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Off-ramps. We don’t take one unless we need to. At least, not intentionally. Traffic flows faster on the highway, and we have places to go and people to see. Unless God takes the wheel.  God’s off-ramp to suffering takes many forms. Nit-picky annoyances that stack up like unpaid bills. Chronic illness. Interruptions that become long-term…

Lord, are You listening? I needed an answer—yesterday.  Unanswered prayer. God encourages His children to pray, but sometimes answers don’t come. Could there be a good reason for unanswered prayer? Scripture gives several. Negative examples, we expect to find, but, surprisingly, several reasons pop up other than disobedience. Let’s take a look: 1. Timing: “Then…

When one of our sons proposed to his bride-to-be, he prepared for the big moment. Extensively. He recreated one of their favorite spots—even securing their favorite table, yes, the actual restaurant table! He hired a photographer. He flew her parents in for the engagement party. He attended to every detail—and created a perfect proposal she…

You belong.  Yes, you.  No membership fees. No sorority rush. No skills needed. You’re in. Often I forget the community of the worldwide Church in the pursuit of personal discipleship. While throughout Scripture, the Jews have always had a national mindset, Peter extends that thinking to his Gentile brothers and sisters.  But you are a…

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 1…

Last week, we studied Jesus, the living Stone, and ourselves as living stones. Today we’ll mine the concept of the cornerstone. For in Scripture it says, “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:6 NIV)…

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-5 NIV) Peter described Jesus as a living Stone. Ever seen one? What qualities…

My husband loves to tinker with outdoor lighting. Solar lights dot our landscaping. Tucked in among sweet pansies, prickly holly, and sleepy crepe myrtles, they soak up the light of the sun. You hardly know they’re there. Some are disguised as rocks. Others nestle in the groundcover.  But when the sun melts into the horizon,…

Merry Christmas! Instead of the normal blog post, I wrote a Christmas story for your reading pleasure. Biblical scholars believe that, at the time of Jesus’ birth, caves or the lower level of a house often served as stables. I wrote this story from the innkeeper’s perspective of Luke 2. I hope you enjoy it!…

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  And everyone went to their own town to register.” (Luke 23:1-3 NIV) Rome. One of the world empires mentioned in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2:31-45.  Caesar…