Lectio Divina. Sounds mysterious, right? Actually Lectio Divina means Divine Reading and is an ancient way to study God’s Word. I shared about the details of the method a couple of days ago, but I thought it might be helpful to see an example of the method. Take a few moments and try this way […]
Continue reading...Joy in God’s Word: Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina. Sounds mysterious, right? Actually, Lectio Divina means Divine Reading and is an ancient way to study God’s Word. Although it sounds very mysterious it’s actually a simple way to hear God’s voice in Scripture. There are many ways to practice Lectio Divina before, but here is one helpful way. I will share the […]
Continue reading...Lessons from China: Don’t Let Brokenness Destroy Your Beauty
The Black Dragon Pool in Lijiang, China was broken. All the tourist guides and travel books I read about Lijiang told me to visit this beautiful site where you could see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain reflected in a pool of clear blue water. Indeed, the pictures of it online were beautiful. This picture, in […]
Continue reading...Lessons from China: Don’t Build a Fake
The city of Lijiang in the Yunnan province of China is lovely, intriguing, and….. fake. My husband and I heard from several people that this ancient Chinese city was worth the trip. I became excited about visiting this historic landmark when I saw pictures of it online. The city of Lijiang is on the road […]
Continue reading...Lessons from China: How to Listen Past the Noise
During my recent trip to China, I was struck anew by the beauty of Chinese characters. And the seeming impossibility of reading them! Here are some examples of some of the signs I saw there: I mean–how can anyone actually learn to read these beautiful, but extremely complex characters! But while I was there I […]
Continue reading...Lessons from China: Why We Need to Thank God for Tunnels
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love mountains. I love to ski in the mountains, hike in the mountains, and simply gaze at mountains. So one of the reasons I was particularly excited about my recent trip to China was that we were going to make a special journey to see the Jade […]
Continue reading...Finding JOY in God’s Word
When I was teenager, my mother gave me a Living Bible and I have been finding JOY in God’s Word ever since. I agree with the prophet Jeremiah when he says: When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight. Jeremiah 15:16 NLT God’s Word is my joy and […]
Continue reading...The Magic Thread–How to Find Joy in the Present
There is a French story called “The Magic Thread” that teaches how to find joy in the present. Once an old woman gave a young boy named Peter a silver ball. She tells him that inside the silver ball is a thin golden thread and explains, “This thread is your life thread. If you don’t […]
Continue reading...When the Waves Seem Too High
When my husband and I visited the beautiful island of Kauai, we arrived at our resort at night. We could tell our building was near the ocean, but didn’t realize until the next morning that our room was only steps away from the beach. We woke up to a spectacular sunrise–so spectacular that we decided […]
Continue reading...The Best Way to Find Joy
Joy can be an elusive quality. What is the best way to find joy? Oh, there are days when joy fills my heart like the air filling a hot-air balloon lifting me to new heights: Seeing my husband-to-be at the end of the aisle as I take my father’s arm. Delight at the births of […]
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