“Do everything without grumbling… ” Phil 2:14 Maybe 2019 was tough year and you find yourself complaining a lot. You want to break the habit, but aren’t sure how. Here are twelve helpful tips to remember when you are tempted to grumble: 1. Turn on worship music 2.Go on a prayer walk 3. Do Bible Art 4.Bible study 5.Post a verse on social media 6. Go out in nature 7.Play with your kids or grandkids 8.Donate time and talent to a good cause 9.Help someone less fortunate 10. Look for a silver lining 11. Count your blessings 12.Praise God for His…
Category: Devotional
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Making Holiday Memories
Making Holiday Memories Thanksgiving was a traditional family gathering at my in-laws’ home. The siblings came from near and far with their families. Entering the snowy driveway, we’d see the house with seven gables high on the hill. The roar of snowmobiles coming from the fields nearby let us know nieces and nephews were enjoying Grandpa’s toys. Beautiful horses galloped in the fields near the red barn. Approaching the house, we caught a whiff of the baking turkey; then Grandma opened the door and lavished us with hugs. As we sat at the table beautifully set with china and crystal,…
A Heritage of Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving is an important part of the Christian life. It is the capstone to a life of prayer. The apostle Paul instructed the church in Philippi regarding prayer: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6, NASB). Carrying from Europe the tradition of a day of thanksgiving after a successful harvest, the Pilgrims gave thanks to God for the bounty of the harvest after a year of sickness and hunger. The native Wampanoag tribe also had a tradition of giving thanks to the Creator…
Join the Chorus
For fourteen years our home in Florida allowed me to escape the bitter Midwest winters. But due to a health crisis, my husband and I are now back in the Midwest, bracing ourselves for some bitter temps. When I look out my kitchen window, I no longer see palm trees standing tall against a clear blue sky. I see a blanket of white on the ground and pine needles laced with snow crystals. I no longer see lizards scurrying across the backyard patio. Instead, I see squirrels gathering nuts for the long months ahead. My environment has changed dramatically,…
Who Hates Conflict?
I hate conflict. I hate getting into disagreements with my husband. I don’t like having a spat with a friend. As a parent, I hated the constant conflict resolution that was needed when my two kids didn’t get along. As a teacher, I sure didn’t enjoy being the one who had to break up the many tiffs between pubescent girls. And as a Grandma? Well, let’s just say that conflict’s not in the grandma cards. So when I began writing fiction, I knew that conflict is a main ingredient to a good story. To write good, compelling fiction, I…
Praise His Name
Negative attitudes have a way of creeping up on all of us at times. Good advice for turning them around is keeping a gratitude journal—a list of the things you’re thankful for each day. When we put our focus on the positive aspects of our lives, the impact of the negatives begins to shrink. Psalm 100 can be viewed as a prescription for keeping a gratitude journal about God—for learning to thank Him and praise Him for who He is and what He does. Coming before God to worship with thanksgiving and praise is easy when we’re keenly aware…
What to do When You Don’t Know What to do
What do you do when you don’t know what to do? In such a place, waiting for direction, I encouraged myself by reviewing the hard circumstances where God placed Moses. From the moment he appeared to him in a flaming bush, his life was never easy. Go to Pharaoh? Lead the Israelites out of Egypt? Who, me? After all his objections, Moses consented and set off on mission. Here’s the part of the Exodus story I love. God said to him: I will be with you. I will tell you what to say. I will tell you what to do….
Safe Where I Belong
As I played with my two-year-old grandson in the backyard, a noise caught his attention, and he turned toward the street. “Get back here,” I called. “You are naughty and going immediately into time out for the rest of your life. Now, think about what you’ve done, and how you will fix it!” Are you scandalized by my response? Understandable. But how often do we think God responds to our choices and messes in this angry fashion? Of course, I didn’t speak those soul-wounding words. I came alongside as he toddled in an unsafe direction. “Hey, buddy. Let’s go…
Making the Right Commitment
Commitment can be a good thing…when we’re committed to the right thing. But how often do we make a decision without fully weighing the cost? How often do we say “yes,” when we want to say “no”? I’ve been guilty of it myself. When I sat down to write my latest novel, Deadly Commitment, I wanted to write about how we sometimes make decisions without thinking them through. Maybe it’s a monetary commitment. Or a spur-of-the-moment decision to leave our job or drop out of school. It could even be the decision to marry the wrong person. We may…
Fulfill God’s Calling on Your Life
Recently, I was bummed out by some in the church who seemed to imply writing fiction is not a holy calling. They as much as said that if we aren’t engaged in outright evangelism, then we aren’t fulfilling the Great Commission. I did some soul-searching. Told God, “I quit. I’m done (writing).” He immediately began sending me encouragement, reminding me that I write because He called me to it, and it is no less legitimate a calling than my call as a wife, mother, or friend. But a reader’s note to me the very next day capped it and…
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