Is God Waiting for You over by the Sink?
I expend an awful lot of energy trying not to be human. Is this ever a problem for you?
There is always so much to do. I mean, it’s right there in front of us all, isn’t it? Jobs, goals, ministries, visions, dreams, passions, callings.
These glorious God-ordained pursuits stand in constant tension with other concerns looming in front of us: dirty dishes, the bathroom scale, a nagging cough, a spouse’s worries, the postponed date with a friend.
But, those common, every day, mundane items on our attention list have little sparkle. No one is likely to give a testimony about how seeing me wash my own dishes spoke to them about the nature of Jesus Christ, or about how knowing that I watch what I eat gave them a glimpse of heaven. Continue Reading →
2017 Reader Survey
I write this blog to express my heart for God and to serve you, all of your faithful readers.
Every few years, I like to find out more about who you are and what you need from a Christian blogger. It will help me improve my writing and this website if you’ll take just a moment to complete this survey. It’s anonymous to allow you to feel free to share your heart!
Thank you for taking time to let me in on more about you and thank you for your faithful, kind support.
Mercy and grace, Lori
The Day My Dad was Almost a Burglar
Have you ever felt great frustration because your hard work and service weren’t producing the expected results?
My daughter was babysitting on the other end of town one night when she called to let me know she’d locked her keys in her car – BOTH sets!
I suggested she call the road service, but she thought of my father. As the local fire chief, Dad kept a variety of tools in his car trunk specifically for getting into locked vehicles in case of emergencies. She called, and he agreed to come. “I know right where you’re babysitting. I’m on my way over,” he said.
Twenty minutes later, I received a text from her. “Mom, I called Papa to ask where he was, and he said he’s working on my car – except, he’s not. What do I do?” Continue Reading →
Why Shouldn’t Christians Suffer?
Why shouldn’t Christians suffer for our faith?
Humans are willing to suffer for all kinds of reasons, some of which seem trivial or even foolish to others. Like camping out overnight in a parking lot to snag concert tickets or swallowing goldfish to set world records.
Other types of suffering are more understandable and endured by many.
Even amateur athletes train through injuries, grueling conditioning workouts, long-hours, and self-denial to achieve at the level to which they aspire. Adventurers leave family behind, invest hard-earned savings, and endure inconveniences, discomfort, and unpredictable conditions to experience mountain-tops or breathtaking views. Continue Reading →
Today’s Riddle: How is Bernie Sanders like an Alarm Clock?
The truth of Jesus Christ has always been offensive.
From the start, no one liked being told they weren’t good enough for God. Especially not the ones who were doing all they could to be good enough, and who felt very satisfied with the job they were doing.
The truth at the core of our faith is so offensive, the first Christians were threatened, cast out of their places of worship, bullied, pressured to be silent, exiled, arrested, imprisoned, tortured, stoned, and killed.
Early believers would never have tried to spread the gospel as a means of life improvement. They spread the truth at great cost because it is eternal truth.
For a brief heartbeat of history, one corner of the world became politer about rejecting the truth. Continue Reading →
The Most Powerful Act Humans Can Engage in This Side of Glory
Most Christians prepare to guard against threats from outsiders. Too often, though, our deepest wound turns out to be an “inside job.”
Ask King David.
The warrior king was heroic. Proven in battle against enemy nations.
Those who opposed the people of God found David a formidable opponent. He’d learned to rely completely on God and turned to Yahweh before every engagement. So, God’s true enemy knew David was most vulnerable at home.
David’s first taste of this threat was dodging Saul’s spears. Continue Reading →
Hey! You Don’t Have to Stand for This!
The young man stood with his arms crossed. “My dad says I don’t have to stand for any of this.”
I stopped my paperwork and turned to look at him. I liked the kid. Despite his chronic late arrivals and his clear preference for chatting with members over cleaning equipment, he had an “everyman” quality I appreciated. “I’ll bite. What exactly does your father say you don’t have to stand for?”
“All these extra trainings you say are mandatory. He says I don’t have to stand for stuff like that at a minimum wage job.” He tried to look me in the eye as he spoke, but to his credit, he couldn’t hold my gaze. Continue Reading →
CAN WE HEAL THE WOUNDS?
I’m enjoying a much needed vacation and was so pleased to be awarded the Director’s Choice Award at Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference for Jesus and the Beanstalk (Overcoming Your Giants and Living a Fruitful Life). 
Joining you all in praying for those in the line of persecution and terrorist attack.
Today’s guest post is from a dear, godly writer Nancy Wolfe. I’ll be back to blogging by the end of next week (Lord willing).
Love, compassion, truth, bathrooms, refugees, politics, faith.
Taxes, health-care, international relations, rights, obligations.
Conversations are heated. Editorials are harsh and pointed. Social media threads get contentious and off-topic at the speed of light. Not to mention the marches and protests. Taking a knee or making the sign of the cross.
It is everywhere, coming from all directions. Continue Reading →
Why I No Longer Take God on Vacation
We look forward to vacations, because they give us a chance to exhale and breathe. But, sometimes, in an attempt to escape life as we know it for a week, we leave God at home.
We don’t do it on purpose. We even pack our suitcases with good intentions: Bible, journal, Bible study, and pens. Check, check, check, and check. It is at this point our experiences may differ.
You may follow through as intended. Too often, however, I don’t.
Once home, unpacking an unused Bible left me feeling as if I’d missed out on something special during my vacation. And I had. But life quickly ensued and the yearning for something more while on vacation faded into the background of a busy life. That is, until the next time I unpacked an unused Bible. Continue Reading →
When the Headlines Mention Crematoriums and Mass Graves
You consider yourself a fairly positive person.
You don’t load every text with smiley faces or wish everyone a nice day, but you’ve made it a habit to live by faith, to open your eyes to the good that God may be working through trials, to praise God in the storm.
But, when the evening news rolls footage of those who stagger, displaced, along the Syrian border,
when the headlines contain words like “crematoriums” and “mass graves,”
when weeping mothers appear on screen and you don’t need to hear the translation to understand their agony,
positive fades in the rear-view mirror of your soul.
These are Psalm 120 times. Times of distress, of lying lips and deceiving tongues, when even pew-sitters sense the urge to call upon the Lord. Continue Reading →