discover soul rest
Visiting our daughter in China involves waiting in a lot of lines. First, my husband and I queue up at the Chinese consulate in Chicago to obtain our visas. In fact, we usually do this several times for just one visa, because inevitably the rules will have changed and we will be missing an important document. Then, on […]
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We’ve all experienced the frustration of waiting. Waiting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Waiting through airport security. Waiting for service in a restaurant. Waiting to hear, “You’ve got the job!” Waiting for wedding bells. Waiting for test results. Waiting to be reconciled with a loved one. And we despise it. In our modern culture of instant everything—same day shipping, streaming movies, […]
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Brenda and I met in the lounge of a transitional home for women where she and thirty other women were working to rebuild their shattered lives. Amongst mismatched sofas and coffee tables that had seen better days, I helped this sixty-two-year-old woman prepare for her GED exam. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I […]
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If you’re looking for a fun, yet meaningful Bible study, check out Deb Burma’s new book: Sip, Savor and Drink Deeply. This study refreshed my thirsty soul. Using coffee analogies and word pictures Deb explores God’s Word–especially the topics of God’s refreshing grace and how that grace fuels our everyday lives. The book has seven […]
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Human nature is not inclined to forgive. Instead, it is much more likely to grasp onto grudges and nurse bitterness. In Forgiveness: Received from God – Extended to Others, author Donna Pyle tells about her own fight with unforgiveness when her husband walked out on their marriage. She responded to her pain by hunting up […]
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When my children were very young we lived in the parsonage next to the church. I taught piano lessons in the afternoon and took my kids to a neighborhood babysitter before my students came. One day I was running a little late. I picked up my toddler, grabbed the diaper bag, and told my 4-year-old […]
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I’ve got joy like a fountain I’ve got joy like a fountain I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul. The preschoolers in my music class love to sing this song. And when they do, I have no doubt that they have joy. But what do we do when joy doesn’t naturally bubble out […]
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It was a gloomy, dreary Friday. The doorbell rang and a crew of carpet layers entered. Soon my house was in a state of chaos. The noise of old carpet being scraped off and new carpet being nailed down filled the air. Every room was either crammed with workers or stuffed with the furniture from […]
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When I was a little kid sitting in church listening to the pastor read the Bible, I loved it when Psalm 23 was one of the day’s lessons. I would look up at the big stained glass window of Jesus holding a little lamb. I could easily picture Jesus as a Shepherd playing with the […]
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Life is hectic and we all look for ways to make our days more productive and meaningful. One way I do this is through careful planning and strategizing. To accomplish this, I often made New Year’s resolutions at the end of each year. As I put up a new calendar on my fridge, I […]
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