Journal

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 Lord, here I am again, full of worry—a subject I bring to You over and over again. It’s about what I believe (Your truth and promises) playing tug of war with what I feel (my emotions and fears). The journey between my head and my heart is the hardest one of […]

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Clothing

The clothing industries historically made a killing just before Easter. People came out from under the rocks to wrap themselves in new Easter threads, shoes, and hats. Children were dragged from store to store as their little frames were fitted with Sunday dress-up stuff. The boys didn’t want to, but they had to wear stiff […]

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Modesty and Authenticity

Read Esther 2:12-14. Esther exhibited an unselfish modesty and authenticity. Think of it: no job, no responsibility, no cooking, no clean-up, no washing, no ironing, no errands, no budget-watching, no holding back in any area. Imagine! Pampered and indulged, in this self-centered harem of Persia, all of the emphasis rests upon her becoming a woman […]

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The Greatest Influence

Several years ago, someone interviewed the contemporary artist Marc Chagall for a PBS program. The young, arty interviewer started the session with a question about influences. His question was very long and involved and exhibited his own learning along the way, giving everybody, including Chagall, a lecture on the nature of influences on the artist. […]

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Mother’s Day

If there’s one attitude families are guilty of more than any other when it comes to mothers, it’s presumption . . . taking them for granted . . . being nearly blind on occasion to the load moms carry. This was reinforced in my mind last week as I was thumbing through a row of […]

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Memories

My desk was top-heavy with research works on Paul the apostle and his century-one letter to the Philippians. Well-worn volumes, lexicon, dictionary, concordance, Greek New Testament, maps, charts, several versions of the Scriptures, pen, pencils, a couple of stacks of paper needed to be put away. I had just completed a manuscript and my heart […]

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Five Cheers for Mom

She looks well to the ways of her household, . . . Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also. (Proverbs 31:27-28) What does motherhood require? Transparent tenderness, authentic spirituality, inner confidence, unselfish love, and self-control. Quite a list, isn’t it? Almost more than we should expect. Perhaps that explains why Erma Bombeck […]

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Here We Go a-Mothering

In Act 1 of Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar is warned to “beware the Ides of March!” The Ides of March is the old Roman way of saying mid-March. Mothering Sunday just happens to fall at the end of March in 2014, but it moves around. I’m wondering if perhaps Julius had forgotten to send flowers. […]

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The Shocking Truth: Dealing with the Emotional Impact of Your Husband’s Internet Sex Habits

You wanted to live out your own fairytale—marry your Prince Charming and live happily ever after. It was a beautiful tale, filled with ringing church bells and romantic love songs. Then you discovered your husband’s problem with pornography and your dreams shattered. It was like finding out your prince had fallen in love with the […]

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