Running With an Inner Flame
“Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.’ But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.” Jeremiah 20:9 In an interesting Runner’s World story published recently, the writer […]
The Only Purpose That Truly Makes Life Matter
For many years, I tried to find purpose and value the same way most people do—by improving myself, building relationships, pursuing self-improvement goals, and even trying to make a difference for others. These are not unwholesome pursuits, but before I accepted Christ as my Savior, they never satisfied me like they do now. Even as […]
Make God’s Name Great
For most of my Christian life, I gave God a bad name. In other words, while I called myself a “Christian” which implied I belonged to Christ and I followed many of the religious rules, in real life, I was a vain, selfish, proud, ambitious, uncaring, anxious person. This reflection was in no way a […]
A Recipe for Excellent Spiritual Health
If you had cancer, would you knowingly inject your body with more cancer cells? Of course not. You would do everything possible—surgery, chemotherapy, whatever it took—to eradicate the disease. Intentionally reintroducing the lethal disease into your body would be unthinkable! Yet while we are often vigilant about our physical health, we can be surprisingly careless […]
Finding Peace When Forgiveness is Hard
I recently was struggling to forgive someone who was bent on hurting me. The more I thought about the situation, the more my peace slipped away and was replaced by anxiety. I was losing this remarkable promise of God: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.” (Isaiah 26:3) I […]
Training For Every Season
“Final hours of warmth before dangerous wind chills return tomorrow morning.” That weather alert flashed across my watch late yesterday, predicting strong winds that would send temperatures from the seventies into the teens overnight. I couldn’t help but think, “I’m grateful we’re heading to Texas, where the cold won’t be quite so severe.” My husband, […]
Write Your Biography of Miracles
Is there anything written in the story of your life that you can point to and say, “Only God could have done that?” You know, something so far beyond your natural ability that it stands as clear evidence of His power? If not, it is NOT because God is unable. Most often it is because […]
Miracles That Only Happen In The Storm
“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” 1 Peter 4:12–13 Since the first sin […]
Supernatural Beauty Nourishes the Soul
I spend as much time as I can hiking because the beauty of creation is one powerful way God nourishes my soul. A sunrise over the mountains, the rhythm of waves on the shore, the hush of a forest trail—these stir something deep within us. We long for beauty. Indeed, we were created to experience […]
What Would You Pay For Peace?
“How much would you pay for peace?” This question appears often in news stories and cultural commentary, revealing just how desperate people are for inner calm. A recent article observed that despite more resources than ever, “people report feeling more anxious and less at peace than any previous generation.” (The New York Times) Another report […]