redemption

Tag

Restore the Garden

  • February 20, 2021
  • /
  • Blog

One of the things I hear from so many people is what is my purpose? Why did God put me here? I think we can find the answer when we look back at the story of creation. God created us in His image, to connect to each other and to him, and to care for his creation. We are all creators. And rightfully so because we are made in the image of our Creator. We are made in the image...

My “Ode” to the Journey–A Sincere Heart

  • May 26, 2020
  • /
  • Blog

God desires from us sincerity..He wants us to have a sincere heart (Ephesians 6:5); a sincere mind (2 Peter 3:1), a sincere faith (1 Timothy 1:5), a sincere wisdom (James 3:17); a sincere devotion to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3), and a sincere brotherly love for other Christians (1 Peter 1:22). That means He wants our whole heart in every area of our life.  He wants us to be authentic.  He wants us to be real. Most of you know that...

A New Beginning Is Coming…

  • April 14, 2020
  • /
  • Blog

A New Beginning Is Coming… “Brothers and sister, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 a few thoughts that have been drifting about… Any way you look at it the past few weeks have been challenging.  Not everyone...

COVID-19 For such a time as this

  • March 23, 2020
  • /
  • Blog

In 1982, my last grandparent passed away. Bobby and I had been married a year and we were asked to clean out her apartment in a retirement community. The family had come in and picked up the china, photos, and silverware. Cousins had grabbed mementos and all that was left was “stuff”. Our family told us to keep anything we needed as a young couple and donate the rest. It sounded simple enough but the experience changed my perspective quickly....

What Matters….

  • January 13, 2020
  • /
  • Blog

What matters.  As I dig more into my ONE WORD for 2020 which is CONTEND, what matters tends to be the basis in every area of my life.   In my relationship with God…what matters? In my marriage, what matters?   In my home, what matters?  Within my church family, what matters?  In my work as a teacher, what matters?  I think that the “preacher” sums it up in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:   Fear God...

Lost

  • August 19, 2019
  • /
  • Blog

The tears were streaming.  You could tell she was scared. Getting “lost” on the second day of kindergarten at dismissal was not what Karis had in mind that day.   It also wasn’t what she had in mind the fourth full day of kindergarten either.   She knows the surroundings–I work there and she spends quite a bit of time up in the hallways, but somehow she was sidetracked and she was “lost”.   So what about us?   A question in Genesis 3:9...

The Storm

  • June 27, 2019
  • /
  • Blog

We had made it to Lubbock.  A long anticipated trip of spending time with family, meeting a new addition, loving on cousins, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, and starting to relax after a busy few months of activities we had chosen to participate in for the kids. A family outing—going to the drive in with everyone to see Toy Story 4–a movie I know my kids were excited about. The skies were blue, the wind wasn’t really blowing, and we arrived...

Don’t You Dare…

  • April 2, 2019
  • /
  • Blog

Don’t YOU dare take my word… When I was 20 years old, I was a student in a Bible class at my Christian University.  I did not come from a “churched” background and I was soaking up lots of amazing teachers and preachers that were shaping me into my role in the kingdom.  I took copious notes, read lots of books, immersed myself in Chapel services, highlighted my verses, took notes in the margins and took full advantage of my...