HYMN DAY! “Just When I Need Him Most” by William C. Poole isn’t one I recall singing frequently when I was growing up, but as soon as I started reading it, the music came to memory. It’s such a wonderful reminder of where we should turn when we’re in need.…

The last sentence of this verse—“You are my God”—gives me the happy kind of chills. MY speaks of a personal relationship. When something belongs to us, we take care of it. It’s important to us. My relationship with my Father-God is most important relationship I have or ever will have.…

When my girls were little and they had a question, they would tug at my hand. I’d lean down to their level, listen to whatever troubled them, and respond accordingly. Even now that they’re all grown and have children of their own, I still get an occasional phone call: “Mom,…

When I was a girl, I liked to read at night. And I liked to snack while I was reading. I developed the habit of tossing the “leftovers” of my snack behind my headboard when I was done. When we prepared to move to another house, my bed was taken…

In Ecclesiastes, we travel along with Solomon’s journey to satisfaction and purpose. As we’ve established, he tried it all! And he found that even the best this world has to offer was futile. He came to a conclusion: possess a reverential awe for the Maker of humanity and do what…

HYMN DAY! “Living for Jesus” by Thomas Obadiah Chisholm (that name would make a great story hero, don’t you think?) makes a beautiful prayer of commitment. 1 Living for Jesus a life that is true, Striving to please Him in all that I do; Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free, This…

My mother lived 82 years. In her family, with its history of heart disease, that was a long life. But truthfully, in light of eternity, 82 years is a very brief period of time. All of us are mortal; we’re here, as they say, on borrowed time. Thus it’s wise…

Several years ago, I was speaking to a group of women in the basement of a small-town Kansas church. A tornado touched down near the town and put out the electricity. Being suddenly plunged into complete darkness in an unfamiliar setting raised a wave of panic. Then someone lit a…

Here we are at futility again. Solomon definitely proved what he set out to prove: nothing this world offers truly satisfies. We never find lasting purpose in “stuff” or even in earthly accomplishments. Our purpose, planted in us by the One who created us, is to seek and follow Him.…

Wow. Look at all he did. And look at how many times we see the word “I” in there. All those things he did to satisfy himself. Therein lies the root of his dissatisfaction. When you were in Sunday school, did you sing the J-O-Y song? (“J-O-Y, J-O-Y, this is…