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Words That Hit Like Stones to a Wife Navigating Abuse
Can you relate to the woman caught in adultery in John 8? I have never committed adultery, yet I have been her. We all have. The reason may have been different but each one of us has stood before accusers with Jesus as the only one standing up for us. It’s very common for women in emotionally and spiritually abusive marriages to feel isolated and condemned like this woman. Abuse often creates a response of shame and insecurity as most victims are groomed to believe they are the problem. Like the woman caught in adultery, assumptions are made about a situation outsiders can only speculate on as they do not…
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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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The Hidden Cost of Temptation
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” Matthew 4:1-2 Jesus endured temptation and testing knowing we would all be tempted. Not only did the Spirit lead Him to this, Jesus purposely allowed Himself to be weak and weary mimicking when we are most vulnerable to temptation. Jesus knew the cost of sinful choices better than anyone. He watched His Creation unravel as Adam and Eve failed to trust the Word of God over their own desires leading Him to pay the ultimate price to redeem fallen humanity. As a kid, it…
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Your Story is His Story
If you have been a Christian for long, you are familiar with the term “stewardship”. By definition, the term refers to taking care of or managing something. Most often, we hear this term in reference to financial gifts. Everything we have comes from God. Without God, we have nothing. It’s a common understanding that it’s our responsibility to steward our finances and our children well to give God glory. How do we steward our trials? Trials in our career, parenting, marriage, finances, or our health can be stewarded as a great opportunity for growth. This is usually best noted in hindsight when we are able to look back and see…
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Unexpected Gifts of Pain and Suffering
By Jennifer Roland “Which leg has the most pain?” the clinician asked. “The right,” I told her. “We’ll be taking five skin samples from that leg, then. Two above the ankle, two above the knee, and one below the hip.” “Five?! I thought it was just one from my ankle.” “This allows for a more accurate diagnosis,” she explained. “It will also tell us if the neuropathy is length-dependent.” On the exam table, each biopsy site was cleaned and anaesthetized. A circular punch tool was pressed into my skin to remove five cylindrical samples, each 4-5 mm deep, to send to the lab for analysis. At the end of the…
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Why We Must Spring Forward and Never Fall Back
Here in the United States, we recently changed our clocks by “springing forward an hour”, giving us more daylight in the evening hours. I love this time of year and really enjoy the vibrancy this change brings. I learned today there is a bill in the Senate, called the Sunshine Protection Act, that advocates for keeping this time change permanent, meaning we would not “fall back” in November. I have been wanting this for years and I really hope it passes. In addition to the time change, this weekend also marked the one year anniversary of when our country shut down in response to the COVID pandemic. After the year…
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A Galentine’s Celebration
On a routine trip to the store last week, I heard the words. “I don’t want to be alone on Valentine’s Day.” They were not my words but, even more startling, that of a young lady who appeared to be in her late teens. She was walking by the Valentines display as I heard her explaining to her friend how she did not really want to accept the offer for a dinner date from a young man because she really wasn’t interested but she was likely going to say yes because she didn’t want to spend Valentine’s Day alone. Her friend verbally confirmed that yes, spending Valentine’s Day alone would…
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God’s Tender Healing in Unexpected Brokenness
Recently, I’ve been watching birds more, taking notice of their movement patterns. Some days, it’s the cardinal who stops long enough to garner my attention, or the geese flying in a V-shaped pattern overhead. God created them with a purpose and instinct for survival. Maybe we are more like birds than we think? I’ve often thought of marriage as an eagle with the husband and the wife each serving as a wing to one body. When both wings work together, they serve to elevate the body and propel the eagle in an upward direction. This allows the eagle to soar and beautifully glide, allowing all who see it to marvel…
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Different Christmas, Same God
By Becky Shields When you think back on Christmas’ past, what is it that you remember most? Is it the gifts that you received? The money that you spent? The meals that you ate? Do you remember exactly what you bought each person on your list, or how long it took you to decorate your house? Or do your memories center on something different? If you’re anything like me, other than a very few extra special gifts, you probably can’t recall very many of the material things that you received for Christmas over the years. My fondest Christmas memories revolve around family…. spending time with the people that I loved…
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Sweet Refinement
My oldest daughter loves to bake and her latest artistic endeavor has been cake decorating. I’m not much of a baker with the exception of special events or holidays so we don’t often have a surplus of ingredients in our pantry. Not long ago, my daughter baked a cake and as she was preparing the frosting, realized we were out of powdered sugar. I offered her a jar of pre-made frosting but that was not going to work for her creation. She had specific plans for this cake and wanted it made to her specifications. A few moments later, I heard a different sound from the kitchen. My daughter proudly…
Straighten Your Crown
