Category: Straight from the heart
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Shaking Off the Shadows: Why Nothing Can Break Your Spiritual Stride
We’ve all been there. You’re trying to move forward, trying to grow, trying to live out your faith with genuine joy—and suddenly, the voices start yelling. Sometimes it’s an old habit whispering your name. Sometimes it’s a religious checklist telling you that you aren’t doing enough, praying enough, or measuring up. Before you know it,…
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Free Outside the Fence: Holding the Gate Open for the Women Left Behind
Just this afternoon, I was driving past a church I attend regularly, thinking about a dream I had recently. In the dream, I was standing outside a fence with other women. The pastors were inside, but the gate was open, and they had to come outside the fence just to talk to us. As I…
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Paul Simon and the Edge of Humanity
There are moments when the fabric of our everyday lives wears thin, and we catch a sudden, breathtaking glimpse of eternity. It might happen while listening to a classic song on the radio. Or it might happen in the quiet of your own home, when a simple, physical question from someone—“Did you feel the house…
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When Love Rewrites Our Labels
We are experts at building walls out of things that were meant to protect us. In the first century, a man named Matthew built a wall out of coins. As a Jewish tax collector working for the Roman Empire, he traded his community, his religious standing, and his family for financial security. The outside world…
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The Geometry of the First Step
There is a quiet, almost unsettling abruptness to the way God moves people. But if we look closer at the stories, we find that the human side of the journey is often much more familiar, messy, and hesitant than we remember. In yesterday’s lectionary readings, we find ourselves standing at two separate crossroads separated by…
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Finding Quiet in a World of Outrage (A Study of Psalm 12)
We’ve all felt it. You open an app for a “quick five-minute break,” and an hour later, you look up, feeling heavy, anxious, and vaguely sick to your stomach. In that hour, your brain was forced to process twenty different narratives: a political scandal, an act of systemic cruelty, a loud-mouthed boast from a multi-millionaire,…
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The Digital Stampede: A Christian Perspective on Social Media Challenges
We’ve all watched it happen. A new song drops, a bizarre stunt catches fire, or a specific aesthetic takes over the internet, and within forty-eight hours, millions of people are replicating the exact same 15-second video. The urge to join the crowd is woven deeply into our psychology. It simplifies a noisy world and offers…
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The Art of Living Upside Down: Why Grace Flips the Rules of Holiness
We live in a culture obsessed with the “if/then” formula. If you work eighty hours a week, then you get the promotion. If you curate the perfect aesthetic, then you get the followers. If you dress the part and clean up your resume, then you get access to the inner circle. It’s a system built…
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No Take-Backs: The Ancient Law That Secures Your Identity Today
We all have family phrases that carry their own weight. In my family, we have a shorthand rule for the moments when someone gets married, or when a child goes to stay with another family member. We look at each other and say, “No take-backs.” It’s our way of saying that the boundary lines have…
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The Danger of the Numb Heart: What Proverbs 1 Teaches Us About the “Category 5” Crash
We’ve all watched it happen. Maybe it was a friend, an acquaintance, or an ex-spouse. You stood there with your hands wide open, offering an answer, a safety net, or a literal gift that would save them pain, stress, and money. It would have cost them absolutely nothing to accept it except a tiny shred…
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Finding Peace When the World Is Out of Control
We live in a world that operates at a breakneck, exhausting pace. Everywhere we look, things feel increasingly chaotic, loud, and mechanical. It’s incredibly easy to look at the state of humanity and feel a quiet, creeping panic. We grip our lives tighter, try to force outcomes, and exhaust ourselves trying to maintain a fragile…
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Closing the Door to Outside Opinions
Modern life frequently forces us to live with our front doors wide open. Between social media, constant notifications, and the casual commentary of the world, we are flooded with other people’s expectations, critiques, and uninvited advice. We feel this immense pressure to share our plans, our goals, and our hearts before they are even fully…
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The Anchor of Enough
History gives us a jarring portrait of Marie Antoinette. Surrounded by the gilded opulence of Versailles—finery, exotic delicacies, and servants waiting to satisfy her every whim—the Queen of France was reported to have looked upon it all and despaired, “Nothing tastes.” It is a tragic irony, yet one I find myself reflecting on often. It…
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The Great Exchange: Moving from Survival Mode to the Father’s Table
We tend to look at the world through the lens of our own striving. Everywhere we turn, the cultural script is the same: claw, manipulate, protect, and hustle to build your own little kingdom. It is an exhausting way to live, keeping our spirits on high alert—trapped in a perpetual state of survival mode. But…
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The Internal Highway
Psalm 84:5 (NIV) “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.” We aren’t meant to settle for the stagnant waters of the familiar. We are meant for the journey. So, when that holy homesickness stirs in your soul today, don’t fight it, and don’t fear the motion of the…
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Happy Mother’s Day
“God pardons like a mother, who kisses the offense into everlasting forgiveness.” – Henry Ward Beecher
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Tidbit for life
“It’s always wise to seek the truth in our opponents’ error, and the error in our own truth” – Rienhold Niebuhr –
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A Choice Between Two Fires
We’ve all seen the label. It’s bold, it’s red, and it makes a promise that resonates with the restless parts of our soul: “Ignite the Nite.” The inscription on a bottle of Fireball whiskey reads like a modern-day proverb: “What you have here is smooth whiskey with a fiery kick of red hot cinnamon. It…
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Finding Quiet in the Noise
In a world that feels like it is shouting for our attention, there is great strength found in Psalm 119:23. Psalms 119:23 (TPT) “For even if the princes and my leaders choose to criticize me, I will continue to serve you and walk in your plans for my life.“ Psalms 119:23 (ESV) “Even though princes…
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Tidbit for life
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” — Oscar Wilde
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Beyond Bricks and Mortar
After fifty-two days of grueling labor, intense opposition, and sleepless nights, the walls of Jerusalem stood tall once again. By all accounts, Nehemiah had succeeded. The gates were hung, the breaches were closed, the city was secure, and the dust had finally settled. But as we read over in Nehemiah 8, we notice something profound:…
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You can’t afford to stay stuck
Grief has a way of making the world feel like it’s spinning in slow motion while you’re standing completely still. It’s heavy, it’s loud, and it’s incredibly persuasive. It tells you that the safest place to be is tucked inside the “what ifs” and the “if I had onlys.” But here is the hard truth,…
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He who knows …
He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool; shun him. He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is a child; teach him. He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep; wake him. He who knows, and knows that he knows, is wise; follow…
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Why Honesty Must Begin Within
Honesty is a personal journey that must start in the mirror. We often look outward, demanding integrity from the world around us, but we must ask ourselves: How can we expect someone else to be honest when we ourselves are dishonest? This transformation must begin with us individually and extend to the Church as a…
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Worship Beyond the Song
For many of us, the word “worship” triggers a specific mental image: a stage, a microphone, and a few minutes of singing on a Sunday morning. While music is a powerful tool for expression, reducing worship to a playlist is like mistaking a map for the actual journey. True worship isn’t an event we attend;…
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What are you waiting on?
I have to ask: What are you waiting for? We’ve all heard it. Maybe you’ve even said it yourself: “I’m just waiting on God.” But what if I told you that while you’re sitting there waiting on God, could it be that God is waiting on you? I see it constantly—people who pray fervent prayers…
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Death by Comfort: Moving From the Altar to the Cross
There is an old military adage that holds a terrifying weight in the spiritual realm: It is impossible to defeat an enemy that you refuse to admit exists. 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” In our modern era, we have become experts…
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The Theology of a Warped Lens
We often think of the Parable of the Talents as a simple lesson on productivity. But if we look closer at Matthew 25:24–25, we see a profound psychological study on how a distorted view of God leads to a paralyzed life. Matthew 25:24-25 (ESV) “He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying,…
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When are you …
When do we stop walking in brokenness? God says we are healed by the stripes of His Son Jesus’ shed Blood.Yet so many still walk around talking about how broken they are.Talking about their hurts, their hang-ups.They need to start talking about what God did for them. Instead of meeting to talk about how bad…
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The Sound of the World
We’ve all been in that room. The one where the air feels heavy with the talk of “more.” More investments, more acquisitions, more status. It’s a constant hum of financial strategy and self-congratulation. Sometimes, you look around and wonder: Is this all there is? There is a specific kind of “smirk” that comes with worldly…
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The War of Wills
We’ve all said it. We’ve sung it in worship songs and whispered it in the quiet of a difficult season: “Not my will, but Yours be done.” It sounds holy. It feels right. But if we’re being honest, how often is that prayer actually a negotiation? Most of us are perfectly happy for God’s will…
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The View from the Pig Pen: Why Rock Bottom is a Blessing
Sometimes, life has a way of stripping us down until there is nothing left but the cold ground and the smell of a spiritual pig pen. It’s midnight, you’re covered in the consequences of your own choices (or just the heaviness of a broken world), and the “reality” you thought you knew has vanished. But…
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The Gift of the Red Flashing Lights
We spend our lives trying to beat the yellow light. We optimize our commutes, shave seconds off our grocery runs, and treat every delay like a deliberate act of disrespect towards us. But then, it happens: the bells start clanging, the guard rails drop, and the world comes to a grinding halt. I have to stop…
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Mercy on the Shower Floor: When Selective Hearing Ends
We spend a lifetime building filters. We curate the parts of God we are willing to hear, leaning into the “sweetness” of His encouragement while politely nodding past His correction. We want the comfort of the Church Pew without the confrontation of the Cross. But eventually, the filters fail. Eventually, the soul finds itself on…
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The Tragedy of the Static Soul
There is a profound sadness in a faith that has stopped searching.We have entered an era of the vicarious believer—someone who is content to sit in a pew, Sunday after Sunday, being “fed” by a middleman. We have outsourced our spiritual hunger to the pulpit, taking a man at his word rather than wrestling with…
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Different Classrooms, Different Lessons: The Divine Syllabus
One of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn is that not everyone is in the same class learning the same lesson. What God may be teaching you or showing you in the spirit is not for everyone. As it says in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose…
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The Sacred Pause
In a world that prizes “toxic productivity,” the act of intentional stillness is a radical—and necessary—choice. We often feel that if we aren’t moving, we’re falling behind. But there is a specific kind of clarity that only arrives when the dust of our own activity finally settles.We so often try to solve our problems through…
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The Upward Move: Spiritual Truth from the Inside Out
In our fast-paced, information-heavy world, we are conditioned to believe that understanding begins in the brain. We read, we analyze, and we hope that if we think hard enough, the truth will eventually “sink down” into our hearts. But spiritual truth is different. It doesn’t flow downward from the intellect; it moves upward from the…
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When “Alignment” Is Really Just Control: The Cost of Following the Voice of God
We like to talk about the “still, small voice” of God as if it always leads to green pastures and still waters. We paint it as a path of immediate peace and communal nodding.But sometimes, that voice leads you straight into a thicket of misunderstanding, judgment, and isolation. The truth that no one warns you…
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When “Thank You” Goes Unheard: The Sin of Familiarity
We’ve all seen it. Maybe we’ve even lived it.You’re sitting at the same dinner table you’ve sat at for a decade. You reach for the salt, and a hand passes it to you. You say “thank you,” but the words don’t even hit the air. They fall flat on the floor. Not because the room…
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Walk in love and bridge gaps
Our world is fractured by “gaps” that split our politics, communities, and families. It’s easy to stay where it’s safe, and everyone agrees, but Jesus calls us out of our filter bubble. We aren’t meant to pick a side of the canyon—we are called to bridge it. The New Testament utilizes the Greek term agape…
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When the Air Runs Out: Finding the Hand That Won’t Let Go
There are moments in life that aren’t just “stressful.” They are suffocating. It’s the kind of pressure that feels like a physical weight on your chest, crushing the air right out of your lungs until every breath feels like a victory you’re losing. Maybe it’s a season of grief, a collapsing relationship, or a failure…
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Moving Beyond Regret
As I sit at my table today, gazing out the window, I hear the sound of my grandkids running up and down the hallway. It’s a joyful sound, but it’s also a nostalgic one. It carries me back to when my own children were that small. If I’m being honest, those memories come with a…
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The Myth of the Disposable Soul: Finding Worth in a Broken World
In today’s world, almost everything is designed to be temporary. From the paper cup in your hand to the razor in your bathroom cabinet, we are conditioned to use things until they no longer serve us and then simply toss them aside. Most people don’t even give it a second thought. But a dangerous shift…
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Finding Freedom in the Small Moments
Do we ever truly stop to consider what it means to walk in freedom?It is a heavy word—freedom. It is more than a political right; it is a spiritual condition. As the Apostle Paul reminded us, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). Most of us never weigh the true…
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The Journey: Finding Your Footing in a Scattered World
Do you ever feel like you’re your own worst enemy? Like you’re constantly running headlong into chaos, trying to do everything—read everything, learn everything, accomplish everything—only to find that nothing truly gets done? If so, you’re not alone. I often find myself in this very spot, pleading with my Heavenly Father, “Show me where to…
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Are Your Own Words Holding You Back?
Have you ever noticed it? That nagging feeling that you’re stuck—that you’re simply not getting anywhere? Maybe you’ve felt like you aren’t accessing everything this life has to offer. You know, deep down, there has to be more to existence than what you are currently seeing and experiencing. You might even find yourself asking, “What…
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Why Integrity Matters in a Dark World
In a world that often feels dominated by cynicism, self-interest, and negativity, it’s easy to feel like a small act of kindness is just a drop in the ocean. We look at the “dark and perverse” headlines and wonder: Does it even matter if I’m the only one doing the right thing?The truth is, it…
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Built for Belonging
Humans were designed for connection. We were never meant to be solitary creatures, yet many of us now live distant lives, hesitant to let others in. While some consciously choose this isolation, others long for community but simply lack the tools to build it. They carry the constant ache of seeking friendship but never quite…
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What have you done with your life?
What have you done with your life? You might think that your accomplishments are what count, but they aren’t. What truly matters is how you have loved others. Ask yourself: How have you made others feel during your lifetime? What about just recently? What did you do to help someone else, regardless of whether they…
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Don’t live in the past
(Previously posted) It is never wise to live in the past. There are, indeed, some uses of our pastwhich are helpful, which bring blessings. We should remember our pastlost condition to keep us humble and faithful. We should remember pastmercies, that we may have confidence in new needs or trials in the future.We should remember…
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His Unfailing Presence
Another year I enterIts history unknown;Oh, how my feet would trembleTo tread its paths alone!But I have heard a whisper,I know I shall be blest;“My presence shall go with thee,And I will give thee rest.” What will the New Year bring me?I may not, must not know;Will it be love and rapture,Or loneliness and woe?Hush!…
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When life is overwhelming
In this life, it is so easy to get overwhelmed, especially this time of year, with all the hustle and bustle of Christmas and the coming of a New Year. We can get overwhelmed just by the everyday stresses of life, even if it’s not a holiday. I know I have had lots of people…
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Press on !!!
I wrote this post a long time ago on another blog I had, however, this is something I have to remind myself to do regularly. PRESS ON !!! Have you really thought about what it means to press on? It means to move forward despite the fact that you feel like quitting. Through every obstacle…
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Sometimes …
Sometimes, the pressure is too much to bear. Sometimes, the pain is too great. Yet, it’s in that time when we can’t move another inch, God shows it’s in His strength that we go on. When we bow, we bow in prayer, not to the adversity. We run to face adversity and not curl up…
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Happy Thanksgiving (even though it’s late)
I wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. However, due to issues beyond my control here, things did not go as planned, but here is my late Happy Thanksgiving. Can you imagine what would happen if we all had a spirit of gratitude? I think the results would be simply amazing. Habakkuk 3:17-19 (ESV)…
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The stolen voice
Discernment is so, so very important, especially in these last days. I find it amazing, and I don’t think in a good way, at how subtle the enemy works his way into our lives to steal, kill, and destroy. To steal not only our material wealth but our physical health, our hopes and dreams, and…
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Staying focused
Good morning, everybody It is so hard to stay focused when there are so many storms surrounding us. The winds are blowing, and the rain is pelting us from every direction. And we find ourselves putting out small fires instead of staying focused on the task at hand. If we are not careful, we will…
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When the key becomes a weight
When I got my first car, I was in my mid-twenties. I didn’t understand how the key turned in an ignition made the car start, I just knew it did. And then I had my keychain, and with this keychain, I soon had more keys to add to it. The more keys I had, the…
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Supernatural “REST”
How many of us go to bed, and we toss and turn, and we claim we are resting? Or we claim we are getting rest by sitting on the couch and watching a movie or videos? Yet, when we wake up from a night of “resting” or “resting” in front of the television or starring…
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Focus on today
So just for today, focus on just today. Not yesterday, because that is already in the past, and we can not go back and change anything. Don’t focus on tomorrow. It is not here yet, and you may think you know what tomorrow holds, but the truth is, you don’t know, and everything has a…
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The Choice
Joshua 1:8 (ESV) “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.“ Psalms…
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Happiness or the lack thereof
Too many people are trying to make their flesh happy and are willing to throw their life away for it. Sure we have made a mess of things just trying to make ourselves happy but what happens when we try to make amends for it. Most of time we want what we can’t have and…
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Pride
Good morning, everybody As I was sitting here in my favorite spot, enjoying this cool temperature of fall, a thought hit me. There are some things that are just not meant for others to see. In this day and time, everybody has a camera, pretty much. So, it is not uncommon for someone to be…
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Truly the forgotten
As I sit here in the safety of my home, I think back to the times that I haven’t always been in a place of safety. And we take so many things for granted. We live now in threat of constant turmoil locally and globally. So, it’s easy to focus on everything going on in…
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Things we don’t see
One of my favorite things is being outside and watching the clouds or looking at the stars at night. But I really love photography, so when I get to take pictures of the night sky and clouds, I get super excited. When you take pictures at night the camera draws in light from all the…
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Purpose
As I sit here in the silence of the morning, I think back to when my children were small. It was always something going on. In fact, there was never a dull moment. Looking back, those times were hilarious. However, at the moment, they made me feel like pulling my hair out. What we don’t…
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Beauty comes
Today, I was looking at the mess the chickens had made, and I saw a beautiful butterfly. God is moving in the lives of His people. And He is calling people to come up out of the chaos.
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Christmas in September
Good Morning Everybody !!! It is such a wonderful day. I just want to share some wonderful news. It is so good it feels like Christmas in September. One of my favorite things is to sit on the couch (sofa) and read in the mornings and have coffee. I sit in the silence (try to)…
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A question
Recently, I encountered someone who made me shake my head because of their stubbornness, and the problem is I am beginning to think it is not because they are stubborn but maybe just blinded by a religious spirit. The problem was they don’t really read the Bible, and they believe it is so full of…
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Its Sunday
Goodness, it has been a rough few weeks. When our loved ones pass on into eternity, it is never an easy thing. It doesn’t matter how much we can give ourselves pep talks and tell ourselves we are ready. We are prepared. In reality, no, we are not. There is that thing called grief. And…
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The changing of seasons
I am sitting here at my table watching leaves fall, just thinking. It has been a sad couple of weeks. My ex-father in law had passed away the other day after suffering a massive stroke. Even though that in itself is bad, yet good, because I know that he is with his family on the…
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???
I used to live my life being tormented by things I could and could not see. I was tormented by fear and paranoia. My life was a living hell, and I think that is an understatement. I felt powerless up against the things that came at me. I used to think my only solution was…
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Nobody Knows Me
I used to get upset because I felt like nobody knows me, nor do they really care to know me. I felt like nobody really knows what makes me do the things I do. I felt like nobody understood me at all. I am just a speck out here in this vast universe and I…
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Dare to Dream
When I was a little girl my mom and dad took me with them to see a well-known evangelist. As I was sitting there watching the singers under the bright lights of the stage, I was amazed at the beautiful dresses they were wearing. I had never seen anything so beautiful. I had stated with…
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Lessons from my dad
I have learned a lot of different lessons from my dad through the years. But one of the greatest lessons I learned from my dad is persistence. In life, things can be complicated, and if we don’t learn the lesson of persistence, it is easy to skim over things in search of an easier answer. My…
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But I really want the prize
I had posted this previously but I feel like we (me) could use a reminder of this very thing. Sam has been sick for a few days, and he missed school. During his absence, he missed the deadline to turn in a paper for a library challenge. It was during a conversation that we had…
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Dignity and self-respect
In this life we all have decisions to make, regardless, of what the decisions are or who we are. I also have a firm belief that everybody has the right to be treated with dignity, no matter the circumstances. I have sat back and watched, more and more people are being treated less than human…
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Plain Old Oyster
By Anonymous There once was an oyster, whose story I’ll tellWho found that some sand had gotten into his shellIt was only a grain, but it gave him great painFor oysters have feelings, although they are plain Now, did he berate the harsh workings of fateThat had brought him to such a deplorable state?“No,” he…
The Anchor Point 