It began with one. One croak. One ribbit. One slimy green frog. And then there were too. Too many. Way too many. Frogs in the pantry. Frogs in the bathroom. Frogs in the bed. Pharaoh summoned Moses, ready to compromise with the God of the Hebrews in exchange for a little extermination work. God exterminated…

Lent began March 1st. This year, I’m fasting negativity. The idea came from Catherine Marshall, author of Christy. Richard Foster, in his book Spiritual Classics, relates this story from Marshall, “The Lord continues to deal with me about my critical spirit . . . One morning last week He gave me an assignment: for one…

My big toenails were toast. I was seven miles into a rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon. Thirteen to fourteen miles down the North Rim (with side trails). Eight up the South Rim. The trek started as my personal getaway. I needed some space. I planned to do the hike in one day. However, since…

Ancient Israel. Located southwest of the Fertile Crescent in the direct north/south, east/west traffic from Egypt to Assyria. Like the small one-light town you drive through on the way to somewhere else. Yet Israel’s location was strategic. God planned to impact the world through this tiny nation. We read of Abram’s call in Genesis 12…

It’s fall, and the calendar is filling. Football games. Homecoming. Weddings. Events fill the tiny squares that make up life. My stress level rises with each addition. Until. Until I remember, it’s not the what that’s so important, it’s the who. Each event presents an opportunity to make a difference. To encourage. To pray. To…

“Wounds from a friend can be trusted.” Proverbs 27:6 (NIV) Wounds and friendship. They don’t appear to go together. Friends comfort when someone else hurts us. Friends encourage. Build up. But wound? Hurts from a friend cut deeply. We don’t expect pain to come from a friend. We feel betrayed. Let down. Anything but friendly.…

All the kids were home this weekend. That gets harder to pull off as the nest empties. Russell and I stood in the kitchen and watched our four, plus one daughter-in-law and one daughter-in-law-to-be. Laughter filled the house. It made my heart glad to know my kids and their relationships are healthy and strong. Surely…

Have you ever tried not to think of something? Our minds are amazing, but they are also one of the hardest things to control, making them a prime target for spiritual warfare. So how do we train our brain for goodness? One way is to study the tactics of the enemy so we recognize and…

Webster defines doubt as “a condition of uncertainty.” It’s part of how we analyze and process thoughts, facts, and events. Unbelief is a different animal. Unbelief is defined as an absence of belief—the very opposite of faith. The enemy’s goal is to move us from doubt to unbelief. His method? Stir up uncertainty about what…

Deception. We don’t know it’s got us until it’s too late. We’re left feeling duped, shamed, and a little foolish. Deception ambushes us from all angles. From within and from without. Within:                                                            Without: Heart (Jer. 17:9)                                              Wealth (Mark 4:18-19) Pride (1 Cor. 3:18)                        …