The month after the news of my son’s arrest, I attended a Christian writers and speakers conference. Before the arrest, I looked forward to this conference. After the arrest, I forced myself to go since all the expenses were paid in advance. Amazingly, the Lord met me there and loved on me through His faithful servants. After giving my speech and receiving my evaluation, the evaluator took a few minutes to minister to each person personally. It was one…
When circumstances look the darkest, don’t give up! There’s a cliché that says, “winners never quit and quitters never win.” If you want to win, continue to fight the good fight of faith. Six years ago, when we received the news that our son was arrested in connection with a tragedy, we went into shock. Yet, even in the state of shock, we grabbed hold of the truths of God’s Word and His promises for our family. When we recently…
Jesus completed the will of the Father by being obedient to death on the cross. Then God the Father raised Him from the dead. All this was accomplished so that all people have an opportunity to be reconciled to the Father through Christ. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6 ESV) Jesus is the only way to the Father. In order to come…
In our present culture, many have become conditioned to live in a state of offense. Below are examples of offenses I have observed in our day to day lives: We receive poor service by the wait staff at a restaurant. We expected better, so we grumble and complain about how the service should have been better and refuse to leave a tip, or a tip so small to teach the waiter a lesson that he should do better next time.…
We all have dreams and desires. When we marry, we dream of the happily-ever-after life and all that comes with living with the person we love. When we have children, we dream of them growing up and becoming the next great leader, inventor, doctor and such. When life turns in an unexpected direction, what about our dreams? Did we miss God? In Genesis 37, we read about how Joseph dreamed that his brothers would bow down to him. Not just…
In life, we experience storms and floods. And those in Southeast Texas and Louisiana are in the midst of it and Tropical Storm Harvey does not seem to be relenting. When the storms and floods come, we must continue to press into prayer. Those who are not in it must rise up and pray for those who are. Let’s pray: Lord, we ask for Your hedge of protection over those who live in the area where the waters are rising.…
The Lord God our Creator is amazing. His work cries out His glory. Look around you and what do you see that astonishes you? Today, Monday, August 21, 2017, is the total solar eclipse in America. Who else could orchestrate such a majestic display other than our God? People have traveled from all around the world to line up along the path of the total solar eclipse to view this magnificent display. For me, and I hope for you, it…
Most readers of this blog attend church on a regular basis. Which is a good thing. But take a moment to think about the kind of programs your church offers to foster spiritual growth and development. Perhaps your church offers: Ladies Bible study Men’s Bible study Meals for the infirmed Mother’s Day out MOPS AWANAs Divorce care Celebrate Recovery Prison ministry About prisoners, according to the Prison Policy Initiative…. “The American criminal justice system holds more than 2.3 million people…
As we live life, we naturally become accustomed to our ways. Habits form; routines set in. And frankly, we become comfortable with our lives. Even if we don’t necessarily like everything about our lives, we are used to it and any change will disrupt the pattern we’ve adapted to. We are focused on our present circumstances. The disciples were a lot like us in that regard. They had traveled the country side with Jesus. In Mark 9, as they traveled,…
In the previous posts, I shared how there will be times we need to advocate for our incarcerated loved one. (If you’ve missed those posts, click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.) We need to learn to keep our emotions in check and find that right balance of when we should make those calls and when to leave things alone. It is beneficial if the prison staff knows that we watch out for our family member’s needs. Yet, we…