Reflections Causing Gratitude

I recently went to a prayer vigil at my church. It was simply a day set aside to reflect on our relationship with God a few days before the official Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday starts. You could come and go as you pleased, but there were stations in separate parts of the sanctuary to facilitate reflections and…

Grace and Purpose in Our Stupid Decisions

Well, I missed my flight back to Zimbabwe last month. The worst part was, it was my fault. I really wanted to help my Zimbabwe family and bring the few things that they requested, plus a little more. To that end, I’d taken one side trip too many driving back from DC (got my documents…

About Those Second Chances:

It’s happening, folks. I finally bought the one-way plane ticket to fly to my missionary and ministry destination—for more than I wanted to pay, to travel later than I wanted (I arrive after my program starts). It feels surreal that I have finally gotten to this point. I imagine in exactly one week, I will…

Leave a Mark

I haven’t worked at all on leaving a legacy. Have you? Since I don’t have children, I haven’t been conscientious about it till lately. When I hear things like the lyrics from Casting Crowns’ song Only Jesus https://youtu.be/VXIBP2BdYR8 or Sidewalk Prophets’ Live Like That https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfosSggwQS0, I think about what I will leave behind as I…

How to Date Christianly When You Were Raised in a Toxic Home, Part 2 of 2

Last week, I shared a little about my story and encouraged my readers to evaluate and reflect on the influence their family had on them. It’s hard to date in a Christlike manner when it wasn’t modeled in your family and you weren’t aware of that negative influence. Today, I have more to share and…

How to Date Christianly When You Were Raised in a Toxic Home, Part 1 of 2

Were one or both of your parents toxic? (It really only takes one messed up parent to ruin your whole family for generations.) Did your parents have a lousy marriage? (Mine did, too.) Did you have family secrets that had to be hidden from outsiders? (We sure did!) If you said Yes to any of…

When Your Dream Starts Happening

It’s finally happening. I can hardly believe it! The Lord laid it on my heart over 36 years ago to go overseas for long-term missions work. I took the “scenic route” toward God’s goal for me, but since the callings and gifts of God are irrevocable I press on. (Romans 11:29; read in many translations…

Who Are You Trusting for Your Future Marriage?

Most of us Christian singles would call ourselves true followers of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Whatever differences we may have in the finer points of our theology, we would say that we trust God. We trust Him for our salvation, the forgiveness of sin, an eternity in heaven, and that He will always…