A messy garden with ferns and shrubbery

My Messy Garden

FEELING THE NEED for a concentrated time of prayer one morning, I stepped onto the patio with Bible in hand. I felt unsettled and discouraged.  Things were not going as I thought they should, and I felt my heart tugging in several directions.  The needs in my life seemed numerous. I longed for direction, but my prayers seemed to hang suspended…

Bright star in a night sky

A Star to Guide Us

SITTING BENEATH THE STARS at a Christmas concert in the park, I listened to the familiar strains of “We Three Kings” soaring sweetly into the air. As I lifted  my eyes to gaze through the interplay of branches above me, my mind drifted with the words of the song.  I thought about those three kings and the star they followed. …

I voted stickers

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

SO HERE WE ARE in the midst of this messy political season– accusations, half-truths and, contradictory statements swirling around us from everywhere.  How do we navigate through the confusion to land on the truth of where God would lead us? In the last few weeks my Bible study has been studying Jesus’ letters to the seven churches in Revelation.  In…

Don’t Go Down to Egypt

Don’t Go Down to Egypt

It was one o’clock in the morning as I tossed and turned in bed. Two huge problems loomed before me the next day, and I didn’t know how I would solve either one. Restlessly, my mind churned through a myriad of possibilities, searching for answers. Tired and longing for sleep–which refused to come, I sighed and again looked at the…

When New Life Appears

When New Life Appears

This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Ezekiel 37:5, 6b When the city arborist stopped by to tell us they had received a grant to plant new trees in our neighborhood, we were delighted. We would…

Fighting for Your Marriage While Separated

Fighting for Your Marriage While Separated

MY NEW BOOK, FIGHTING FOR YOUR MARRIAGE WHILE SEPARATED, A Practical Guide for the Brokenhearted, released this week and is now available on Amazon. My own story of separation and reconciliation, along with the powerful stories of others who’ve walked this road, have prepared me to bring you this battle plan for reconciliation—stories which were born in pain, but now…