discover soul rest
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 muscles ache or our skin needs a moisturizing treatment, we […]
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When I was in grade school, I hated gym class. Dreaded it, in fact. While most of the kids probably longed to get out of their seats and play a game in the gym, I would have much rather stayed behind in the classroom. Or somehow become invisible. Because I was never chosen. Every phy […]
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“Hey mom, can I buy this mascara?” “Can I get this lip gloss? I’ll use my own money. Pleeeease?” “Will you ever let me wear makeup? When I was thirteen, these were the questions I pestered my mother with constantly. After reading teen magazines, I was convinced that makeup was what I needed to be […]
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We cannot live for applause. I came to this conclusion when I finished a slow tour through the book of Mark. As I read, I reflected and slowly contemplated God’s message to me in these words. The stories of the week leading up to Jesus’ death made this truth abundantly clear because of the 180-degree […]
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A while back I met a friend for lunch that I hadn’t seen in months. She met me with a hug and a beautiful bunch of pale pink tulips. My first thought was: They are so lovely! My second thought was: I didn’t get her anything! Somehow how I couldn’t fully delight in the […]
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How do you define success? The other day I was reading Genesis 39 and a verse about success jumped out at me. The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. (Genesis 39:23 NIV 1984) Out of context this verse may not be all that surprising. If you know the […]
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An identity is a fragile thing. A memory from my college days confirms this. I stared at my first college report card. Most of the grades were As and Bs. Not bad. But there was one grade that stuck out. Aural Music Theory: C. Not good. All semester long I had struggled with this class. […]
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“Sharla, you most certainly would be classified as a Field Marshal.” My sister-in-law’s words caught me off guard. I was sitting at the dinner table enjoying a relaxed meal with my extended family. We were passing potatoes and sharing stories when my sister-in-law began talking about a personality test she was using at work. She […]
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I love movies. The story-telling. The cinematography. The sense that you are entering another world for a short period of time. One of my favorite “special effects” in movies is when the camera focuses on a person in the foreground while the background is blurry. Then the cameraman changes the lens to focus on what […]
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I am a confirmed chocoholic. So is it any wonder that I couldn’t wait to read this book? Living a chocolate life certainly sounds delicious. But this book is more than an ode to my favorite sweet. It is a Bible study on the sweet grace of Jesus Christ. According to author Deb […]
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