holy living

Sometimes, God takes us to the desert to teach us how to have faith and fill us with new life. When we think of a desert, we don’t often think of it as a place full of life. The desert conjures up feelings of thirst, scorching heat, exhaustion, and death. If we fell out of an airplane, it would be the last place we want to find ourselves in. It is a landscape we usually pass through, not live in. And yet, God leads us there on purpose. He leads us there to test our faith and teach us, like …

Have you ever felt like your prayer life was a bit stale? Or, have you struggled to teach your kids creative ways to pray to develop their relationship with the Lord? I know I have. I have tried creative worship ideas to bring new life to praising the Lord. But other than prayer journals, guided prayer, or prayer cards, I didn’t really know what else to do. And, my kids thought some of those things were a bit contrived, not really speaking to their creative, out-of-the-box selves. Most of them are grown now, but when I came across the Draw …

I really hate giving kids prizes for Bible memory. I usually get puzzled looks from people when I say this. After all, prizes are a major motivator in school, at home, and in church. The argument for this usually goes like this, “Well, they won’t do it if we don’t give a prize.” Why wouldn’t they? If we don’t think kids will engage in Bible memory unless they are bribed with prizes, then what are we really saying about Bible memory? Are we saying that it’s unpleasant? Difficult? Not worth doing in it’s own right? If they will only do …

I sank to my knees in despair, sobbing, imagining the next forty years. I loved Jesus, but still I felt as though all hope for a graceful ripening of years slipped away with the diagnosis. My mind filled with thoughts of broken dreams, maddening headaches and a body wracked with pain, an eventual wheelchair, and the image of my husband torn with long years of grief watching me suffer. Hope or despair? A few years ago, I received a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. In case you don’t know, fibromyalgia is a chronic illness with an unknown cause. There are 18 pain …

It’s easy to trust in God when everything goes well. We may start thinking of God as a cosmic vending machine. Prayer in and blessings out. Thanks, God. But what about when you see tragedy coming and you are helpless to stop it–whether it be a car accident, poor life choices, or other circumstances? What about when God asks you to start over after you lose everything precious to you through burglary, fire, or job loss? What about when you lose a child? Do you still trust in God or does your trust whither because you feel he’s failed you? …

It’s time for vacation Bible school, or VBS, as we commonly call it. Many of us participate in this summer camp type experience, either as volunteers or as participants. While I wholeheartedly believe in community outreach and teaching the Gospel, I do not always send my children to VBS. Why not? Here are some pros and cons of VBS as I see it. Pros of Vacation Bible School Cons of Vacation Bible School While there are many great reasons to send a child to vacation Bible school, there are also some great reasons NOT to send your kids. Especially if …