November 17 2011, 8:42 pm | Shannon Williams
Last Spring a lady in my small group said to me, “this is kind of awkward, but how do you feel about being set up with someone?” I said, “Awkward, why? How am I going to meet someone if everyone thinks it’s awkward to introduce two people?” In her defense, she didn’t want to offend me and I appreciate that. I told her that a long time ago I told God that I would be willing to go out at least once if someone wanted to set me up. So,...
November 08 2011, 10:16 am | Clara Jones
“Mommy, I wanna hold ya!” Dawson would say when his little legs got too tired to walk anymore. It always made me smile as I would reach down and pick up my little toddler and begin to carry him in my arms. He really meant he wanted to be held, of course, and there was no way I could refuse his adorable little plea! I cannot help but feel that our helpless cries must have the same effect on our Heavenly Father. God knows that we are destitute sinners, unable to please Him, and totally...
November 02 2011, 12:37 pm | Mary Lyons
So one night during the five week prayer revival at The Summit, Bill asked people who deal with anger to stand up to receive prayer. I stood up and was immediately surrounded by ten people who, every single one, began their prayer something like this..”Well, I just really can’t believe Mary Lyons is standing up right now..” I giggled on the inside and wept on the inside too. Yes, it’s true. I learned to survive an angry childhood household by using my own anger as a weapon and a tool. God...
October 27 2011, 12:13 pm | Jessica Bollen
Let’s just say last Sunday morning was not one of my… umm… sunniest mornings. I woke up on the wrong side of the wrong side of the bed, to say the least. By the time I finally made it into my car to drive to church, I was so worked up that I literally took my hands of the wheel, closed my eyes, and screamed at the top of my lungs. Cathartic? Yes. Graceful? No. Safe? Absolutely not. The funny thing is that I actually startled myself. Ha! You may...
October 20 2011, 12:30 pm | Shannon Williams
Who knew?! Don’t even ask me how I got to this point today? One minute I am sitting there exasperated by my children and the next God’s teaching me a lesson while bringing to mind glassblowing. NO, I have not taken a class on it! Just some random memory He chose to bring up. You know the moment in which you want to just give up! Why try? Little ones are crying, teens are frustrated to near tears, and mom is definitely on the verge of an explosion of...
October 10 2011, 7:52 am | Clara Jones
Not long ago, when I was talking with some friends about some of the natural disasters that have been taking place around the world and about why God allows such things to happen, I was rather taken back by a statement that one of them made. He said that he didn’t even try to understand the ways of God, that he was afraid to even go there for fear of what he might find out. I have thought much about his comment, and it has...
October 06 2011, 8:00 am | Shana Wilson
Awake with a start. “Mommy, I’m hungry.” Breakfast. Break up fights. “No yelling.” School books. Pages. Paper. Pencil. “Please focus.” More fights. Lunch. Grade papers. Too many cartoons. Phone rings, “You have an appointment with the oncologist tomorrow…” “You’re being turned over for collection.” “I got a speeding ticket today.” Grade papers. “Please don’t whine.” What are we going to eat for dinner? We have no food. Little Caesar’s again. Husband comes home exhausted and joyless. He...
September 29 2011, 11:59 am | Mary Lyons
Well so I’m aware that I have this reputation for being a transparent person. And that just makes it really stinky to have to admit that I’ve been facing hard in-the-moment vulnerability in writing this blog post and I’ve been trying to think of every way to get out of it. God is ironic and so very crafty. Yep..because only He could have known that the very day I needed to write a post teaching about the wonders...
September 26 2011, 3:33 pm | Jessica Bollen
Savior, He can move the mountains. Our God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save... My spirit always responds to this song. It never, ever fails. You know how some songs that you’ve heard a thousand times will come on the radio and simply make fantastic background music to our lives? This isn’t one of them for me... It always moves me. Usually, these words stir the part of my heart that’s broken for what seems to be the darkest corners of this world. The girl, drugged and beaten, enslaved...
September 22 2011, 7:42 pm | Shannon Williams
Each morning when you awake what is it you look for? Look for more sleep? Look for that first cup of coffee? Do you look for God? We wake up and we eagerly look for our moment. Can I get 5 more minutes of sleep? Can I get that first cup of coffee before the children are all over the place? I dare say you are like me and looking for My Lord is not my first goal! It is usually something for my comfort (or what I think will be my comfort). Not only is...