I love the rhythm of the words in today’s quote. God can change … He can orchestrate … He can alter … He can and does … The words becomes are anthem of hope. Not that I’m surprised — they are penned by my writing-friend, Cynthia Herron. From the first time I met her, I recognized the heart of a valiant encourager …
In Others’ Words: Truthful
Discouragement has stalked my heels of late. And even as I write those words, I want to back up, hit the “delete” key until that sentence disappears. Start again. But I am determined to be honest . . . not to garner sympathy, although you all — yes, you, if you are reading this blog — are amazing encouragers. I …
In Others’ Words: Truth
Which one of these phrases trips you up? Too old Too young Too busy Too scared Too washed up Too worn out And which one of these truths renews your hope, your strength? God watches over your every step (Psalm 121:5) God steadies you (Isaiah 33:5-6) God rescues you (Colossians 1:13) God carries you (Psalm 68:19) God knows you (Romans …
In Others’ Words: Unexpected Happiness
Today’s photo makes me smile. Yeah, I look like a bit of a goof … but I’m an extremely happy goof. Those two women wrapping me in a hug? Not only are they tremendous blessings in my life — they are both huge surprises. It all goes back to my belief that God’s best is often behind the doors marked …
In Others’ Words: Torn
And there you have it: Life choice distilled down into one 20-word sentence. Is your life other-focused or you-focused? Or is it a constant arrival at the fork in the road and deciding, once again, which way do you go? It’s not that I think going one way is wrong (enjoyment) and going the other way is right (living to …
In Others’ Words: Reality (Guest Post by Meagan Williford)
My novel, Catch a Falling Star, asks the question: What do you do when life doesn’t go according to plan? My heroine, Kendall Haynes, greets her 36th birthday wondering “Just what exactly was she celebrating?” Her life is good — successful — but not all her dreams have come true. Specifically, happily ever after has eluded her. Today’s post is …
In Others’ Words: Miracle
Miracles. They cause us to stop and wonder: What just happened? Water into wine? (John 2:1-11) Blindness into sight? (Mark 8:22-25) Death into life? (John 11) More than what … miracles cause us to stop and wonder: How did that happen? And we stumble into awestruck silence when we realize there is no answer, no explanation … but God. My …
In Others’ Words: Surprise!
Oh, there are so many ways I could go with this blog post. Has life surprised me? Oh yes, yes indeed. I just went upstairs and kissed goodnight one of the most a-ma-zing surprises in my life: my caboose kiddo. The child who astounded me by showing up when my husband and I were parenting three teenagers. True story: My …
In Others’ Words: If …
Sometimes it’s good to go back to the anchor truths that hold me steady. The faith-realities — no contradiction there — that I turn to over and over again when doubt whispers in my ear or failure taunts me or an invisible someone insists I’m not good enough. God is with me. His very name is Immanuel, God with us …
In Others’ Words: Blocked
Have you been dreaming lately? I’m not talking about the now-I-lay-me-down-to-sleep kind of dreaming. No. I’m talking about the eyes-wide-open dreams. The ones requiring planning. And effort. And waiting. And praying. Those kind of dreams. If you’d asked me if dreams involved hope, I would have said “Yes, absolutely” without pausing to think about. Dreams demand massive amounts of hope. …