I think most parents would agree that the highest hopes we have for our children are for their health and happiness. Recently, I’ve been wondering if there was something more specific that I could be asking God for on my daughter Audrey’s behalf, and I considered praying for her future success. It seemed like a […]
“My business is doing well,” a friend recently told me, “but I’m having more trouble with allergies than ever. It seems like when I stress out, they get worse, and I’m wondering if it’s related.” Being busy is something we can all relate to, yet Jesus tells us, “Come to me, all you who are […]
Faced with a major project or challenge? You probably have a general idea of where you want to go, but it takes a strategy, a plan of the steps to take in order to reach that objective. Planning is an investment. To plan wisely and well takes time, effort, patience‚ good research, and counsel—and for […]
For my ninth birthday, I got an instruction book on watercolor painting. I was thrilled and eagerly flipped through its pages, only to frown in disappointment—the entire first quarter of the book consisted of tonal exercises and descriptions of brush strokes and color mixing. How boring! Sighing, I skimmed the book’s next section: advice on […]
As much as we would like it, life is not always as wonderful as we’d wish, and we sometimes find ourselves having to brave the tumult of experiences that are hard to bear. Sometimes, when our patience and faith are tried, when all our attempts to do the right thing end up caked in the […]
Some days seem magical—things go well, I try some new ideas, I have something to show for the hours I’ve spent at various tasks. Then there are other times when I get to the end of the day struggling to find something of note that I accomplished. Sure, the kids were fed and dressed, they […]
Have you, like me, ever wondered what kind of an impression you make on people? Or more importantly, if you have any lasting impact on people’s lives? Living in multi-religious India, where Christians form only 2% of the entire population, I am constantly mindful of the fact that people will probably judge my God by […]
The Bible is a rich storehouse of spiritual and practical advice, and examples of strong relationships are one of the recurrent themes. In fact, Martin Luther commented that the entire Christian life consists of relating to people around us. [“The Freedom of a Christian,” Luther’s Works, ed. Harold J. Grimm and Helmut T. Lehmann (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg […]
I have always been a very active person. Ever since I was a teenager, people have told me that “Busy” seems to be my middle name. After my husband passed away, I started to experience stress. I found myself getting overwhelmed by even small obstacles, and I knew I needed to find strategies to cope […]
“My beloved spoke and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me.’”1 Martha was someone who learned a lesson on the importance of valuing above all things the peace and inspiration that Jesus gives. Once, when Jesus came to visit, she was so concerned with the duties of a hostess that she rushed and […]
There are cycles in life—times in which everything seems to go well, and times when things seem to go badly. I want you to learn to hold on to Me through each phase of the cycle. When you are faced with a new obstacle or problem, don’t let it discourage you and don’t worry that […]