As I was mulling over a bunch of different events and circumstances affecting or involving our home and family this morning as the winds of change continue to blow, and I found myself reeling in thoughts of sadness, happiness, doubt, hope, confusion — as if tossed in the waves of a rolling sea. And then, almost as immediately as my mind was filled with cares of this life, I was calmed by the blessed assurance that “the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places” (psalm 16) and, truly, the Lord is ever before me. And, I’m further comforted that…
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For there’s no other way. But to trust and obey. This photograph was taken one year ago today. A few hours after the vent was removed, following open heart surgery, my husband began to wake and once again I saw the mercy of the Lord. I marveled then and I marvel now—knowing all that I know from that time to this: God is (and has been) only good all the time; All God’s ways are (and have been) good. Surely it is true that I know nothing of tomorrow but that Providence will rise before the sun. Surely, God is…
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One of my greatest delights is to see the goodness or the hand of the Lord in the land of the living. I’ve been so amazed through the years at the many times we have come upon a verse, in the natural course of reading, that was so appropriate or applicable to a particular situation we were in, or dealing with or would soon see or experience. It’s nothing short of a miracle, a serendipity of the Lord, a gift just for us to take in and treasure. “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of…
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I’m mulling over a Kelly Crawford “quiverfull” article I read yesterday. It so resonated with me (as her writings often do) and brought to mind several related labels and names. One thing that came to mind almost immediately is the number of times recently that I’ve wanted to distance myself from a particular word, practice, inference, organization, person, product, etc., etc., when any one of them failed or turned out to be different than I thought or understood them to be — or when my personal definition or application of a particular word or practice didn’t/doesn’t line up with whatever…
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Waiting. Perhaps the simplest and most difficult action we’re commanded is waiting. I don’t know if anything epitomizes our sin nature more than our natural response to waiting. We’re naturally prone to not wait. To not want to wait. To not seek to wait. More often than not, we believe or live as though we believe otherwise. Think of the times you’ve exclaimed, “I cannot wait!” in reference to an upcoming event or for somewhere you want to go or for something you want to do or for someone you want to see. But in the end, you waited, though…
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[cp_dropcaps]I[/cp_dropcaps]n Titus 2.4-5 we read, in part, that younger women are to be taught by older women to be keepers at home, we see that there must be something to this ‘keeping a home’ for it to warrant teaching or knowledge of skills to do the keeping. This home-keeping, something that needs to be studied, or which requires skill, must also be pretty important or noteworthy for it to be contained in the list of imperatives in the book of Titus concerning what ought to be taught through and to women. I will add that this ‘home-keeping’ be done well…
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[cp_dropcaps]H[/cp_dropcaps]ardly a week goes by that I don’t think (or mutter aloud) that this or that blog or twitter account will have a crash. In just a matter of time there will be an incident or an avalanche of incidents that will take a blogger to an intersection in her life where she’ll be broadsided some Thursday afternoon and she’ll sit on the floor, head in her hands, crying out to God for His mercy. But for now, she doesn’t ask for help because she doesn’t know she needs it. Yet. Such was the case for me… going to bed…
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[cp_dropcaps]M[/cp_dropcaps]ay the LORD be with you and bless you this day! He is so gracious to us all and His mercies are new every morning. I share this before I share my letter with you because I know that each time I share a letter on marriage, there are sisters whose hearts are breaking and the pain of marital difficulties weighs heavily on them. So it is with this in mind that I write and pray to offer a bit of hope today. What I’m sharing with you today is a message I wrote many years ago and have continued…
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[cp_dropcaps]Y[/cp_dropcaps]ou know, some ways of the LORD are very easy to accept and then there’re times when His way is a bit more challenging and the price seems a bit higher, perhaps a price too steep for us to consent to give. But, you know, in those times His mercy and grace seem greater. These are the proving grounds, these are the testings of our faith. I used to think that the testing of our faith was part trickery and part unrealistic expectation, something akin to being doomed to failure. O, but that’s not God, that’s not the God of…
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The sweetest peace comes at the most unexpected times… do you know what I mean? Have you experienced the sweetest peace in the midst of tenderest joy? Have you experienced the sweetest peace in the midst of anguishing sorrow? Have you experienced the sweetest peace in the midst of heart wrenching loss? The sweetest peace that washes over you now when you reflect on some past experience… the sweetest peace that carries you through the hardest places you’ve ever traveled… this is the peace that passes understanding. I think this is the peace that Kara wrote about in her book:…