Rising Above the Trees

We all know the familiar expression “He can’t see the forest for the trees.” It is used to describe a person who is so absorbed in the things right in front of him that he has lost a sense of the bigger picture. I believe this is exactly what has happened to many Christians in the twenty-first century—we have become so absorbed by the “trees” of our everyday lives that we have lost a sense of the bigger story within which our lives take place. We grow up, go to school, begin careers, get married, have kids, and struggle daily with life’s challenges. These are trees of our lives that occupy most of our waking hours.

Our church lives are not all that different. We go to church each week, sing some songs, and listen to a sermon. Maybe we even pray before meals, read our Bibles daily, and participate in small-group Bible studies. But they can become just more trees in a life already cluttered with trees. What happened to...

Grammy-winning Christian pop singer-songwriter Amy Grant performs twice in the Charlotte area this weekend: The youthful 51-year-old will join fellow gospel artists Sandi Patty and Mandisa, plus other Christian authors and speakers, Friday at the Women of Faith Conference at Time Warner Cable Arena. She’ll also headline at Wingate University’s Austin Auditorium Saturday.

Grant says the Women of Faith show came at the right time for her.

“My mother passed away last year, and she was such a consistent voice in my life,” she says. “During the time right around her death, I was involved with Women of Faith on the West Coast and then this year working closer to home on the East Coast. It has been truly a godsend.”

Women of Faith is a global ministry, providing digital media, resources and events to encourage and equip women to experience a deeper relationship with Jesus.  Initiatives and programs allow women to be reached with the Word...

DALLAS, TX (AP) - On Monday, September 24, Women of Faith speaker Pat Smith, will reenter the grand ballroom arena once again, to cheer on her husband Emmitt as he keeps his eye on the mirror ball prize.

The former NFL star will compete in the All-Star season of Dancing with the Stars, hoping for the first ever two-time champion title.

"I remember the first time Emmitt got the call to be on Dancing with the Stars," said Pat Smith, former actress and beauty queen. "I thought they were calling for me but when I watched him I was amazed, thinking, this brother can dance! Look at my man go!"

In 2006, when Emmitt, along with dance partner Cheryl Burke, was named the Mirror Ball Trophy winner of the hit ABC reality show, Pat supported her husband each step of the way.

"I am so happy to be married to such a great man," said Pat. "Despite our busy schedules, he always makes his family his priority, supporting our goals and dreams. I am thrilled that he has another opportunity to show the...

Pat Smith, wife of NFL's Emmitt Smith, is a powerful speaker on this year's Women of Faith 'Celebrate What Matters' tour.

DALLAS, Sept. 19, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday, September 24, Women of Faith speaker Pat Smith, will reenter the grand ballroom arena once again, to cheer on her husband Emmitt as he keeps his eye on the mirror ball prize. The former NFL star will compete in the All-Star season of Dancing with the Stars, hoping for the first ever two-time champion title.

"I remember the first time Emmitt got the call to be on Dancing with the Stars," said Pat Smith, former actress and beauty queen. "I thought they were calling for me but when I watched him I was amazed, thinking, this brother can dance! Look at my man go!"

In 2006, when Emmitt, along with dance partner Cheryl Burke, was named the Mirror Ball Trophy winner of the hit ABC reality show, Pat supported her husband each step of the way. "I am so happy to be married to such a great man," said Pat. "Despite our busy...

Words That Sting

When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need—words that will help others become stronger.
— Ephesians 4:29 NCV

When you think about the relationships in your life—friends and acquaintances, family members, co-workers, or fellow students—is there anybody who has hurt you by what they’ve said? Their words might have been an offhanded comment or a momentary attack. Their words might have been just an aside, but they stung deeply and left you reeling.

I want to suggest six principles that often help me when I’d rather react or attack instead of listening to the one who makes me feel chided. Although the pain may not go away immediately (or maybe ever), the effort to apply helpful actions will see you through and keep you from giving up on that other individual.

1. Let the person finish talking before you say anything. Sometimes all the other person wants is to make her point known.

2. State back to the person...

Journaling Your Gratitude

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.  And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.
-Psalm 107:21-22 NRSV

I don't know what your life is like today, whether you would say you are in the best days or the most difficult days-or perhaps, like me, a mixture of both.  I want to suggest that you start keeping a gratitude journal, which is obviously a great thing to do and something that can greatly enrich your prayer life.  Rather, this is just to write down all the things you are grateful for.  Our prayer journals reflect our requests, but our gratitude journals can contain how God has answered our prayers or simply be a gateway to wonder and worship.  I find it very helpful to use my gratitude journal in prayer.  It gives me a written account of faithfulness and goodness of God.

You might think if you add one more thing to your to-do list, it...

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. — Psalm 68:19 NIV

I wonder how many of us are weighed down by the stuff we drag around, day after day. Baggage is inevitable; who among us can walk through life without picking up some shame or fears or insecurities, right? The question is, why do we persist in hanging on to these things, jealously guarding our junk as though it's worth keeping?

Scripture reminds us to cast our cares on our Father, but even though we have God's open invitation to unpack our heavy bags, we seem to find that very hard to do. We'd rather cart the weight around than take God up on his offer.

I have asked people why they don't just surrender their burdens to God in prayer. Here are a few of their answers:

• I don't have time to pray.
• I'm too tired to pray.
• I start all right, but then I get distracted.
• To be honest, I’m not sure God is listening.

I empathize with those concerns, yet I am convinced it would revolutionize our...