Looking for the Handprints of God

by Mary Southerland | | 1 comment

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Encouragement is a gift that Paul says we should bring to every relationship. To “encourage” someone is to deposit courage in them. The words “build up” mean “to build a house.”

The idea is to build up other believers like you would build up a house. And that building begins at home.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up” (I Thessalonians 5:11, NIV).

I remember that night well. It was so many years ago, but it seems like yesterday. And what a crazy day it had been! Probably a day like many of yours.

I was a young mom with two small children. My husband was the youth pastor of a large church. Almost every night was filled with church

The Secret Sauce to Living in Difficult Seasons

by Rachel Wojo | | 12 comments

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When my special needs daughter, Taylor, was ages 4-6, she could sing like a little bird. From If You’re Happy and You Know It to I Love You, You Love Me, she knew dozens and dozens of songs and everywhere she went, she sang. She often sang herself to sleep.

I will never forget the last time she sang Jesus Loves Me all the way through. Not long after that, disease stole her words. While she could no longer sing, she still loved to listen to music. In the last weeks of her life as her suffering grew worse, when we played praise music in her room, I could feel a difference in the tension of her body.

There

I Don’t Have Time to Rest!

by Mary Southerland | | 3 comments

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We once had an Australian cattle dog named Dallas. Australian cattle dogs are extremely loyal to a master of their choice. Dallas chose our son Jered to be his master.

When Jered came home from school each day, Dallas would greet him at the door and follow him wherever he went. When Jered did homework, Dallas curled under the desk. When Jered ran an errand, Dallas rode shotgun. Dallas instinctively knew that the only place he would find genuine rest was at the feet of his master. The same is true in our lives.

But … I am not very good at this rest thing.

Life is so daily and often filled with uncertainty, a reality that can make me very

Helping Others Without Hurting Yourself

by Barb Roose | | 9 comments

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While walking at a park, a couple in front of me abruptly stepped off the path. The woman reached down to take off her shoe and held onto the man for stability.  It only took her a few seconds for her to pluck out the rock and then she held onto him again as put her shoe back on.

As I watched that little scene unfold, I’m reminded of the times when I’ve been like that woman with something in my life that caused me discomfort or pain. I’ve felt emotional stones in my life such as depression, anxiety, control issues, anger, and disappointment. Emotional stones hurt! But it’s much harder to remove our emotional, spiritual, or relational stones

Divine Interruptions

by Sharon Jaynes | | 10 comments

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Just the other day, I got a bit lost going to pick up takeout at a restaurant I had never been before. Once I arrived and got in line, I watched the woman in front of me with a baby in a stroller. God prompted me. “Pay for her meal.”

So, I did.

With tears in her eyes, she said, “How did you know my situation?”

I assured her that I had never seen her before, and I didn’t know anything about her “situation.” I also assured her that God did.

We talked for quite sometime. This woman was in a very dark chapter of her life. She had lost her job. Her daughter was an addict. Her funds were running low,

There You Are

by Suzie Eller | | 10 comments

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It was a family member’s baby shower and people were everywhere. As I made my way in, a blue-eyed little girl raced across the room and threw herself into my arms; it was my granddaughter, Elle. She hugged me, chatted with me for a moment, and then went to play.

Throughout the afternoon, she would come back in the room, look around, and circle through the jostling crowd, purposely making her way to me. She’d place her hands on my knees and say, “There you are!” It was as if she wanted me to know that, in the midst of a crowd, she was delighted that I was there.

In 1 Chronicles 16:11, it reads, “Seek the LORD and his

Frustrations and Foundations

by Gwen Smith | | 1 comment

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I was down to the last few drops of my favorite liquid foundation. I wanted to make sure it was completely used up before I bought a new one because it’s pretty pricey. I’m willing to pay a higher price for it because it matches my coloring better than any other foundation I’ve ever used. It’s the perfect base for my face because it evens out my skin tone, making it appear flawless. (Which it’s totally not!)

In Psalm 12, David talks about a different kind of foundation: the Word of the Lord. He was frustrated with the people around him and felt alone in his faith. He was tired of lies. Tired of negativity and deceit.

In his frustration

Can I Trust God?

by Sharon Jaynes | | 4 comments

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I hopped up on the counter at the soda fountain and placed my five-year-old feet on the spinning stool in front of me. Dad sipped on a Coke and talked to the lady behind the counter with the red-and-white-striped apron tied around her waist.

“This is my little girl,” Daddy said with a smile. “She’s a little monkey.”

“Why, Allan, she’s just as cute as she can be.”

For a moment, I thought I was.

I stood in the front yard waiting for the screaming to stop before I went back inside. Dad was drunk again, and Mom was screaming at the top of her lungs. Why couldn’t he see how afraid I was? Why did he drink? Why did Mom yell?

God Is Not Afraid of the Dark

by Holley Gerth | | 3 comments

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The rough wooden boardwalk is cool beneath my feet as I make my way to the sand. The sky is still the thick, deep blue of night, and gray shadows sway in the salty wind. I sleepily take my husband’s hand. I’m not a morning person, but we’re on vacation and I’m determined to see the sun climb like a rising warrior above the waves at least once.

As we get closer to the shore, we can see more people who have decided to forsake pillows for flip-flops along with us. They sit on huge pieces of stranded driftwood, stroll along the edge of the water with cameras in hand, or sip from coffee cups with dazed looks on

I’ll Never Fully Understand

by Gwen Smith | | 2 comments

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My curiosity begs to understand life. My mind longs for logic. When I was a child, I asked a million questions. Why is the sky blue? Are all angels men? Why do bad things happen? Why can’t we send my Brussel sprouts to the starving children in Africa? Who created God?

I wanted answers.

I still do.

Give me a story that grabs my attention at the beginning. Fill it with intrigue. Throw in some high conflict and drama in the middle and then catch the bad guys, tie up the loose ends and call it done. Cue the applause. Bring down the curtain. But don’t even think about leaving me hanging… and certainly don’t ask me to tune in next