I’ve never been a good fast-er. I remember that my parents had us fast for half a day every Black Friday–the religious Black Friday that proceeds Easter, not the American shopping extravaganza–to commemorate the death of Jesus. From when we awoke in the morning to three p.m., we subsisted on water alone. It was not uncommon in Romania to observe this …
I have no words. I long for those days, when the Spirit moved me freely, when the words sprung up from deep within, like a fountain refusing to be stopped, giving healing and life to those who read. But I feel tired. Wiped out. Like there’s nothing left. And I try to quiet the longing, to pretend there’s nothing wrong. …
You’ve heard the phrase “actions speak louder than words”. As important as our life-giving words are to building our homes, words without actions are meaningless. (James 2:17) I’ll be honest here: I struggle with serving my family. I grew up in a rigid patriarchal structure where women were expected to serve men, regardless of whether they were related to use or …
Ever wish you could see God work in your life? You can. The problem is that we’re so used to seeing life as ordinary that we don’t recognize when extraordinary things happen. One of my favorite Old Testament stories is the story of Elisha and his frightened teenage servant. The Syrian army was coming up against Samaria, and the teen was …
The doctor pointed to the black and white picture, circling the point of his pen around the clogged artery. “This is where the blood isn’t flowing. It’s blocked, and if we don’t intervene there may be severe damage to the heart.” Stress does that, you know. It blocks life-giving blood to the place that pumps it out into the body. …