I’m a little stressed today (Saturday, October 13). Why? I leave for India in five days and I am sick with a bad chest cough. India is a tough trip when you’re feeling well, but it’s hard to imagine starting off the trip feeling under the weather. I have a number of talks to prepare for and I haven’t had much time to work on them. My 96-year old mom had to make an emergency
Read More →Devotional times or “quiet times” are vital to our spiritual growth. Seek to spend time alone with the Lord each day in His Word and in prayer. There is no one way to do it, and the method may change from day to day and in different seasons of life. The important thing is that you spend time with Him consistently. The purpose of a quiet time is not to do Bible study, although spending
Read More →Have you ever taken time to read epitaphs on tombstones? Some are very touching, while others can be downright funny. Here are some actual writings found on tombstones. “Here lies the body of Margaret Bent. She kicked up her heels and away she went.” “The children of Israel wanted bread and the Lord sent them manna; Old clerk Wallace wanted a wife, and the devil sent him Anna.” “They abounded in riches but she wore
Read More →
Are you growing in your Christian life? When I disciple a new believer, I always emphasize four areas she needs to keep balanced in order to grow deeper in her relationship with the Lord: Time in God’s Word Time in prayer Fellowship with other believers Sharing the gospel with non-believers The first two areas strengthen our vertical relationship with God, and the second two areas strengthen our horizontal relationships with others. All four areas are
Read More →
When I disciple someone and take them through the Spirit-filled life, there are always questions. Here are some of the questions that typically come up. 1. Are all Christians Spirit-filled since all believers have the Holy Spirit? No. I was a believer but not a Spirit-filled believer my first two and a half years in college. The turning point for me was when I went on a date with a guy in one of my
Read More →Have you been praying for something that is a desire of your heart? You may be single and asking God for a husband. Or perhaps you are asking God for your first child and it’s taking longer than you had hoped. It may be a specific job, or a “dream” of accomplishing something, or a new direction, or healing from a condition or disease. How do you handle it when God doesn’t give you that
Read More →
How do you become a Spirit-filled Christian? To be Spirit-filled means to be controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, but how do we get there? Although God does not give us a step-by-step “formula,” He does give us direction in His Word. 1. Sincerely desire to be filled and directed by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 You must want it. If you don’t want the Lord to be in control, then it’s not going
Read More →Last Monday I celebrated a “milestone” birthday. You know – the milestone birthdays are the ones with a zero at the end. I have to admit that it is sobering to realize I have lived over half my life on this earth. I want to finish well. My day started off with a surprise. My assistant greeted me at the church Monday morning with a wheelchair and “rolled” me down to the All-Staff
Read More →
Are you living the abundant Christian life the way that God intended? Or do you feel defeated much of the time in your Christian walk? Do you struggle with areas and question if you’ll ever be able to gain victory over them? Are you growing as a Christian, or do you feel a bit stagnant? I was not living the abundant Christian life in college until Bonnie explained to me about the Spirit-filled life. Once
Read More →
When I was a little girl, I came very close to drowning one summer in Lake Plain Dealing. That event had a huge impact in my life. I remember waking up in the middle of the night and crying out to God, “Lord, you didn’t take me home. You left me on this earth, so you must have a purpose for me.” Even as a little girl, I felt a sense of purpose for being
Read More →