A young 11-year-old girl sits in a Christian ministry center in Iraq. Her name is Mariam. For three years she has been separated from her mother, who was kidnapped by ISIS fighters in 2015. Today, she would see her again. She waited, unsure of what was to come. Mariam’s eyes brighten when she sees her … More Whose baby is that?
It’s coming from all directions today. A church member has two sister-in-laws in the hospital in different parts of the country, and he’s trying to comfort both of his siblings, who are hurting. This is just one of many things hitting him in the past few months. An ESL volunteer needs prayer for work, as … More We all need prayer
Read John 14:1-13. The times had been full of confusion and fear. Attacks were coming from all sides, so it was time for a discipleship retreat. Yet, even as they began their time together, Judas had suddenly rushed out, and Jesus told Peter he would disown him three times. The disciples needed to hear words … More What if I ask wrongly?
A song was running through my mind tonight. It shows my age: When you’re weary, feeling small When tears are in your eyes, I’ll dry them all (all) I’m on your side, oh, when times get rough And friends just can’t be found Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down Like … More When you’re weary
You never know when God is going to surprise you. I had a beautiful surprise today–in fact, it gave me such joy, I shed tears while at my desk at work. Today, through a simple forty-five second voice message, a dear sister refreshed my soul. She knew of Raouf’s love for the Libyan people. She … More Good news from a distant land
I have noticed an interesting trend in the last couple of years…people are becoming less attached to social media. I can’t give you a statistic, just an observation from life. I look at my boys, who did not grow up in the United States, but upon our return, jumped on the digital bandwagon mainly to … More Withdrawing
Read Matthew 21:18-22. The weight of the world was on him. He was already mourning the lack of faith he saw in those who, just the day before, had welcomed him triumphantly into the city. He was the only one who knew what was coming, knew the cost, knew the pain. And then he couldn’t … More What if my faith is sprinkled with doubt?
Life can be rough. We’ve all had bad days or gone through hard times. Though they seemed horrible at the moment, we survived and got through them. A flashback to our teenage years provides numerous examples. But there are other times when we’re faced with struggles that can’t simply be shrugged off or let go, … More When life hurts
I thought I had moved passed emotional outpourings, but today has been one of those days. It’s Sunday, so I headed to church in anticipation of what God would do among our small and struggling congregation. I was ready for our time of worship this week, as the visiting praise team sent their songs early … More Flooded with emotion
Another funeral, another hard goodbye. I remember sitting in her Latin class in high school…for three years! Veni, Vidi, Vici…I still remember. Good ol’ Julius Caesar. She had a way of endearing people to her with her sharp mind, quick wit, and wisdom. What kept me endeared was her prayers. She prayed for me from … More My cloud is growing bigger