Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12 NIV How is it that our days can be so filled with joy and happiness, zest for life, and other days feel like all is desperately wrong and an emotional state of sorrow pervades everything? I had a…
Read moreThe King’s Anointing
I often reflect on the story of when Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus, anointed Jesus with her costly spikenard. Did she realize her act of love was the King of King’s prophetic anointing that day? Jesus knew. He said simply, “She did what she could.” Powerful words. Words I would like to hear Him…
Read moreThe Joy of the Lord
Has life been hard enough to sap your energy, ambition, and sense of well-being? Worse, sometimes the sense of the Lord’s presence seems to dwindle. It’s times like this we need to REMEMBER God’s favor and goodness and speak truth to our own hearts. Overwhelmed by trying circumstances, like King David, I recently cried out:…
Read moreWhat Makes a Saint?
Saints have seen the burning heart of the universe at Calvary. That’s where love first fills their hearts. Do you agree that God transforms His own beloveds into saints? Theologians call this sanctification. I think most people would agree that saints have hearts on fire for God. Being in love with God is being a…
Read moreThe God of Great and Small
In a pottery and glass gift shop in the mountains of North Carolina, I came across a tiny piece of glass art and bought it. When I first saw it, I wondered how the artist managed to make something so tiny, about 1/4″ in size, yet with unique, distinctive parts. Its smallness is what made…
Read moreGod’s Thoughts in Ours
As a seasoned God-listener, I know prayer is not only one-way dialogue. Once I felt surprised by something I felt God “said” to me. I wondered, Is this my thought or God’s? The next thing that popped into my head was a question. A loaded one. “What is thought?” God had asked me a lighthearted (which…
Read moreHope
It’s Sunday today. One week after the senseless, violent murders that took place in a small Christian church family in Texas. What a horrible, tragic thing!—and to happen in a place of worship. Our country is still mourning the deaths of too many innocents taken in Las Vegas. What is happening to our society? Why is…
Read moreWhy I Love Poppies
Live in the Light of Jesus–Lift up your Lamps of Oil
God made us in his image and we can rise up with the Light of Heaven and be creative, intentional, and passionate in all we do. Remember what Jesus said about the Ten Virgins? “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now…
Read moreJesus, Man of Joy – A Trip Down Memory Lane
The year was 1993. In downtown Minneapolis, in a theater lobby, Jesus showed me His favor. My friend and I had arrived early at the theater for a concert. A third friend was to meet us there; she had the tickets. The concert featured Michael Card and Fernando Ortega, my favorite Christian music artists. My…
Read more