When I go on vacation and get out in the woods, what I want most is to hear from God.  So last month I'm hiking in the Pioneer Mountains of Montana with my husband Scott, asking God to talk to me afresh. As we make our way up the trail, we keep seeing trees with odd, arrow-like shapes cut into the bark. They are trail blazes made to mark the path for those who follow. Trail blazes. Pioneer Mountains. I'm listening, Lord. I reflect on how those who have gone before impact our lives by going places first so that we can get there, too. I think of the heroes in Hebrews chapter 11 Continue Reading

Have you ever read through the whole Bible chronologically just to get a feel for the over-arching story of God? If so, you may have noticed the same phrase which stood out to me this time around. In my read-through for 2016, I was struck by the  New Testament theme of  "Obey the gospel." Nowhere did I read,  "Accept Jesus as your Savior."  Nowhere did I see an invitation to "ask Jesus into your heart." No, the call of the gospel is to die to the old, selfish way of life and rise to an entirely new life in Christ. How do we do this? By means of obedience. Please hear me out Continue Reading

My friend, a counselor, tells the story of a suicidal client who somehow managed to find out where he lives. This troubled person showed up on my friend's doorstep at dinner one night with the intention of ending his life then and there. Why? Because he figured that was a "safe" place to commit this final act. Let's think this through for a moment...is suicide safe anywhere? What's wrong with this picture? Before we are tempted to think that only someone in desperate straits would practice such convoluted thinking, let's remember we are all brainwashed about what is "safe" in Continue Reading

How do you feel today? Happy? Disappointed? Hopeless? Ecstatic?Irritated? Whatever feeling you are experiencing right now, it probably won't last forever.   Feelings are like the weather. The emotional climate of your heart changes all the time.   Feelings have an important role in our lives, but because they are all over the map, we get into trouble when we let them lead our behavior.   In days gone by, this wasn't a big problem, because feelings were not commonly discussed. One did one's work, children were to be seen and not heard, and feelings did not enter into Continue Reading