Getting ready for bed one evening, I felt something odd in my left ankle. The next day I had difficulty putting weight on the foot but an X-ray showed nothing broken or fractured. By the following evening, the pain became excruciating. Little did I realize that an unexpected cloud of darkness was about to hover over my life. The next weeks and months brought more pain and suffering than I have ever experienced. My physical, emotional, and spiritual …
Is it my imagination or does it appear as if the world is in full-blown scarcity mode? “Not Enoughness” runs amok. Fear is in the air like oxygen. Scarcity began knocking on my door early spring of this year. On March 1, my husband and I released a 30-year ministry assignment of church planting and pastoring in local churches. The transition was exciting, yet this major life change registered in my emotions and body as loss. Five days after this …
I don’t know about you, but these days I feel an overwhelming urge to get everything in order. I have a yearning to declutter so I can live the “Simplified Lifestyle” that feels like the ideal we’ve been invited to chase these strange days. So I chase. As I continue to spend a great deal of time on my job and my people, I also declutter—moving from garage, to pantry, to bookshelves, to …
I wear a false face. Or, to be more specific, I often operate behind identities I’ve created for myself, ones that mask the true face Jesus Christ gave me. Confronting this has been challenging, but it’s also opened the door to reconciliation and restoration. The Spirit’s invitation to shed my false faces led me to John 4:6-29, the story of the woman at the well. There’s much to be said about this Samaritan woman, living water, and …
As we live and give in God’s image, he often asks us to make uncertain pivots. For Ami Campbell and her family, one of those pivots led to Tanzania and becoming deeply involved with ministry there. She shared this story with Women Doing Well a few years ago and now returns to give us an update on the places, plans, and, yes, pivots God has been using to grow her faith. What has your …
Generosity isn’t just about money. It also has to do with the ways we relate to each other and the world around us. That’s especially evident in marriage. This post, originally published at National Christian Foundation’s blog, takes a closer look at what generosity in marriage looks like and how each of us can give more generously to our spouses. …
How many times in a day are you asked “How are you?”? It’s a simple question, one that we often feel compelled to give a polite answer to. Even on a bad day, we’re more likely to answer “I’m fine” rather than to speak truthfully about what is on our minds and hearts. We don’t often see what a wonderful opportunity “How are you?” can be. Several years ago, Sharla Langston decided …
We live on a short cul-de-sac in an established neighborhood and are the only residents on the street who haven’t lived here for more than 40 years. When we moved in four years ago everyone was quick to introduce themselves and welcome us to the community. Our two boys often play in neighbors’ yards and we all enjoy chatting from time to time. One afternoon our youngest, …
