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Would You Vote for Samson?
“As you do not know the path of the wind, or how a body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things” (Ecclesiastes 11:5). We are a week out from what is certainly a consequential election. We are living in crazy and scary times. Thankfully, up to this point in our history, we have had the opportunity to vote for a new president every four years. Imagine living in times or places where people did not get that opportunity, when a king or dictator ruled for life. Our ability to vote is something for which we should thank God.…
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Hope for Healing After Sexual Intrusion
I met Lynne (nee Straton) Head in seminary. We were in the same degree program. We sang in choir together. Our future husbands were dorm mates. We both became global workers. And missionary care providers. From my viewpoint Lynne looked attractive, confident, gifted, and someone everyone wanted to be. Little did I know the battles she faced. Later I learned that Lynne had survived a near fatal car accident, suffered the tragic death of her sixteen-year old son, and endured chronic pain. So when she told me she had written a book and graciously sent me a copy, I looked forward to learning more of her story. After reading Unfolding:…
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Too Mature to Feel Anxious. Not.
My stomach ached. I tossed from side to side at night trying to find a position that relieved discomfort. After a week of misery and little food, I went to the doctor and got checked out. When I finally got the all clear, I wondered if I could possibly be feeling anxious and overwhelmed. By “coincidence,” I heard three sermons about anxiety in two days which forced me to sheepishly recognize that my “sickness” was not a physical one. After a season of caring for others and in the face of some upcoming decisions, I had been overtaken by anxiety. God got my attention and spoke to me through His…
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Strolling to the Finish Line, an invitation to slow down this summer
Summer time is a special time in our home, and by “special” one might say stressful. There is confusion somewhere in between the desire for me to be at home with my precious children which I balance with my work life (which I also love). I devote the majority of my time to my children, which essentially means that… I devote the majority of my time to my children! With little time to myself in the summer, I have struggled with feeling overwhelmed. I found myself giving myself a pep talk that sounds like this, “You’ve got this! Run your race well.” After a few minutes, I was stopped by…
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Be WHAT?
During a recent sermon, our pastor was teaching through Jesus’ healing of a leper, who threw himself on Jesus’ mercy and implored Him: “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him. (Luke 5:13) I was struck by Jesus’ command, “Be cleansed.” Huh? How does a leper, afflicted by an incurable disease that isolated him so terribly, just . . . “be cleansed”? How does one obey a command like that? Further, how does one obey similar seemingly impossible commands, such as: Be not afraid. Be strong. Be…
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Is Comparison Always Bad?
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” I’ve been hearing that for decades. But is it, always? Examples of how true that is, most certainly abound. I recently read my friend Amy’s Facebook account of her college experience. A gifted singer, she was a jazz vocalist major at a university known for its excellent music program. The only problem was that she had a friend and classmate who was so much better than Amy. She used to go home on weekends and bemoan the difference to her parents, asking why they couldn’t be jazz musicians like her friend’s parents. She eventually changed her major to pre-med, which was easier in comparison.…
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A Baptist, A Methodist and a Catholic sit down at the Thanksgiving table
While it feels like there should be a punch line to the title, in truth I’m not that clever. The reality is that Thanksgiving is fast approaching and the ability to offer a space for everyone in our home is no joke! While Thanksgiving itself doesn’t discriminate, we have the unique opportunity to choose just how “open” our homes will be. The guest list is likely just as colorful as the decorations and dishes themselves. Politics and religion are our favorite divisive topics, but in reality the possibilities for bias, exclusion and disagreements are endless. If we will take the time to examine our hearts the Lord will reveal the…
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A Theology of Sleep
It’s no secret that Americans are chronically sleep-deprived. The problem isn’t relegated to just the United States; it seems our neighbors across the pond also suffer from a “global problem of insufficient sleep.” Researchers contributing to a 2014 BBC article named the significant consequences of getting less than 7-hours of shut-eye on a regular basis: depression, heart disease, cancer, and obesity, to name a few. No surprise there. But I was startled by the reason the authors gave for our propensity to deny our body clocks: arrogance. In Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture, David Murray boldly states, “Show me your sleep pattern and I’ll show you…
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Supporting My Spouse by Focusing on Me
“I’m feeling very anxious,” my husband told me. As a young bride this revelation shook me. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to take it away, to make it better so I wouldn’t have to watch him suffer. Since I didn’t experience anxiety in the same way, I could not understand what he described. I’m a student and teacher of the Bible. Studying a verse, explaining the principle, identifying the lies, and believing the truths help me. As such, I’m tempted to quote verses to him, to give information as a way to help. But over the course of our thirty-four year marriage, I learned that my methods…
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Making Summer Strategic
Making a successful transition is all about managing our emotions as well as our beliefs. How can we best use our summers to prepare them for transitions in the fall?
