This weekend changed my prayer life. Have you ever been at a loss for how to pray for someone you love? How to intercede in prayer isn’t complex when the need is tangible (lack of money, resources, healing, protection). We pray they get what they need or for God to still yet provide if the request is not his will.   But when the need provokes in the one you care about a tug-of-war between spiritual and emotional, discerning how and what to pray can be gut-wrenching. This was the struggle I faced. Shortly after my friend abruptly revealed their turmoil, we had to part company. Hour ..read more

The path we take is paved by our decisions. But, honestly, I get tired of always having to make decisions. Do this. Don’t do that. Respond this way. Do not respond at all. Ignore this. Embrace that. Tired especially when my decisions do not produce the expected result over, and over, and over again. It takes me to a place of exhaustion that I can only describe as empty. Empty. Tapped out. Washed out. Beyond the emotional sea of overwhelm and into an abyss of “whatever”. There is a drawing of spirit, a withdrawal of energy that occurs when we continually overextend ourselves to no r ..read more

Two words...   What if?    What if all things are really possible if I believe?   What is available to me beyond the gift of salvation?   Jesus did not just die for me to go to heaven, but also for me to experience a little heaven on earth. The story of the young ruler teaches us that.   He checked off all the commandments. In his conversation with Christ, he even appeared to be a true believer.   But those possessions....     What possibilities awaited him on the other side of empty? How sad that a man with such great commitment had so ..read more

This is blog may not be for you, but it's for somebody. We have to stop sleeping on the power of the Resurrection. If nothing else, every year, it should be our wake-up call. Here's mine... Hesitation is still my greatest flaw. My Achilles' heel. The thorn in my side that will not relent. This might be hard to believe if you know my history: Book author. Blogger for five years. Licensed to preach. Nonprofit founder. I do not list these accomplishments to boast, but to paint a picture: Blogger, okay, at age 50 after going back and forth with God for almost a year. Book author and licensed pr ..read more

IN HONOR OF HOLY WEEK Excerpts from the GOD 'n You blog, "God for Grownups"   I know. I'm tired, too.    But do you remember what God told you?   I remember what God told me. I remember what He said to me in the early morning hours when my tears wouldn't stop flowing.    I remember what He showed me in my dreams and daydreams. How Jesus thought enough of me to suffer at Gethsemane.     His tears turned to blood, He appealed to the Father for a way out, then accepted the challenge that would save our souls...     "Thy will be done". &nbs ..read more

IN HONOR OF HOLY WEEK From the GOD 'n You blog, "The Gift of Solitude"   Do we believe God really is enough? If God was enough, would we be lonely? If God was enough, would we be scared? If God was enough, would we feel like no one cared? If God was enough, would we make bad choices or carry we burdens we bare?   Yes, we need each other, but we also need God to fill the gaps. To take away the loneliness. To kill the fear. To remind us that someone really does care. To help us make the right choices and lighten the burdens we bare.   Maybe life would be different if God was th ..read more

Jesus is the remedy for your suffering.   I could stop right there but as human beings we also want to know "why" and "how". We can be bought and saved by his blood and still not fathom that the purest and most authentic solution to alleviate our suffering is Jesus.   He is it because he gets it, and He gets you.   A Spoken and Unspoken Pain   Around this time of year, as conversations about the Cross, there is always a fall back to the Old Testament prophecies unveiling the sacrifice of our Savior. They certify Christ and what he did to fill the love gap between us ..read more

You did not ask for this assignment nor the pain that comes with it. But here you are. Here you are trying to live right. Trying to change things. Trying to make things better. Trying to do what must be done and suffering in the process. Is it because of something you've done? Something they did? The overcast of sin still covering us from Eden to now? Take your pick. Whatever applies, your reality, your today, your right now, hurts. Last week, I mentioned that I was not excited about writing on this month's theme of suffering. I sense Moses must have felt the same in Psalm 90. Yes, we carry ..read more

This is a hard one, I know. And it is something everyone of us craves. Peace. But before we eat of this fruit, let's check the ingredients. Peace is not calm. Peace is not quiet. These are environmental responses that can potentially occur when at peace, but they are not peace. A disquieted spirit can rage in a quiet place. A chaotic mind can run rampant in calm spaces. Modern spirituality may sooth the savage beast, but does it give rest to the soul? Does it protect your heart and mind? It is poisoning your anxious thoughts or feeding your fear? Whatever this fruit, this version of peace t ..read more

  Transparent moment:   I wish I had prayed for more wisdom when I was married.   When I look back on the experience, my responses feel like those of a wounded animal. I do not recall many of the details from our debates, but one statement I made amidst the ocean of tears on my face I recall vividly...   I can't fight you with my fists, but I can with my words. My words are all I got.   I was in a battle and the only weapon I thought I had was my words. Truth is, my words, our words, are our best weapon when used wisely. I learned that lesson over time. Since then ..read more