair with my c

After Jesus resurrection, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the tomb. There, they saw the Angel of the Lord sitting on the stone that had been rolled away. He said, “I know you’re looking for Jesus. He isn’t here. He is risen.” Matthew 28 Headed to tell the disciples the news, Jesus met them and greeted them. To my knowledge, he met these women first -before any others. When they saw him, they ran to him (with focus), grasped his feet (kneeling down in surrender

Spring time always finds us with an overly busy schedule. As a result my flower beds are usually neglected for the first month or so of spring. As I paused for a moment and looked at them today, I realized that the weeds were already starting to take over. Weeds that will eventually choke out the beautiful flowers growing right in the midst of them. It reminded me of how weeds begin to creep into my own soul. Weeds, that if neglected, will also begin to choke the beauty out o

I saw an Instagram quote yesterday that said something like this… “think on all that you ARE rather than all you are NOT.” To whomever posted this, thank you. I need a change in perspective sometimes. What if I said NO to the NOTS? Rather than thinking, I am NOT __________. What if I replaced it with I AM ________________. Then, start filling in the blank. I am a child of God. I am redeemed. I am healthy. I am kind. I am strong. I am loved. Rather than I do NOT have _________

My devotional pointed me to Psalm 23 on Friday. It is so familiar that I decided to read it in several different versions which often gives me new perspective and meaning. The Passion Translation refreshed my soul. I hope it will refresh you, too. Soak in these words: “The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd. I always have more than enough. He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss. That’s wher

I love warm weather. Wet, wintry weather is not for me. It seems like it will never end. The cold. The gray. Then, even in the midst of the cold, the first blooms appear just like this dandelion or daffodil. Bright yellow, sunshiny blooms bursting through the drab, dreary backdrop of winter. Bringing hope that a new season will soon be here. This one won’t last forever. That is what hope does. It brings a feeling of trust. Of expectation. “Therefore, we who have fled to him f

If I asked you what you ponder most, what keeps you up at night, what would you say? Your marriage, kids, job, health, finances, education? Scriptures tells me that there is a better way than worry. It is trust. “Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:5 AMPC Repose here means to lay something to rest on. To unload your cares on God. Committing e

Found this post from 6 years ago when my uncle passed away on my aunt’s birthday, Feb 13. I had lunch with my aunt yesterday and she still exudes much joy and faith. Life Lessons in Difficult Days Over the last several weeks, our family has watched my uncle slowly fade away. Although it has been difficult, there have been several lessons that the Lord has clearly shown me… Sweetness of Love My aunt tenderly and affectionately cared for my uncle each and every day. She took

Music has always been a part of my life. My dad is a musician and plays guitar, banjo, and mandolin. I started piano in 2nd grade. Band in 7th grade with nothing less than the alto saxophone! Met a cute bass player in college. 😍 Who later became a worship leader and has worked in the Christian Music industry for over 20 years. Our oldest son also is a musician and plays almost anything his hands can touch with the latest being steel guitar. Music plays in the car and in our

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” Martin Luther King, Jr. Colossians 3:14 ESV And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 1 Peter 4:8 ESV Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Mark 12:29-31 ESV Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with a