Are you going through a difficult season in your life? Are you disappointed in your current situation? Wondering if you will ever achieve your goals? If so, this book will help you to see where you are as an opportunity to “press in” and grow. We are all living in the “now but not yet” part of our journey with God. Using her own experiences, and biblical examples the author guides the reader into paths of perseverance and acceptance when we feel restless and unfulfilled. It is our right now that matters most and we must live it to the best our ability, trusting that God is at work. Each chapt ..read more

“My fear is that of all the choices people face today, the one they rarely consider is, ‘How can I serve most effectively and fruitfully in the local church?’ I wonder if the abundance of opportunities to explore today is doing less to help make well-rounded disciples of Christ and more to help Christians avoid long term responsibility and have less long-term impact.”  Kevin DeYoung, author and Pastor For more about serving the church see these posts: Impossible Christianity by Kevin Deyoung — Book Review Spend Yourself What Are Those Church Leaders Doing ..read more

Recently my reunion group friend and I were discussing a question related to decision-making. When we encounter obstacles after making a decision, what should our response be? Are the obstacles sent by Satan to deter us? Or are they a sign from God that we are on the wrong track? This has always puzzled me, and maybe it puzzles you. She told me she worried about that also in the past and came to this conclusion: whatever the reason for the roadblock, the answer is prayer. Prayer is what will give us clarity. If God is telling us to turn back, prayer will help us discern that; if Satan is temp ..read more

Whenever we face a decision, we should consider what Christ would have us do. When we consider the cross, and what He has suffered and done for us, how can we not? This beautiful song which I heard for the first time on Easter Sunday expresses that sacrifice wonderfully. It touched my heart, and I hope it will touch yours as well. For more Christian music, see these posts: Music that Takes You Back A Hymn about the Trinity My Life Hymn ..read more

If you’re anything like me, when a decision is needed, you want to hurry it along. You want the question or the problem resolved. Sometimes, however, God wants us to wait. Maybe such waiting teaches us to cling to Him? This quote from the daily devotional I’ve been using, Streams in the Desert vol. 1, expresses it well. “‘In fierce storms,’ said an old seaman, ‘we must do one thing; there is only one way: we must put the ship in a certain position and keep her there.’ This, Christian, is what you must do. Sometimes like Paul, you can see neither sun nor stars, and no small tempest lies on you ..read more

This short book explains how religious and other organizations can make decisions through a process of consensus rather than majority vote. One author is a Quaker, a group known for using this method; the other is a Baptist, part of a group (The Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches) that has also adopted consensus as part of their bylaws. Here is their definition of consensus: “We reach consensus when all of us are ready to live with the decision we are making. We do not have to endorse it wholeheartedly, but we must all be ready to agree not to work or speak against the decisio ..read more

This is the second novel in the Yada Yada Prayer Group series. In it, you will find the same cast of characters, continuing to work on relationships with God and with one another. The diverse group continues to visit one another’s churches where they are exposed to differences in culture and religious traditions. Racial division and personality conflicts threaten to break them apart and a traumatic robbery causes turmoil. Members learn to confront their fears, prejudices and past suffering through prayer and forgiveness. At the end of the book there is a listing of cultural celebrations that ..read more

This book is subtitled, A Christian Guide to Reading Books, and it has many good suggestions about what and how to read. I loved it because I agree with the author on so many levels. I was thrilled to find someone else who reads more than one book at a time! Someone who believes that we can grow in our faith through reading, even reading books that are not specifically Christian! Who writes in the margins of books, and underlines them (the books you own, of course)! Who understands that reading with an e-reader is not the same experience as reading a book! Tony Reinke and I are definitely kin ..read more

Sometimes making a decision requires some research and study. If you’re a Christian, that study may include the Bible and other Christian materials. Whatever your research entails, here’s a bit of advice on how to read for deep understanding. “Remember, it is not hasty reading, but serious meditating upon holy and heavenly truths, that makes them prove sweet and profitable to the soul. It is not the bee’s touching of the flower that gathers honey, but her abiding for a time upon the flower that draws out the sweet. It is not he that reads most, but he that mediates most, that will prove the c ..read more

According to George Barna, founder and president of the Barna Research Group, many who profess to be Christian do not actually have a Christian worldview; and others have a Christian worldview, but never succeed in connecting that worldview to their daily activity. Here’s how he defines a biblical worldview: “(It) … is a means of experiencing, interpreting, and responding to reality in light of biblical perspective. This life lens provides a personal understanding of every idea, opportunity, and experience based on the identification and application of relevant biblical principles so that eve ..read more