Today I’m over at my friend Meadow Rue’s blog. Meadow Rue Merrill is an award-winning writer, contributing magazine editor and mom of six including Ruth, who was adopted from Uganda. Meadow doesn’t wear a clerical collar. She didn’t graduate from seminary, but she believes that God…
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A Quick Guide to Scripture Meditation
Sit still. Breathe in. Breathe out. Focus. Sounds impossible right? Meditation can seem difficult and impractical–even intolerable. Meditation can appear nebulous and mysterious–even an invitation to trouble. In fact, some types of meditation are dangerous. Eastern meditation emphasizes the emptying of the mind. Jesus…
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When Your Spiritual Growth Seems Stalled: Think About Going To The Spa Instead Of The Gym
After church one Sunday, a member of our congregation jokingly announced that our services would be much shorter if he gave the sermon. He would edit the message down to a few key words: “Listen up people—do good stuff.” If he wasn’t joking, I think…
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6 Ways to Worship When Your Worship Has Grown Stale
I remember a day when worship happened instinctively. The sky was bright with the setting sun. As the sun bounced it’s rays on the clouds the sky turned gold, then pink, then purple. I stopped watering my begonias for a minute and worshiped. I have…
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Freedom From The Tyranny Of People-Pleasing
God has given me freedom, but I don’t always live as if I am free. I get tangled up in the chains of ambition and people-pleasing. Although I am free in Christ, I sometimes willingly step into shackles that prevent from living in that freedom.…
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The Number One Thing to Learn in a Period of Waiting
Waiting is not my best thing. But the story of Elizabeth in the Bible helped me learn something important during a period of waiting. Elizabeth had a long wait. The Bible tells us that the mother of John the Baptist was “advanced in years” when…
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Great Expectations: What to Do When Life Disappoints
We expect great things out of life. But often life disappoints us. A while back, my husband and I were scrolling through Netflix, trying to find something to watch. I spied a movie with a plotline described as, “An accomplished pianist’s life takes a terrible…
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When You Need God’s Embrace
A little girl, not even two, was sitting with her mother in church. It was a new church for them, they had only attended there a couple of times. The little girl sat patiently through the hymns. She quietly listened to the Bible readings. But…
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Soul Spa
Do you need a place to rest your heart? We all live busy, stressful lives. Our souls feel like they are being pulled in a hundred different directions. We are desperately soul-tired, but not sure how to find the rest our spirits need. When our…