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Throwing Stones
Six hundred stones plopped and splashed as they hit the surface of the Sea of Galilee and then sunk, never to be retrieved again. Each rock signified something of importance. Some represented long-held unforgiveness and bitterness toward a family member or friend. Other stones symbolized a wayward son or daughter, or even a spouse. And yet others signified unfulfilled hopes and dreams. Though the meanings of each rock differed, the lasting results were the same. As passengers aboard the Israel tour boats released their stones from their hands, they also released emotional and spiritual burdens from their hearts. As I threw my stone into the Sea of Galilee, I quietly…
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5 Ways to Spring Into Trusting God More
Some days I don’t want to get out of bed. Last week I woke up excited about life. Today? Not so much. When stuff doesn’t pan out the way I want, my outlook deteriorates quickly. Every unexpected turn brings new challenges, and then I buckle under pressure. I have known this about myself. My closest friends have often challenged me to have more faith especially when things don’t go my way. My husband does his best to encourage me. But as a stubborn woman, I want things to happen my way and in my timing. I tend to cling to me as opposed to Him. So here…
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Why We Lost…or Did We?
Leadership is broken because leaders are unbroken We lost. 5-4. A crushing loss after an unbroken string of losses dating back to Roe vs. Wade in 1973. This most recent loss, same sex marriage, happened a long time ago, not on June, 26, 2015. That loss happened when we decided to trade in God’s weakness for our power and chose to trust political process instead of spiritual resources… Don’t get me wrong. As citizens of the United States of America we should use every means our constitution gives us to advance our cause, but we cannot depend on our rights to make our nation right. Surely we know that when…
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The Necessary Sovereignty of God
"Everything is necessary that He sends and nothing can be necessary that He withholds." John Newton This quote from our pastor's sermon on Romans 8 last Sunday are hard words and require untmost dependence in the absolute goodness of God and trust in His sovereign care, especially when what you think is necessary is withheld. Otherwise you would go mad to think that the sovereign Creator of the universe is powerless to stop or thwart evil. Modeled by God when He sacrificed His son on the cruel, terrible cross, Christ's death was necessary. And, it was not necessary for Him to withhold Jesus's dying on the cross. Where would be…
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Volcanoes, Ash Plumes, and the Sovereignty of God
Remember the TV stories and pictures of the ash plume spewed from an Iceland volcano that shut down most of Europe’s airports and stranded millions of passengers worldwide? That was not about statistics for me; that was the helplessness of being unable to get home from Frankfurt, Germany. My husband Ray and I, along with our colleague from Probe Ministries Todd Kappelman, were on our way home from sharing some of Probe’s worldview and apologetics material with young adult believers in Belarus. Before leaving Minsk we learned about the volcanic eruption in Iceland, but it was too far away to have any impact on our flight. We checked our bags…
