We all long to be close to others. What if we were designed to be close with God? This episode describes this longing and how to make practical steps forward in our relationship with God.
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For a few years now I have been making it my practice to set aside Wednesday as a special day. I call it my “chai tea and theology” day, and it is my favorite day of the week. On this day I spend extended time with God. I read and study His Word, and I listen. I pray about decisions and for people I love, and I listen. I love it when I can take a walk or to work in the garden and I listen. This day has become essential to my well-being. It nourishes my soul. I, like…
I’m a day late and a dollar short. My friend Sara invited me to #Write31Days but I just learned about this challenge today. For the rest of the month of October I am going to try to blog daily just to get in the habit of writing and not being too perfectionistic to post. My topic? I’m writing about spiritual formation and discipleship. Today our women’s bible study began the book/video series Gripped by the Greatness of God by James MacDonald. As I began to hear what MacDonald had to say, I realized this study may address the heart of…
For a number of reasons I have changed to this website bearing my name. I would like to do more public speaking and writing, so I want to make my blog easier to find. I have been writing for about 4 years under another web address, fruitfulsteps.wordpress.com. If you are interested to read any of those posts, including finding exercise programs, gluten-free recipes, and my thoughts on life, you can follow this link: https://fruitfulsteps.wordpress.com. Thank you for your interest!
Until now, I have hesitated to use these words in the media: spiritual formation. Why? Oh…because I hate conflict. It seems the term is on some sort of “watchdog” list that an organization has created to point out erring trends in Christianity. A few people I know keep a close watch on the list, and perhaps they feel the term points to heresy. So let me tell you what spiritual formation for the Christian is and what it is not: First of all, everyone is spiritually formed by someone or something, just as we are physically formed. Our physical formation…
I have written recently of my love for the Scriptures and of growing out of the “baby stage” of following Christ. With that said, I would like to say that the gospel itself, the “good news” about Jesus, is not difficult to understand. In 1 Corinthians 15 we find a quick outline of that gospel: “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” (vv 3-4, NASB). All of us have stepped away from who God designed us to be. We, the created,…
In my last post I mentioned my love for the Scriptures. That seems to be an unpopular position these days. We live in a time when the authenticity and authority of the Scriptures is in constant question. I think it’s easy for some people to question the Scriptures because we so often see them misunderstood and misused. I know people who claim to know God but who focus totally on the “dos and don’ts” of Scripture. They rush to judgment, making it look as if all God wants is for us to follow His list. They attack people who don’t believe…
It’s not what you know, but Who you know I’ve done more reading in the last two years than I’ve done in the past 25 years put together. At least it seems that way. I’ve never been an avid reader, never gotten hooked on romance or adventure novels, and always found my relaxation in active things such as hiking or gardening. But this reading has been different. Wonderful. The reading has been part of my Master’s program in Ministry Studies and Women’s Leadership. I’ve been learning theology and ministry skills. I’m not in it for the academics, or to win contests in Bible Trivia. I’m certainly…
My last post was about building each other up. That topic and this one tug at my heart. As God’s children, we not only need to build each other up, we need to LIFT each other up. Great leaders don’t rise to the top by stepping on the backs of others. Great leaders are lifted to the top on the shoulders of those who follow them. Jesus’ theory was that whoever wants to be great must be a servant of others rather than promoting himself (Mark 9:35). Of course, any theory held by Jesus wasn’t exactly theory; it was (& is) the very Word of…
When I was a kid we used to drive by a beautiful red barn on our way to the city. I always looked for it because it was tall, stately, and brightly decorated. One set of barn doors was painted with big white diamonds like an argyle sweater. Another sported a large bulls eye. Great creativity had been used in designing the exterior. Over the years however, no one took care of the barn and its needed repairs. The paint began to fade and eventually it cracked and peeled. The shingles wore out, the roof sagged, and recently some of the…
I have called you by your name and you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 I first felt God calling me into ministry a few years ago. My mom had passed away suddenly, and I had been in shock and dealing with grief. When a person grieves she asks a lot of questions of God, even if she knows the answers or knows her questions aren’t meant to be answered. God can handle it. He wants the big questions that no one can answer. So, there I was asking Him what good it was to look forward to anything in life….