What does it mean to live out our commitment to Christ? What does it look like to answer the call of the great commission? I’ve heard many sermons that would give the impression that if we fully surrender our wills to the Lord He will make huge demands on us and turn our lives completely […]
Category: essay
DEEPER ROOTS
I have been guilty of collecting books on my Kindle, putting off reading them, and then getting sidetracked and forgetting all about them. Lately, I found a gem just waiting for me to rediscover it, and the timing was perfect. It’s another book by Andrew Murray (I highly recommend any book he authored!) titled “Spirit […]
SURROUNDING GRACE
Grace surrounds us. On the most ordinary days and in the most ordinary ways, the Lord is pouring out His grace. We think of grace as that which forgave our sin and made our salvation possible. That is true. God’s grace was among the forces at work when He provided Jesus as Redeemer and Savior. […]
LESSONS FROM MY PUPPY
I tend to learn from the everyday, common things that are around me, and I’ve been spending lots of quality time with our miniature schnauzer puppy. Zoe will be four months old in a few days, and she’s been with us almost two of the four. She is a pretty smart little puppy and has […]
WORLD CHANGERS
I was reading in Matthew today and in chapter 11 Jesus talks about the Kingdom of Heaven forcefully advancing (NLT). The Bible I’m using is the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible (NLT) with commentary by Jack Hayford. In his notes titled Kingdom Dynamics he says this: “Jesus defines the ‘violence’ of His Kingdom’s expansion by defining […]
REFLECTIONS
I love the end of the year. We’ve celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas, gathered, eaten good food, laughed, played, hugged, and eaten again. It has been a good year, a really good year. I relish the chance to remember the blessings. I also love looking forward to the new year that’s almost here. What are the […]
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
Christmas is approaching! I love this season…lights, music, movies, concerts, snow, cold, comfort, families gathered, traditions observed, and even the craziness of getting it all done. But my favorite moments are the quiet ones…the times when I look at a manger scene and am struck all over again with the vastness and scope of God’s […]
NORMAL LIVING
Teach me, Father, the difference between my own efforts to please You and Your Holy Spirit living His life of obedience in me. The difference, My child, between your life and Mine cannot be measured. They are as different as hope and despair, as love and hate, as life and death. Your efforts to please […]
HIDDEN MINISTRY
Oswald Chambers says in My Utmost for His Highest, “There is no snare or any danger of infatuation or pride in intercession, it is a hidden ministry that brings forth fruit whereby the Father is glorified.” Quite often we hear someone ask for prayer or promise to be praying for someone else’s need. It’s part and […]
BRIDGE OVER THE CANYON WHY
From the time we were little we’ve had a favorite question, “Why?” Every small child loves to ask why, to understand the reason behind whatever they are observing. It’s just not enough to learn the who, what, where, and when about something. Without knowing the why, we can’t understand motivation, cause and effect, action and […]
His Unfolding Grace 