Infertility can be a cruel beast. Every month I hoped to be pregnant, but time and time again, my hopes were dashed. At last, this month, my cycle was a week late. My prayers finally had been answered! But three negative pregnancy tests later I stood in my bathroom and had an honest, yet bratty, conversation with God. I reminded…
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The blessing of unity
I consider Psalm 133:1 a “life verse” because I hold onto it for dear life. There is nothing in me that naturally wants to be in unity with others. In my flesh, I typically want to control others and make them obey me. Without God as my guide, I do not want to submit one to another — I want…
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How good and pleasant
I was spitting nails! She can’t order me around! Or can she? I was volunteering at an out-of-town conference one weekend a couple years ago, ready to serve, except that the woman leading us was bossy. The nerve! We had a brief exchange where I pitched my suggestion for how we should do something. I was sure she would agree…
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The anatomy of a wound
If I were to introduce you to my daughter, she would tell you that she loves the color blue, she loves to sing along with her radio and that she loves a good California roll at our local sushi restaurant. What you wouldn’t know is that she was born with a wound: a physical wound that bears a striking resemblance…
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The secret of being content
Let’s explore a story of pilgrimage inspired by Psalm 84:5. When we relocated to South Africa in 2012, one of my prayers was that I could meet the challenges of a year abroad with gratitude and contentment no matter what we faced, just like Paul describes in Philippians 4. The great apostle says that he “learned the secret of being…
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A declaration of faith
The words King David penned in Psalm 27 are a beautiful marriage of thanksgiving, praise, and petition. It is his love letter to the Father and a pep talk to his own heart. We find that David understood the power of prayer, the power in the process, and especially the power of praise. When we first read Psalm 27 we…
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