I remember a poster I saw a long time ago. It was a picture of an adorable red-headed little boy blowing a big, huge bubble, and the caption read, “Be Yourself– Who else is better qualified.” This isn’t the picture, but there’s something about the little boy in this picture I adore!

As I’ve grown in life and in my walk with Jesus, the truth in this saying has become more and more real and more and more important. It has taken me a very long time to accept the fact that I’m a quirky, weird, artsy-fartsy creative person. I don’t like living in a box and will fight anyone who tries to put me in one. I guess I’m just wired to be weird!

As I let God be my mirror and not the world, I see the beauty of His workmanship in my life. Every experience, every victory, every defeat, every piece of me and my quirky personality He intends to use for His good. He created me on purpose for a purpose, and He empowers me to fulfill the purpose that...

Word to the Wise...Wisdom in the Waiting

I don’t like waiting.  I mean let’s be honest though, does anyone really like waiting? You should also know that I am a fast walker, like really fast. My kids have a hard time keeping up with me at the grocery store or shopping at the mall.   This trait isn’t always positive as I have often found myself making careless mistakes, not communicating well, misplacing things or missing important details due to always being in a hurry. This ends up with me overwhelmed with my day, because I didn’t leave any margin between commitments and activities, frustrating myself and also those who are closest to me.   

The book of Proverbs has some insight into living a life that is fast paced, and become accustomed to a hurried lifestyle, “Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.” (Proverbs 19:2) 

Wisdom is a tricky thing, sometimes difficult to hear and often difficult...

Planting, Cultivating and Harvesting Our Fruits of the Spirit

Until a few years ago, I had never taken into account the faith that is a part of farming. 

My family, and every farmer that I know, plants tiny seeds every spring in hopes that it will produce a harvest in the fall.  Corn, beans, milo and sometimes sunflowers. The crops produce feed for our cattle or finances to provide for the family.  

When we plant these little seeds we know that there is a possibility that the seeds may never come up out of the ground.  Maybe the plants will be harmed or destroyed by hail, insects, flooding or drought. But we have faith that God will provide if He has called us to be farmers.   

Farmers don’t stop caring for the seed after it’s planted. We prepare the land and cultivate the soil to help the seed grow.  

Our gardens are the same.  If we stopped caring for our plants, our space would become overwhelmed with...

Have you ever had a season in your life where you were so aware of the pain of people you love? A few years ago a friend was battling aggressive cancer, while another was shattered by her child’s failure. I felt helpless. I so wanted to “fix” their hearts and change their circumstances, but it was outside my job description.

One night I awoke in the wee hours and penned these words;

May He who holds the sparrow
In the palm of His hand
And causes flowers to blossom
Across the desert sand

May He who lights the heavens
And sets the stars in place
Guide you through the valley
And reveal to you His face.

May the Lord who gathers storm clouds
And fills them with rain
To water earth’s parched soil
That the land might give forth grain

May He move upon your heart
In the midst of life’s distress
In such a way that you might know
The kindness of His press.

For He who formed the mountains
And carved out the sea
Is He who has promised
To shelter you and me.

His wings are...

The tongue has power! The Bible tells us that God spoke the world into being. It doesn’t say he performed an awesome magic trick or started a huge chemical reaction that lead to the formation of the world. It says simply, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.’” (Genesis 1:3.) God formed the earth, the sky, the water, the animals and us with the power of His tongue.

Our tongue has power as well. We all realize the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is a complete and utter lie. Words hurt. Words scar. Words can kill and destroy.

Solomon wrote a great deal about the tongue in the book of Proverbs. He actually mentions the word “tongue” 21 times and the word “words” 33 times, so in one book he writes about it in 54 different places. It’s obviously something we need to pay attention to.

Solomon warned about the power of words when he wrote in ...

I left my Bible at church. I walked right out and left it on a chair. I hate it when I do that. It is so simple just to look twice and there is such clarity in the second gaze—and when I get distracted, it so easy to miss something I should have noticed.

I know that looking twice is a safeguard and I would think at this stage of the game, looking twice would come more naturally—and for me, it is still an effort. I’ll have to make a trip back to the church tomorrow to pick it up. I’m just glad it occurred to me that I left it. I called and it will be waiting for me at the front desk. One more time, I’ve been saved from myself. If only I had looked a second time before I left the room.

There is something even more important about the second glance than remembering lost objects. I discovered this when I was reading about Moses several months ago. Since I was telling his basket story in the Pre-conference this year I was reading all about him and came...

Word to the Wise – Words are Powerful!  When I think of words, I think of Power.

John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The power of words began when God spoke the world into being with the power of His words. Look at the whole creation process…He created all from nothing by speaking it into existence.

That is power!

In the creation process, it is only man that He gave the power to use words. It is also through words that He communicates with us. John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”The power of the word was meant for good.

So why do we choose to misuse our most powerful asset?

Our society has become conditioned to talk about problems and misfortunes. Those problems and misfortunes that we speak are also from our own interpretation and perspective of events...

PERSPECTIVE of PURPOSE.  In order to fulfill our calling, we must be selective in the things we look for in life.  I’ve been around the block more than once! I’m over 40, married, and have two beautiful kids. The more life I experience and circumstances I face, the more I'm convinced that if we as women truly desire to live out our God given purpose and destiny, we must follow God with our whole hearts and maintain a passionate faith walk. Yes, the perspective we maintain actually determines the purpose in which we walk in.

As women it's easy to become distracted and miss the plans and purposes God has for our lives because our focus is on unimportant, insignificant things (that just happen to be screaming the loudest for our attention!). Instead of focusing on the bigger picture and prioritizing what we are faced with, we often get side-tracked and distracted by the immediate, seemingly urgent elements of life, rather than the things that are actually...

In the Midst of Dirty Dishes.  Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: . . . whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies — in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.—1 Peter 4:9 – 11

She and her husband had been missionaries for over sixty years and led countless people to Christ. Now she was in her eighties and still serving. My friend Sheli and I were honored to stay with her for a week to minister alongside her.

After traveling thirty hours to her home in Takamatsu, Japan, we arrived late in the evening. She ushered us into her kitchen for a hearty meal, then prayed for us before we all went to bed. When the sun was barely up the next morning, we feasted on an enormous breakfast in her tiny kitchen.

The kitchen was crowded, her appliances old and worn, dishes piled high in the sink from her...