Have you ever wanted to learn something so badly, you had a hard time setting aside the desire? I want to learn to paint clouds. This has been a desire since I was in high school. I’m well beyond high school *ahem*, but I still harbor the desire, and every…

“Beholding vanity”… What comes to mind when you think about that phrase? We could define it as focusing on anything that distracts us from keeping God front and center in our lives. It could be the annoying habit of the coworker in the next cubicle, it could be a blaring…

Hang around a toddler for an hour or two and you’ll discover something: toddlers look out for #1. Every toy is “mine!” If a plate of cookies is brought out, the little hands will grab for the biggest one. And if you reach it first, a battle will ensue to…

HYMN DAY! “Victory in Jesus” by Eugene Bartlett is so encouraging! Go ahead and sing it at the top of your lungs. I heard an old, old story, How a Savior came from glory, How He gave His life on Calvary To save a wretch like me; I heard about…

Have I ever mentioned that I’m a “why?” person? I ponder things late at night, trying to reason them out and find a semblance of sense or meaning. In those troubling times, I seek my Father’s wisdom. Sometimes understanding comes; other times it doesn’t, but I’m left with the peace…

Is anyone tired of Psalm 119 yet? I hope not, because I intend to continue our journey through it to the end. So many people start things, but they don’t finish them. The excitement wears off, the task becomes more difficult than they expected, or they find themselves distracted by…

As I pointed out yesterday, God has crafted a pathway for us to follow that leads to satisfaction rather than regret, joy rather than despair, peace rather than chaos. We will find the pathway when we seek His wisdom and guidance. The heart is the soul of man, his moral…

Have you chosen the way of truth? Do you cling to His instructions as tightly as you cling to His promises? Do you strive to taste of all He says, and not pick and choose the scripture that are most palatable to you? Please don’t take these questions as an…

HYMN DAY! “Be Strong in the Lord” by Linda Lee Johnson. This isn’t what we’d call a “traditional” hymn because it wasn’t published until 1979 (vintage, perhaps, but not traditional ). However, I’ve always liked the words and found them encouraging—especially the last verse. 1 Be strong in the Lord,…

Have you ever tried to instruct someone on a topic you know nothing about? It doesn’t work very well. Before we can share knowledge, we first have to attain it. It’s so important for us to understand God’s ways, to be familiar with His Word. Every day we encounter people…