Psalm 23: 2-3 he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. This blog focuses on the fourth chapter of W. Phillip Keller's book, A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23. He has much to say about his experiences with his sheep and the profound implications of the verse that says he leads me beside… Continue reading Psalm 23 – He Leads Me Beside Quiet Waters
Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your… Continue reading Psalm 23 – He makes me lie down in green pastures
FREEDOM is the moment you finally stop resenting yourself for not moving at the crowd's pace, for not hustling harder, for not arriving sooner. The very moment you finally understand this important life truth – you have ALWAYS been worth the wait. -- Cortney Farmer This quote describes where I am today. In this blog,… Continue reading Lessons From a Recovering Perfectionist
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19 Root… Continue reading Rooted and Established in Love
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was WITH God, and the Word was God. He was WITH God in the beginning. John 1:1-2 Our God is relational and personal. Jesus calls us to be with him in an intimate relationship and, when wholeheartedly received, fills our souls with life and light. However,… Continue reading The 5 Ways We Relate to God
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 In my previous blog, When… Continue reading The Perfectly Fitted Yoke of Jesus
God's grace is a healing balm for my shame, broken heart, insecurity, jealousy, religiosity, judgmental thoughts, need to achieve, and fear. Knowing that I don't have to earn God's love relaxes my shoulders, slows my breathing, inspires my thinking, and makes me grateful. In this world, most systems are about earning acceptance, proving value, and… Continue reading When Grace Heals
Have you ever had an awakening so profound that everything you wholeheartedly believed got turned over on its head? I compare this experience to floating on the water above an iceberg, unaware of its formidable size beneath the surface. Then, a direct hit with the visible ice forces me to see what is underneath –… Continue reading The Unintentional Legalist
JOY is simple. It is not elaborate, artificial, or complicated. JOY does not require money, reputation, success, marriage, health, or fitting into a religious culture to make you feel good about yourself. It does not thrive on these things. JOY is easy to understand. It does not come with a complex owner's manual that… Continue reading I Choose Joy in 2023
Isaiah 42:16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. As much as I would like to think that… Continue reading Unfamiliar Paths
Scars form as part of the healing process after your skin has been cut or damaged. The skin repairs itself by growing new tissue to pull together the wound and fill in any gaps caused by the injury. Scars develop in all shapes and sizes. This short story is about the emotional scars a woman… Continue reading Her Sacred Scars
Ephesians 3:17-19 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Oh, how… Continue reading Believing God Loves You
Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. The enneagram 3 in me (The Achiever) always wants to perform and be validated by my works, which drives me crazy. I don't want to be… Continue reading Grace puts its hand on the boasting mouth
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves. It is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. When was the last time you stood with your arms lifted high and wide open in prayer to God?… Continue reading Learning to Receive God’s Grace
Ecclesiastes 1:5-6 5 The sun rises, and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north;round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. Life is in motion all around me at a breakneck speed. As I write this, I am hours away from experiencing planet earth… Continue reading Life in Motion
Did you know that passages in the Bible have a unique shape? Definition of SHAPE: Something seen in outline, as in silhouette. A particular or definite organized form or expression. Have you ever read a long passage in the Bible and all you can remember is one word or phrase in the cluster of… Continue reading The Shape of God’s Word – Part 1
The picture of the rose in this blog post was taken by using my iPhone's portrait feature. The portrait mode creates a depth-of-field effect that provides the ability to shoot a photo that keeps the subject sharp with a blurred background. After snapping the picture, I selected a lighting effect that would highlight my rose even… Continue reading Be a Light in a Dark World
Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 What do people really have after all their work and struggling in this life? Throughout their life, they have pain, frustrations, and hard work. Even at night, a person’s mind does not rest. This is also senseless. There is no one who has tried to enjoy life more than I have. Pain is inevitable. … Continue reading The Balance of Joy and Pain
John 12:24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. She is finally done with her perfectionist ways. She is exhausted from relentlessly working her plan. The plan that never meets her expectations. The plan that makes her insecure and fearful. The plan that… Continue reading When a perfectionist grows in God’s grace
Lisa looks out her kitchen window and frowns as she sees her five-year-old daughter, Katelynn, playing in the dirt on the side of the house. “Not again,” she mutters. “How many times do I have to tell her to stay out of that nasty pile of mud?” She finishes placing the last dish on the… Continue reading Beautiful Things
Dandelion. The flower that thrives in difficult conditions. A nuisance to your lawn. A catcher of breath and dreams. A symbol of the ability to rise above life’s challenges. I almost missed seeing this singular white puff ball on the side of the trail until my friend, Diane, insisted that I walk back to the… Continue reading The unexpected beauty of ordinary
As the sun arose above the Mountains the air loaded with the rich perfume of clover and wildflowers. And the heavy mountain dew looking like drops of silver on the rich leaves and blossoms. ----- I was looking around at the beautiful mountain scenery around me. Each side of the road being thickly lined with… Continue reading Nature Speaks
Have you ever heard a story about a painting thought to be created by an amateur artist, but after being authenticated, was instantly promoted from an ordinary painting to a rare and valuable piece of art? What was considered worthless, not fit to be hung on a wall, became a treasured piece of art, worthy… Continue reading Hidden Beauty
I saw a picture of a nurse today on Facebook. She looked traumatized from the day she spent in the ICU. My heart went out to her as much as the patient who died on her shift. She is at ground zero of this pandemic while I wait it out in my comfortable home. As… Continue reading When we reach the other side
Jars of clay: Ordinary, common, easily broken, worn and cracked. Our mind and bodies are like these clay jars: susceptible to becoming fragile, broken and worn with use. But it is human nature to hide our weaknesses. We prefer to appear indestructible and exquisite rather than fragile and ordinary. We cover our clay jar… Continue reading Treasures in jars of clay
Proverbs 19:2 Desire without knowledge is not good— how much more will hasty feet miss the way! The young girl is 11 years of age. She sits on her suitcase on the side of the road. Where is she going? Anywhere but here is how she would answer. She is looking down and doesn’t notice… Continue reading Don’t Rush the Journey
Hebrews 13:15 15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. How does sacrifice and praise go together? A sacrifice hurts. It is selfless. It takes effort. Praise is joyful, weightless and full of inspiration. And when does it require a personal sacrifice… Continue reading A Sacrifice of Praise
1 Thessalonians 5:15-19: Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. 23-24: May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our… Continue reading Do not Quench the Spirit
At the beginning of the year I bought a big, black artist journal with the intention of filling it with notes on what the Bible says about self-esteem, purpose and identity. I began this year feeling restless and insecure and didn’t want to start a new year feeling this way. In my search, I parked… Continue reading The vine, the branches and identity
