Paintings and People It was July 21. My forty-eighth birthday. I was in one of the hardest parts of this season of suffering. The season of dust. I wasn’t able to do the typical “Hey, since this is my birthday, let me just do a little planning… a little dreaming” thing. Nope. The future felt…
Speak Up and Stand Up
To this day I’ve never laughed so hard. I can’t explain why the video was so contagious, but it was. And I had to share the video with my family and friends. As it turned out, I wasn’t the only one. The next day, Candace Payne discovered her Facebook Live video had reached 24 million…
When God Gives You More Than You Can Handle
There’s no easy way to attach the word cancer to your world and not make all who love you cry. I kept thinking about that statement everyone loves to throw out in times like these: “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” But that’s not actually in the Bible. God does say He…
Through Life’s Interruptions
Through Life’s Interruptions The very first time I led people in worship was in January 1983 in Woodward, Oklahoma. But there was just one problem. Snow. Everything, including the roads, was covered in snow. In the Northeast or upper Midwest, that is just normal fare for those folks, but that is not the case in…
Breathing Authentic Bravery
Breathing Authentic Bravery Maybe it’s my age or where I am in life right now; I’m not sure. But I’ve simply grown weary of a yo-yo type of bravery. It is with all love that I insist we can’t be plucky one day and pitiful the next. The unhealthy habit of swaying between faith and…
Jesus Calling Family Devotional: Rest in My Presence
For Adults Rest in My Presence when you need refreshment. Resting is not necessarily idleness, as people often perceive it. When you relax in My company, you are demonstrating trust in Me. Trust is a rich word, laden with meaning and direction for your life. I want you to lean on, trust, and be confident…
Loving Our Global Neighbors
“Which is these three do you think was a neighbor to the man?..” The expert in the Law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” — Luke 10:36-37 When Jesus explains to His listeners what it means to love our neighbor in the Parable of the Good…
Rest at the Lake
Lighten Your Load “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” — Matthew 11:30 When the kids are out of school for the summer, families escape for weeks at a time to a lake house. This longer-term vacation means that the chores of everyday life are part of the trip. Take laundry, for instance:…
Liberty
The Liberty Bell Center Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me… to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives. — Luke 4:18 NKJV The Liberty Bell, one of the most familiar and beloved symbols of American independence and freedom, is now housed in the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia’s Independence…