Merciful and Loving God, we come before your throne of mercy and grace, in total awe of your kindness and goodness. The gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ demonstrates for all time the depth, width, breadth, and length of your unfailing love for your children, the sheep of your pasture. Father, today as we celebrate... Continue Reading →
Today, I want to give you a snippet of why I am convinced of the reality of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. My faith is built on my belief that God hears and answers prayer. Psalm 66:5 states, "Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people!" Let... Continue Reading →
Mom taught me the real message of being a good neighbor, for she loved the Lord, and she took His command to take care of the least among us literally. She did not do it expecting that Jesus was keeping a score sheet and that she would get a bigger crown in Heaven than others. Instead, she lived by the words in James 2: 17-18, "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."
Like David in the 23rd Psalm, I have been blessed amazingly through the years. In his great psalm of praise to the Good Shepherd who provided protection, provision, and prosperity to him, he says, "The Lord is my shepherd. I have everything I need" (Psalm 23:1). In a world where people seem to never tire of consuming "stuff," it is rare to hear someone say that they have all that they need or want. I am blessed to be one of them, as my cup truly overflows with blessings unimaginable just a few years ago: a caring and loving husband, the self-sufficiency of my children, the ability to fulfill my calling through teaching, and good health.
Sometimes our hurts, heartbreaks, fears, and frustrations blind us to the positive aspects of our situations and we cannot get past thinking that God is causing us to suffer without offering us help for the journey ahead. Instead, we should take time to reflect on what is good in our lives and how God's hands of mercy and grace may be working for our good, to turn the situation around.
I started dwelling in an invisible world when I was in the fifth grade, to feel normal and to find a place where life was sane. I don't even remember when it began; I woke up one day and realized that I had a space inside of me with a family that consisted of a... Continue Reading →
The author of Hebrews recommends laying aside all of the weight, including our sins, that encumber us in the race to eternal life. These actions allow us to demonstrate faith in Jesus Christ, whose birth, death, and resurrection is the basis of our faith in God and our belief in a better home to aspire to, one not made by human hands. Stripping off the weight means letting go of our hurts, heartbreaks, and humiliations; our broken dreams, broken hearts, and broken promises; and our fears, failures, and frustrations. This emotional baggage often hinders our faith, and causes us to doubt the One who paid the ultimate price for our redemption.
I have learned that, when it comes to the situations in our lives, you can keep waiting for change to come, or you can work to make things happen. I prefer the latter. When my job was outsourced to another company after 23 years on the job, I worried about being in my late 40s... Continue Reading →
I have gotten to the age where I have to send myself emails from home to work and from work to home to remember what I am supposed to do at each place. My memory is just not what it used to be, and sometimes it's a little disturbing, inconvenient, and embarrassing. Making two or... Continue Reading →
In the 7th grade, during an argument with one of the boys in my class, I was called a name, Little Monster, that stuck throughout junior and senior high schools. Every day, I endured the teasing and taunting that comes with being seen as unattractive among teenagers. As I walked the halls of the school... Continue Reading →
Help from Heaven 