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What is your matter? One of the major Biblical prophets, Isaiah, had a matter to address - the sin of his people. Israel's matter was ugly, rampant sin. God wanted to settle the matter, once and for all. God used Isaiah to talk to the people, and these are the words Isaiah spoke to them: "Come now, let us settle the matter," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." (Isaiah 1:18) So what is your problem, issue, dilemma? What is the matter? Coming to the Lord with our problems, our matters, is really a simple process. We just make it so complicated. We stall and don't deal with

For whatever reason, daughter Lindsay has always had a way with her Dad. When I talk to my husband (her father) about her, he has no explanation for this phenomenon. He just laughs and admits she could wrangle just about anything out of him. It's not that she is a favorite of our four children, but for whatever reason his soft spot for her is huge. We did not "spare the rod, spoil the child." No, we tried our best to hold to Biblical standards of discipline. Some of the children seemed to get the paddling more than others. Of our four children, Lindsay was probably the least strong-willed, the most compliant. She didn't seem to need the corrections as much as the others. In fact, j

We live in a broken world. Every day it seems more obvious that the majority of those around me are simply hurting people. The daily news verifies that this is so. The faces of the people I see while doing daily grocery shopping and errands tell me this is so. The repentance and enthusiastic response to the evangelistic crusades that Franklin Graham has been leading in Texas this month tell me this is so. Even the hunger I detect when walking through the halls and rooms in my own church tells me this is so. There are so many hurting people. People who need answers. People who need the Truth. Today the responsibility I bear as a Christian is in the forefront of my thoughts. The

Recently I read the story of the Prodigal Son again. See Luke 15:11-32 if you want to refresh your memory. It's a classic - one of the best stories ever. I've always loved this parable, yet this time I seemed to see so much more in it than every other time I read it. One son gets "lost" and is "found" in the end. The other son is "lost," and as of the end of the account is still quite sadly "lost." I allowed myself a few minutes to think back over my life and recall various items I've lost. I'm sure I lost many more things than those that came to mind. However, the fact that I remembered these items is proof that in some sense they were valuable to me or to others. Here is the lis

Note: The following post is an excerpt from my latest book, Risking it All: One Woman's Adventure Giving Away Her Income. The manuscript is ready for editing. I no longer have an income. For now, that’s just the way it is. We will get along on my husband’s income, and I have every confidence that our needs will be met. Kindness is absolutely free, though. It costs nothing other taking the effort to observe where and when it is needed, and making a small expenditure of physical energy to go and distribute that kindness to the one who needs it. I experienced this firsthand today in our local Subway sandwich shop. While waiting in line, I witnessed a sad interchange between the customer be

I love Mondays. Yes, I’m one of those few weird ones who enjoy the start of a new workweek. To me, they are a clean slate, another chance to improve, and a new possibility of getting it “right.” So this morning when I was having my coffee and reading time, a verse in Jeremiah 6 jumped out at me. It showed me that yes, indeed, each Monday is like a new crossroads. Jeremiah has been telling the Israelites that God is going to bring destruction to them because of their unrepentant hearts and ongoing sin. God has continually called to them, yet they have ignored Him and continued on in their evil ways. But even so, God loves them and yearns for His people to be right with Him. In the midst

It's time for another Brunch and Books Club this weekend in my home. I always look forward to seeing my book nerd friends again. A couple of years ago I kept rolling the idea of hosting a book club around in my mind. I'd always wanted to be member of a book club, but whenever I'd see a flyer advertising a local book club, the featured book of the month held no appeal for me. So I never joined, but I never lost the desire to somehow participate in one, either. Fast forward to the start of this year, and I decided to make it happen. Honestly I had an ulterior motive: to meet new people and expand my current circle of friends and acquaintances. I created a Brunch and Books Club to facilit

This morning I sadly learned again from my daughter that my grandchildren have once again become victims of bullying. This fall they moved up in grade level to the next school building in their district. After their last school year, a painful year full of bullying, ostracizing by the popular cliches, and multiple unproductive meetings between their parents and teachers and school counselors, over the summer the hope had grown that moving into a new school would alleviate the problem. Unfortunately, after only one month into this new school year and new building, all those summer hopes have been swiftly dashed. As I write this my heart has been shattered into a million shards, and e