“But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry” Nehemiah 4:7 Imagine what my home would be like if I didn't have any doors, and if my yards didn't have any fences. Anyone who wanted to could just come in and open the refrigerator, sit on the sofa and run up my pay-per-view bill. Anyone who wanted to could come into my yard, pick all the plums and enjoy the Jacuzzi. And when I got home with my Continue Reading
April 24, 2013 By
What, Me, Worry?
What does a girl do when she’s anxious? In my case, she bakes oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, settles down in front of her favorite chick flick and proceeds to eat the whole batch into oblivion. Chewy, sweet, slightly nutritious… escapism. There are so many things that set our nerves on edge these days. We worry about our children’s safety. We hear stories about people showing up at schools with shotguns and predators’ trolling the internet. Our schedules seem to be non-stop, finances and relational issues bog us down, and we torment Continue Reading
July 6, 2012 By
Perseverance – My Saturday Morning Devotion from Exodus 2012
I have always thought the end of a conference was one of the hardest times to navigate: we’ve been in a cocoon-like world, a back-to-the-womb time. We expressed, received and gave. Then the inevitable happened: we came down from the mountain to face a huge paradigm shift and a series of ups and downs. (Mine included delayed flights, stuffy airplanes, and chocolate binges). But reality tends to check us at the door of home sweet home. The things we sought to understand in the insulated safety of that mountain now present themselves squarely Continue Reading
April 3, 2012 By
Three Obstacles to True Forgiveness
For a wife who is dealing with her husband’s sexual sin, part of the process of forgiveness includes coming to an understanding of what she has truly lost by the betrayal, and then beginning to release the debt of the offense against her. If she doesn’t go through this process, I’m not sure she can truly say “from her heart” she has truly forgiven. (Matthew 18:32-35) But forgiveness can be a challenge because the hurt may still resonate, and the emotions and fears combine to add confusion as to what true forgiveness looks like. Here are Continue Reading
December 5, 2008 By
He says he’s sorry. You still don’t trust him. Now what?
You’ve been betrayed, and you know you have to forgive. But does that mean you also have to trust? What’s the difference? This is a dilemma I hope we can sort out together. Let me give you my take on it: 1. You can decide to forgive your husband. In fact, no matter how deeply he’s hurt you, the Lord’s commandment on this is clear (Mark 11:24-25, 26) and there’s no “escape clause” in these verses for angry, hurting wives. If you read these verses, you’ll see Jesus teaching that unforgiveness stands in the way of answered prayer! We all Continue Reading
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