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An Oasis of Blessings
In Exodus 15, the Israelites are celebrating the victory over the Egyptian army as God had shown up miraculously. But their praise was short lived as we next learn the Israelites then traveled for three days without finding water. When they finally found water at Marah, it was too bitter to drink. They complained and turned against Moses. In their lack, the Israelites forgot who God was, doubting His goodness and provision for them that quickly. Perhaps the bitter water was a reflection of their own hearts. Just as water had the potential to quench their thirst but was overcome with bitterness rendering it unable to fulfill its purpose, the…
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Finding Unexpected Purpose
In 2006, I graduated from physical therapy school. I was so excited to begin working as a physical therapist. My first official position was at a small clinic with only two other part-time therapists. Those first two years were about gaining experience while I was still learning how to most effectively manage my time with patients. Although I enjoyed that first job, it was clear when it was time to move on. My daughter was an infant and I was working several late evenings per week. She was in daycare all day, then often be asleep for the night by the time I got home. It was time to do…
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Update Your Faith to Navigate the Unexpected
Many have heard the Biblical stories of Jesus’ healing. He healed people on the spot of various ailments including leprosy and paralysis, released demons, and even revived a few from death. However, do we believe God can still do this today? The Bible tells us Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). In fact, this verse holds these identical words in every translation I’ve ever looked at. I don’t think we can see this as anything other than what it is: truth. We know the Bible stories, we watch the Christian movies, we even pray for healing. BUT, do we BELIEVE he still does this in…
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Our Eyes Are On You, Lord
Are you in a situation where you just don’t know what to do? Maybe there are multiple directions you could take but you know none of them will lead to your desired destination and all of them contain terrain that looks impossible to navigate. In that case, we obviously look for the shortest path or the one with the least amount of risk. But what if that is NOT the path God calls us to take? What if there is quite simply, no easy way out? These unexpected situations in life seem like they will break us. No matter which path we choose, a dream ends, a relationship gets left…
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Unexpected Stops and Delays
Several weeks ago, my daughters and I drove to my parents’ house for the weekend. My mom needed some strawberries so we stopped at a grocery store on the way. In order to get back onto the highway, we had to turn right while on an incline with a building to our left. There was another vehicle approaching so I waited until they had passed to turn. My children thought it was hysterical when the car behind me started beeping their horn as they did not feel I was moving fast enough. From their position behind me further down the incline with a view obscured by the building to the…
Straighten Your Crown
