Real royalty: Spectacle and grace in Esther
Esther’s story paints a picture of two types of reigning. One type turns on spectacle. The other flows from grace. “Which is real royalty?” Esther’s life asks.
Trauma needs witness – lessons from a frazzled cat
How a frazzled cat crash-landing into a treetop helped me see that trauma needs witness. How God reminded me: He does that for us.
Resentment and its victims: Hate without cause
Resentment may seem harmless. And justified. Yet it is toxic and often misdirected. Whether it’s simmering within you or aimed at you, it’s hurting you.
Spirit, power, blessing and an undivided heart
Elijah was human, like us. The spirit, power, blessing in his life hinged on God who gave them, and the undivided heart that welcomed them.
Heartcry of one who overcomes
“I so want to be a woman of grace in all this!” she cried, through deep, wrenching sobs. In that holy moment, I heard the heartcry of one who overcomes.
Earthquakes, trauma – and silences that erase
Any eerie silence that minimizes or denies an earthquake - or any other trauma someone is facing - shouts to those willing to hear: Look deeper. Ask, Why?
Dear wounded, grieving one, I pray you float
"I pray you float," she said. Hmm. When the rains came down and the floods came up, who survived that trauma? Those who floated in the ark.
I will change your name
I will change your name! From wounded, outcast, lonely, afraid. To Confidence, Joyfulness, Overcomer, Faithfulness, Friend and Seeker of God.
Two globes in the Musee Hospice Comtesse, Lille, France, depict two worlds – the earth and the heavens.
Living in two worlds, seeing the unseen
Jesus died and rose again so we can live in two worlds at the same time – the physical one, and the unseen one we see by the Spirit.
“It is finished” – but how?
Raised above the heads of those who hated him, those who grieved for him and those who liked the show, how was he able to breathe? Breathing required pushing up on those pierced feet. Breathing required ramming splintered wood into his shredded back. Breathing required an unfathomable commitment to finish.