Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. —Psalm 139:23-24 NLT I walk around the house turning off lights. All left on by an errant husband who simply doesn’t notice them. I see that his winter jacket is slung over the back of the dining room chair, and his hat and gloves reside on the table instead of in the closet where they belong. As these offenses are not ones I have committed that day, I shake my head self-righteously and walk into my incredibly messy office without a thought of cleaning up the papers strewn hither and yon. I am […] Read more »

And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. —1 Corinthians 12:26 NKJV When I was sixteen, our family was “adopted” by a man named Darcy. Every weekday around noon Darcy sauntered into my mother’s store and bought a bag of buttered popcorn. He made small talk with her and purposed to connect with our family at least once a week. Being a single mom of three, my mother jumped at Darcy’s offers to take my little brother to the lake or on play dates with Darcy’s own ten-year-old son, Travis. Travis was bright, energetic, and always happy. His mop of brown curls crowned his smiling, freckled face. I loved being […] Read more »

“Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgements. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know the I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.’” —Exodus 6:6-8 NKJV (emphasis mine) This Scripture passage isn’t one we would typically associate with […] Read more »

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. —Ephesians 5:1-2 NIVUK When Ray and I were first married, we were terrible at arguing. We each had a strategy, and neither strategy was remotely associated with the verse above. Mine was to store up offenses until I had quite the self-righteous list, and then dump them on Ray with words like “you always” or “you never.” I didn’t listen. I tiraded. Ray’s strategy was to look disgusted, perhaps inform me of the foolishness of my pitiful arguments, and then refuse to engage. Life was not always fun and games in our […] Read more »