How to Find Contentment

by Mary Southerland | | 4 comments

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Contentment.

We all long for contentment. People know very little about contentment because they seek it in all the wrong places.

Food

Alcohol

Drugs

Career

Sex

Relationships

Money

The list is daunting … and absolutely useless when it comes to seeking peace and contentment. The heart of contentment is wrapped around the promise found in Psalm 23:1, a truth that is staggeringly important to remember in order to experience a contented life.

“The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1, NIV).

The Lord is my Shepherd, so I will not want. The word “want” means “lack.” In other words, we will lack nothing. Every need in our lives will be met. Our Father, the Good Shepherd, will see to it.

A famous actor was once the guest

Evidence of God’s Faithfulness in Our Hardships

by Elisa Pulliam | | no comments

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I cringed while listening to my professor describe the Remember When assignment, which involved interviewing a parent so that we could write a paper describing our developmental process. Certainly, this assignment wasn’t designed with a middle-aged graduate school student in mind! How could my parents remember back that many decades? Even if they could, I wasn’t keen on a trip down memory lane, especially after all the time spent processing and healing from the abuse that marred my childhood. Maybe you can relate?

I was relieved as my heart softened while listening to my mom recount all the good, like the love my grandparents poured out on me, alongside the hardships, like my numerous knee injuries in high school

Whatever You Need, God Is

by Sharon Jaynes | | 3 comments

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I was exhausted. I was drenched in sweat. I was filled with inexplicable joy–a joy I had never known. It was the day Steven Hugh Jaynes, Jr. emerged from the pocket of my womb and made his grand debut into the world.

When my son was born, I never knew so much love could be wrapped in one tiny package. After twenty-three-and-a-half hours of pushing and pulling, heaving and hoeing, he finally decided to leave his comfy sauna and face the bright lights of the delivery room. As soon as the umbilical cord was severed, the nurses whisked him away to make sure ten fingers and toes were accounted for, wrap him in a cozy blanket, and place a

The Chosen Baby

by Mary Southerland | | 2 comments

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Beginnings are very important. In fact, the place of origin has much to do with the quality of the journey as well as the final destination. My journey – like yours – began in the heart and mind of God. Before I took even one breath, God loved and planned me. That same truth applies to you. You are neither an accident nor a mistake. You and I were created in response to the love and plan of God.

The power of Jeremiah 1:5 has changed my life!

Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you (Jeremiah 1:5, NCV).

God Himself supervised our formation. Wow! That just rocks my world. Think about that truth for a moment. We

How Long Am I Going to Be Mad About It?

by Sharon Jaynes | | 2 comments

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I was really upset with her. I don’t need to tell you the details because I want you to fill in the blanks yourself. I was really mad at _______ for ________. I’m not worried about you not having anything to put in those blanks because you’re human. We’ve all been really irked at someone for hurting our feelings, hampering our plans or a whole lot worse.

We’ve talked about Jacob in our devotion times together before, but what about poor Esau. His baby brother stole his birthright and his inheritance…that was a lot more than hurting his feelings. But let’s look back at the story from Esau’s point of view because sometimes we have to look backward in

Dealing with Feelings

by Kelly Balarie | | 18 comments

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Have you ever felt left out?

I remember, as a kid, sitting on the curb at recess while the other girls in my class jumped rope. I sat alone. I stared at them. Inside, I knew where I stood with these girls. I wasn’t welcome. I had tried to join their club before; it didn’t work out so well.

Recently, I felt like that little girl on the curb again. It happened when a group of women laughed. They simply shared an inside-joke that I didn’t understand and, yet again, I felt left-out. I got triggered. I called the women “clique-ish” in my head and I hated their actions.

Yet, when I got home, I believe God prompted a thought. It

Working Out the Kinks

by Gwen Smith | | 3 comments

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I became a watering girl that summer.

Not because my black thumb suddenly turned green, but because my husband had ordered a heap of mulch and I was determined to not have a lame bare patch in the landscaped section of the house. No sir-eee! Mulch should be the accessory, not the main feature. My opinion.

So, in response to the mulch mountain, I drove my spontaneous little self to the gardening store and bought us some new bushes, a few flowers, and a tree. And I quickly learned that once all of said planty-purchases were in the ground, they required… gasp… maintaining so they could take root.

Totally cool, I thought as I strapped on my big girl panties. I

When You Are About to Hit Empty

by Suzie Eller | | 12 comments

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If I had a warning sign on my forehead, it might have flashed these messages:

Fresh out. Give me room, people. Nothing more to give.

There were a lot of needs and I was juggling. I was tired and cranky, but I kept on going—until one day I realized it’s almost impossible to give anything good out of an empty well.

Maybe, like I once did, you ignore those signs too. You may even consider yourself strong. After all, you don’t let anything stop you. At least, until you can’t take one more step.

In today’s verse, we find Jesus and the disciples after a busy and successful time of ministry. He recognized their fatigue and also their human need for food

God Puts to Use What He’s Put Us Through

by Sharon Jaynes | | 6 comments

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Chris, one of my friends, was in a seminary class when someone raised his hand and asked the professor: What is your best advice on how to be a good pastor?”

“Empathy,” the professor replied. “Have empathy.”

Then Chris raised his hand. “How do you get empathy?

With a trace of sad knowing in his eyes, the wise older man replied, “Suffer.”

Chris now understood. Empathy isn’t something you learn; empathy is something you live.

One of the greatest ways God puts to use what he puts us through is by creating in us a deeper sense of compassion than we would have ever known without the trauma. The word compassion is derived from the Latin words pati and cum, meaning “to suffer

Who’s the Boss?

by Mary Southerland | | 5 comments

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I have had many jobs over the years. I started babysitting when I was twelve years old. In high school, I worked in a clothing store, as an aid for my choral director, and as a recruiter for an employment agency. In college, I was a secretary for the president of our social science honors program and often gave tours to visiting dignitaries. Some jobs I liked more than others but working in an insurance office when my husband attended seminary was one of my least favorite jobs.

I soon discovered that I was not alone in my lack of enthusiasm as I read the following note posted on the office bulletin board:

“If you don’t believe in the resurrection