In sharing our story, we’ve given many people permission to share their stories back to us. Those stories cover all the ways a person can hurt — loss of a child, divorce, financial struggle, cancer, dysfunctional relationships, addiction — and naturally, many of them are stories similar to ours; that is, they’re related to stroke…
Hurt: But How Do I Get Through the Next 86,400 Seconds?
The God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. — 1 Peter 5:10 I want healing to be as neat and predictable as a checklist. I don’t want to be inconvenienced by…
Laced with Grace
Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. — Proverbs 16:24 I am such a Bible nerd. Not only do I love to learn the meaning behind the Hebrew or Greek words in Scripture, but I like to study certain English words that pop up at me, pogo-stick style,…
One Choice Every Couple Should Make in Their Suffering
What is one choice every couple should make in the midst of their storm? It might sound like a simple question, but it is incredibly important. One of the most important choices we can make as a couple is to move toward community instead of away from it. The challenge for most of us is…
Prayer for Healing
So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “Please heal her, O God, I pray!” — Numbers 12:13 Miriam had dared to speak ill of Moses. But Moses was not only her brother, he was a prophet of the Lord. God took this offense so seriously that He caused Miriam to be covered in leprosy.…
I Thought God Picked the Wrong Person
Our tastes of Heaven sometimes require a trip to hell — preferably roundtrip. As a food and fitness speaker and author, I’ve spoken to a wide variety of audiences and have always felt like I was doing God’s work. But when I was asked to present to a group of a few hundred recovering…
Jesus Over Everything: Putting God First
Sign up here! He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. — Colossians 1:17 NIV WELCOME Leader, read aloud to the group. Today we’re talking about something beautiful and powerful: what it means to live a Jesus over everything kind of life. We’ll explore the mindsets that often keep us…
Let Nothing Disturb You
“Let nothing disturb you, let nothing disturb you, let nothing disturb you,” I chanted in my head as I stepped out of the kitchen and into the garage to call my husband Rob with the news. “It’s in both lungs,” I uttered when he answered his office phone. “Okay,” he said, “I figured it was.”…
No Weapon Formed Against Me Will Prosper
No weapon formed against you shall prosper. — Isaiah 54:17 NKJV When I was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, my mind raced: What’s the treatment plan? How will my body respond? How quickly can I recover from chemotherapy? I resisted only one question: Why me? When crisis crashes into your life, it’s easy to ask…
The Long Walk Between Offered and Answered Prayer
You are walking, not on the path between Georgia and Maine. No, you are walking on a road even steeper and longer — the path between offered prayer and answered prayer. Between supplication and celebration bent knees and lifted hands tears of fear and tears of joy “Help me, Lord” and “Thank You, Lord” Do…