Posts by Barb Roose
Today’s Truth
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (James 1:5 NIV)
Friend to Friend
One Sunday afternoon, my friend, whom I’ll call Leah, called in tears over her adult children. Leah spent large sums of money, time, and tears trying to help her kids, but their reckless life choices kept her up at night stressed out and scared for their future.
Leah struggled with what I call “secondhand worry.” This happens when we suffer the effects of worry because we’re trying to carry the load that someone should be responsible and accountable for managing themselves.
If you can relate to Leah, you know that this is a difficult place to be. When we wear someone else’s worry, it can wear us out! So, how do we get out of God’s way? Do we trust
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Today’s Truth
But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44 NLT)!
Friend to Friend
One of the frustrating tensions of the Christian life is Jesus’ command to love our enemies. Even more, Jesus teaches us to even pray for those who hassle us. Does Jesus’ command ignore healthy boundaries or our hurt feelings? Not at all!
In 2 Samuel 16, there was a man named Shimei who was related to the former King Saul, who’d died in battle. Shimei carried a grudge against now King David. During an angry outburst, Shimei threw rocks at David and his entourage while screaming that David was a murderer and scoundrel. That’s awkward, right? Imagine how David must have felt as Shimei yelled insults while the other Israelites came out of their houses and, no doubt, heard
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Today’s Truth
“But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them” (Psalms 2:4 NLT).
Friend to Friend
On my social media, it feels like I’m seeing a growing wave of anti-God and anti-Bible comments. In our post-Pandemic world, media outlets and pollsters confirm an increasing number of empty seats and a rise in the number of people who no longer believe in a sovereign God or that Jesus is the only way of salvation.
While we may look around and feel the decline of faith in our country, you may wonder if God is in heaven wringing His hands. Is He worried that His plan for humanity is falling apart? Is God concerned that He might be considered obsolete in our rebellious world?
Today’s truth in Psalm 2 reveals God’s response to our world’s repeated attempt to
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Today’s Truth
The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need (Psalm 23:1 NLT).
Friend to Friend
On his way home from school, a young Russian boy noticed a lamb trapped head down in a drainage ditch. He went home and asked his mother to come back and help him get the stranded animal free. Azieva Radima went back to the trench with her son. As he worked to free the lamb, she pulled out her camera to capture the ordeal. It was a pretty good size lamb and the young man managed to pull the animal out of the narrow opening. Then, the freed lamb hopped away.
But three hops later, it dove headfirst right back into the ditch.
Millions of people around the world have laughed at Radima’s viral video about the lamb that immediately
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Today’s Truth
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever (Psalm 16:11 NLT).
Friend to Friend
On a layover in Dallas, I settled into a seat to enjoy some chocolate frozen yogurt with chocolate-peanut butter candies on top. As I scooped the last bite of my treat, a gentleman sitting next to me asked how long our flight was delayed. I had to listen carefully to understand his Mexican-infused English. After I answered his question, he wanted to keep talking. Now, when one is in the airport, there are lots of topics that people can discuss. Usually, it’s our destination, travel nightmare stories or family. However, this man wanted to talk about something different. He wanted to talk about death.
He grabbed one of the two cell phones sitting in front of him to show
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Today’s Truth
Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens (James 1:17 NLT)
Friend to Friend
How do you arrange your Christmas gifts under the tree? After all, there are multiple strategies that must be considered! If you’ve got “shakers” in your family, you likely hide their gifts at the bottom of the pile. If you’ve got a “Snoopy,” like my kids, you probably keep those gifts undercover in a location that only Nancy Drew could find.
During my childhood, I described my Mom’s Christmas strategy as “Shock, Awe and Squishy.” She’d place my most-longed-for gift in front of the tree, usually unwrapped. Mom hovered by with her camera to capture the enraptured look on my stunned face.
Then, it was time for the squishy gifts. These were the lumpy, soft-wrapped packages that showed up every
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Today’s Truth
For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16 NLT).
Friend to Friend
A month after my dad died, my mom and I showed up to serve at our local shelter for un-housed individuals. We figured that serving others would help us navigate our grief, but I was uncomfortable because I worried about how I’d keep up conversations with the guests.
When we arrived, I gazed longingly over at the volunteers who stood behind the plexiglass and chafing dishes in their paper hats and plastic gloves. No awkward conversations or uncomfortable emotions, they simply scooped the food and sent the people on their way. As I settled at our assigned table, I knew that my fear of being uncomfortable may block me from seeing the God-potential of meeting new people and getting
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