Jesus, Where Are You?

by Sharon Jaynes | | 15 comments

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Have you ever gone through a situation and wondered, Jesus where are You? If You had been here, this wouldn’t have happened. The loss of a loved one? The crash of a car? The devastation of property? Did you know that two women in the Bible felt the same way…and actually told Jesus just how they felt about it!

Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and their brother, Lazarus. He often stopped by their home for a hot meal during His travels. I’d dare say they were some of His closest friends. And yet, when the girls sent someone to tell Jesus that Lazarus was sick, He didn’t go…at least not right away.

The Bible tells us, “So, when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he

A Deeper Grace

by Gwen Smith | | 15 comments

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For years my abortion story went untold. It was a secret held tightly by a locked heart – my worst nightmare and darkest memory. Not something I wanted to talk about. Certainly not a story that I thought could be used for good.

Conversationally, it was unapproachable… simply impossible to discuss. On the rare occasion when I allowed my mind to go there, I wished I had a different story: one of life, not death – of joy, not pain. A story of a time when I’d made the best choice, not the worst choice.

But that’s not my story.

And because it’s not, for years I was convinced that my mistakes demanded silence. That because of what I’d done and

From a Storm to a Whisper

by Mary Southerland | | 18 comments

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Movies with happy endings are my favorite movies. My family constantly teases me about my surreal perspective of movie entertainment, but honestly, life holds enough reality. Why would I want to pay good money to see even more reality made bigger and more frightening on a gigantic movie screen?

When the movie, “The Perfect Storm,” was first released, the previews suggested it had a happy ending. I should have known better, but we love the water and really, how bad could it be?

We bought tickets, popcorn, and drinks, found the best seats in the theater, and prepared to be entertained. Wrong! Just about every scene showed tiny boats caught in the grip of frightening waves and fierce winds. I

When You Don’t Want to Go Back to the Way You Were

by Sharon Jaynes | | 15 comments

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I had braces on my upper teeth three times. Count them. One. Two. Three.

As the orthodontist explained, “Teeth have a memory. They always want to go back to the way they were.”

As soon as he said those words, I felt convicted. I tend to go back to the way I was.

We all do.

Karen (not her real name) admitted to single-handedly destroying her marriage with passive-aggressive coldness, destructive words, and disrespect of the worst kind. After her husband walked away from the marriage, she had a Holy Spirit moment and realized what she had done. Karen’s heart softened and she vowed never to be that woman again. 

She immersed herself in Bible study and began to pray for her ex-husband

We Were Made for Work

by Kathi Lipp | | 7 comments

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While visiting our cabin in the mountains can be a magical experience, what it takes to keep it running is not. It’s a lot of hard work. After signing the mortgage paperwork and living through the first winter, we realized just how hard. Besides our regular jobs, there’s always a long list: clearing brush, taking down dead trees, chopping firewood, cooking meals, changing sheets, and cleaning the chicken coop. We are forever preparing for the next season.

We’ve learned to invite guests with a caveat: In the morning, we will cook you a glorious breakfast (for which the chickens have provided the main ingredient) and keep the coffee pot full. In the evenings, we will have cheese and crackers

Our Personal Trainer

by Arlene Pellicane | | 4 comments

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One Christmas, my husband, James, had an unusual gift request. He asked if I would work out with him every day for one month.

Hmm…in one way this was an easy present. No need to spend any money or stand in line to buy that perfect gift. In another way, this was a hard gift. Exercise every day for a whole month???

I was struggling with back pain and foot pain, and James saw this as an opportunity to fix all that was ailing me. It’s kind of hard to say no at Christmastime so I accepted this holiday challenge. 

James kept a notebook with our exercises listed. The first days were tough. “Can’t you do more?” he would say. “Is

Woman, You Are Free from Your Suffering!

by Sharon Jaynes | | 1 comment

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When my brother was a teenager, my mother used to threaten him when he hunched over at the dinner table. “If you don’t sit up,” she would say, “I’m going to buy you a back brace from Sears.” I don’t even know if Sears made back braces then, but it sounded like a pretty good threat to me.

Then I had a son who seemingly grew to six feet overnight. He didn’t know what to do with all that height, so he slumped. I tried my best not to say, “If you don’t sit up, I’m going to buy you a back brace from Sears.”

Then one night my father-in-law took care of it for me. We were measuring and

When Questions Are Many and Answers Are Few

by Gwen Smith | | 16 comments

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As the basketball game heated up and the man-to-man coverage got up close and personal, he took an elbow to the ear. Seconds later his world went silent on the traumatized side. Stunned, he continued to play and pointed to his ear as he ran down the court telling his coach about the situation.

“I can’t hear in my left ear!”

Wait, what? I read his lips from the stands and wondered if I accurately interpreted what my son had just communicated. (My stomach did the I-hate-when-my-kids-get-hurt twist.)

“I think he just told the coach that he can’t hear out of his left ear!?” I said to the friend beside me.

My guess proved to be accurate. Preston came out of the

My Mother’s Hands

by Suzie Eller | | 2 comments

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She held out the soft white blanket scalloped in pink ribbon. “I’m not sure I want to give it to her,” my mom said. The stitches were a bit looser than my mother’s past handiwork. When I studied her hands, I saw the beginnings of arthritis. I could also see love in every crocheted inch of the blanket she held out.

That was nearly 13 years ago. That first great-grandchild is almost a teenager. Several other great-grandchildren have come along since. When I hold my mother’s hands in my own today, her fingers are bent and swollen at the joints. The arthritis that was just creeping in way back then has taken over many of her joints. She continues

The Antidote to Worry

by Mary Southerland | | 10 comments

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Stress management is a spiritual discipline that begins with diligent preparation in every area of life – mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. We must be ready to deal with stress before we are required to deal with stress. 

Dealing with stress is an ongoing daily battle that will not end on this side of Heaven. To win that battle, we must be prepared. While there is no single secret to handling stress, God’s Word is filled with many truths that can enable and empower us to deal with stress in a healthy, productive, and God-honoring way.  

Sometimes the most familiar passages of scripture are also the most overlooked. Psalm 23 is one of those passages. I often find myself rushing to this psalm for peace and