Sometimes, I wonder if the bends and twists on this road of life can break things.
Some days, I find the courage to admit that I’m scared.
Like today.
As I read through these piles of research, scribble down notes, and whisper fragmented prayers, the outline of my next book surfaces. Sharing about perseverance despite life’s head-on collisions, steps toward healing slowly focus onto the page. Hope faithfully emerges.
But hope and healing are the last things Satan wants for me. Or you.
So he hurls roadblocks of shame and doubt, blaring distractions like sirens.
He loves to cause wrecks.
As we slip behind the wheel of life, you and I need to know this one thing to face tomorrow: Christ wins.
This journey zigzags and twists, but what keeps us from faceplanting in a ditch is just that: Christ wins.
We stagger toward Sunday morning whip-lashed, bruised, and broken — desperately needing God’s Resurrection promise. Our hearts face suffering in this fallen world — but what can scare us when we know Christ wins?
When chaos shatters tranquility and we need peace like a river, God buckles us into His indestructible Resurrection truth that, no matter how dizzy the road blurs our vision, Christ wins.
It means we can risk it all to share the hope of Salvation, because when we surrender the driver’s seat to Jesus, we can release the wheel and rest in His amazing grace.
Christ alone navigates life’s hairpin turns when life flings around corners on two wheels.
We suffer unexpected rollovers, yet we experience hope in this: Christ repurposes pain for His gain to use what we thought was wreckage for His glory.
Sharing life’s painful collisions with others could send us careening into the ditch of fear — to give up and not allow the power of His healing and forgiveness to shine bright.
Instead, His Word provides strength and assurance that this road leads precisely to one life-changing truth that buckles us in safe and sound:
In the midst of researching, writing, and commitments, the one thing gets lost in the shuffle.
This weekend I begin filming a brand new Bible study series for LWML based on John 15, “Where Love Abides.” Amidst all the preparation, I feel like I’ve taken a hard left into crazy. Just like Martha.
And I need to be reminded through His Word, “You are worried and anxious about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.”
Only one thing is necessary.
That I walk in closer communion with Christ.
That I pause life’s chaotic pace to spend time at His feet.
That I tune out the crowd noise to hear His gentle whisper.
It’s simple—to take up my cross daily and follow Him.
If history and literary geniuses have taught us anything, it’s that we love a good story. Stories that provide a new perspective. Stories that move our soul.
This is one of those stories.
A few weeks ago, several thousand LWML ladies attended our bi-annual convention in Albuquerque, NM. Long-time Twitter friend, Pastor Andrew (Drew) Ratcliffe, an avid supporter of LWML, attended the convention. Drew’s wife (Angie), her mom, sister (Liz), and a couple of Angie’s aunts also attended the convention with him.
Angie’s sister, Liz, was not very familiar with LWML since her Lutheran church in Idaho does not have an existing group. Her only familiarity with LWML is from attending her first LWML convention in Des Moines two years ago and the things that Drew and Angie have shared with her.
After attending her second LWML national convention in Albuquerque a few weeks ago, Liz penned her thoughts about the convention and shared them with Drew. Her thoughts brought him to tears, touching him deeply. After gaining Liz’s permission, Drew shared them with me to share with you.
I hope Liz’s beautiful story (in purple below) about the incredible Lutheran Women in Mission touches your heart and encourages you today.
Little Old Lutheran Ladies:
Some timid and proper, some outspoken and opinionated, many of them grandmothers, many of them widows. This used to be the extent of what came to mind when I thought of this particular demographic. I ought to be familiar with the subject, as the church I attend has many in its congregation.
After attending a bi-annual convention for an organization made up many little old Lutheran women (among others), I’ve been reflecting on the identity of these exceptional women:
The many Sunday school teachers I had as a child that gave me a solid foundation for my faith.
The 80-year old woman from my church that sends me a card on every holiday and has remembered my birthday every year I’ve been alive.
The various ladies that lean over in the pew just a bit when I go up to communion to see which ridiculous pair of shoes I’m wearing that week. “I was hoping you were wearing my favorite pair – those heels with the polka dots!”
The 90 year old woman who really isn’t supposed to be driving, but made a trip from Meridian to the farm almost in New Plymouth by herself to visit my Mom after Dad died. “I wasn’t sure I remembered how to get there, but I passed the old Cloverleaf restaurant and figured I was heading in the right direction, so I just kept driving!” Mom said she opened the door and couldn’t have been more surprised to see her standing there.
The ladies in their pant suits or jacket/skirt combinations that love and compliment my crazy outfits instead of expressing disapproval.
The many widows of our congregation that make a special effort to check in with my Mom every week, and never shied away from the hard conversations and progressive bad news from her the past years.
The committee of women that provided and organized countless funeral dinners for families of the church with my Mom, free of charge.
The group of Lutheran women that formed a women’s missionary league during World War II, a time when being charitable and spreading the Gospel surely seemed of little importance to many.
That same group of Lutheran women who still give millions of dollars every two years to support many mission projects throughout the world.
The women who traveled to Albuquerque, NM, despite some of them being poor in health, limited in their mobility, or facing tragedy and heartbreak in their home lives, came to give yet more of their time to this group.
I attended this convention, largely due to the suggestion of my sister. I was running through all the reasons I should be at home in Idaho instead of where I was when the event was starting.
As the convention progressed, I received the same lovely compliments and encouragement in my faith, but this time from Little Old Lutheran Ladies from all over the world.
These women are to be admired and respected, not pitied or dismissed.
I’ve realized through family discussion that my grandmother on my Mom’s side (that I never met) fit this bill. I am watching as my Mom and her sisters become them.
What an honor it would be to be one day included in the Little Old Lutheran Ladies Club.
I’m so grateful to Liz for her beautiful words and willingness to share them with you. Ladies, I don’t know about you, but I consider it a high honor to be part of LWML for over 20 years now. We are prayer-warrior women of ALL ages, nationalities, and from ALL walks of life coming together with a passion to serve the Lord through mission work.
I hope you share this to encourage other women — and perhaps take a moment to comment below and encourage Liz.
The LWML has been bearing abundant fruit in God’s vineyard for over 75 years.
Some labels we like: Smart. Beautiful. Rich. Skinny. Successful.
Some not so much: Stupid. Ugly. Needy. Fat. Lacking.
But some labels go much deeper. Sometimes the adhesive leaves marks on our heart.
Scars.
Labels that cause us to lower our head. Avoid eye contact. They strike something so deep in us that we just want to run. From the stigma. From the memories.
It doesn’t matter who attached the labels. Sometimes we adhere them on ourselves. Perhaps we switch them out depending on circumstances and mood. Or attitude. Or who we’re blaming. Or who we’re mad at.
It’s easy to label others. It doesn’t cost us anything. We take a glance at the less-than-stellar aspects of someone else’s life and our mental label-makers start cranking. We hear malicious gossip so our label-maker shifts into overdrive.
But you and I wear a label that trumps the rest. Made before the beginning of time by God Himself.
LOVED.
“I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Jeremiah 31:3
He labeled us first. A manufacturer’s stamp, so to speak. But we’ve covered it over. Allowed others to deface it with a mustache and beard.
Perhaps you’ve even tried to peel it off just because you don’t feel worthy.
So how do we deal with our labels?
1. Pray. Maybe you’re not aware the detrimental labels you adhere to yourself. Ask God to reveal them to you.
2. Identify them accurately. You may struggle with insecurity, but that’s a secondary emotion. The root is fear. Fear of not fitting in, not excelling, not being “good” enough. Accurately identifying what you’re afraid of opens doors of understanding.
3. Seek help. You may uncover serious issues under those labels that may go beyond your capability to properly work through. Seeking advice or guidance from a pastor, counselor, or support group may be in order.
4. Put on the Teflon of God’s Word. When we view ourselves through God’s love and forgiveness found in His Word — finding our peace and contentment in Him alone — we discover that other labels won’t stick for long. Filling our mind and heart to overflowing with His rich truths from Scripture leaves no room for mislabeling.
As we read through God’s transforming Word, He offers you these life-restoring labels:
As the Manchester bombing victims slowly move toward recovery, pain piles high next to the debris.
Heartbroken parents who will never again nuzzle their child’s hair. Children never again hearing a favorite bedtime story from mom. The widowed wife who rolls over to greet an empty pillow.
What can we possibly say that will make things better?
Nothing.
When unspeakable loss crumples a heart to its knees hard, deep grief doesn’t hear well. They experience devastation deafness, so to speak. I’ve been there. Felt that.
This tragedy caused me to reflect on how I initially comfort those who grieve.
Am I helping or hindering?
So often at funerals, well-intentioned people launch feel-good speeches at a grieving person about how God has a plan. How He will bring good out of their loss. That through adversity, God provides opportunity for faith to strengthen and grow.
But hold on.
There is a right time and place for those truths. But it’s not during the funeral.
After the tragedy a well-known pastor tweeted: “In deep pain, people don’t need logic, advice, encouragement, or speeches. They just need you to show up and shut up.”
Exactly.
Devastated hearts need someone to sit in the mud and cry with them. Or a strong shoulder to lean against when their knees tremble weak. Or a comforting hug expressing love in a thousand silent ways.
And lots of prayers without ceasing.
God promises to “heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)
And He is faithful to do exactly that.
So if someone in your life has suffered a deep loss, perhaps save the words for later — when lessening degrees of grief allows them to actually hear the comfort.
With four books and several Bible studies published, I finally feel qualified to write this post. Perhaps it’s just the experiential miles talking.
As an author, the question I field more often than any other is: “How do you have time to write books, work full time, travel to speak at events, and maintain a satisfying personal life?”
The simple answer is the amazing grace of a faithful God and the incredible support of family and friends. But there’s more.
It requires commitment. Sacrifice. Focus. Organization. And no small amount of blood, sweat and tears.
Through trial and fire, I’ve discovered five specific ways to stay sane while meeting manuscript deadlines. There are many more, but these five help set solid boundaries.
1) Say NO to new commitments until the manuscript is turned in.
New and cool opportunities will start pouring in the moment you commit to a writing deadline — trust me. It’s like when you commit to eating healthy and suddenly chocolate materializes everywhere. However, resisting the urge to add entries to your calendar is crucial to protect your writing time.
2) Take a sabbatical from voluntary, time-consuming commitments.
I sing on my church’s worship team and absolutely love it. However, it requires time learning music, diligent rehearsal, run-through, and singing at both services on Sunday morning.
I took a sabbatical from the worship team for the two months prior to my last manuscript deadline to shift that time toward writing. The team’s support and prayers touched me to the core. The cool thing? A few new worship leaders have stepped forward to become amazing blessings to our church.
3) Commit to writing a certain word count each day.
I created a 3-month daily chart containing current commitments. It allowed me to ascertain at a glance which days/evenings could be devoted toward significant blocks of writing time.
Regardless, I committed to adding 1,000 words to the manuscript each day (except Sundays). Some days I only added 500 words, but others reached over 3,500. The chart kept me on track right up to the deadline.
4) Sign off of social media and devote all spare time to your manuscript.
If I had 30 minutes to write, I wrote! I loaded my manuscript onto a dedicated thumb drive and wrote during lunch breaks, waiting at the airport, and during flights.
You’ll be surprised at how much you get done when you’re focused.
I also scheduled a week of vacation from my full time job right before the deadline. I sequestered myself at home and fine-tuned the manuscript, taking time to pray often. I also took a two-month sabbatical from my blog and avoided social mediafor the final ten days to eliminate distraction.
5) Become anti-social.
This one is extremely tough. Writing involves more than strolling along picturesque rivers at sunset while eating French bread washed down with wine while pondering deep thoughts that will eventually be captured on our laptop.
I’m sorry to pop the idealistic bubble, but writing entails long hours of research and typing with complete focus. Headaches, backaches and stiff necks go with the territory.
Explaining my deadline and commitment to family and friends included them in the process instead of shutting them out. They understood that I couldn’t go to impromptu movie nights until after the deadline.
Their encouragement and prayer support kept me going during those tougher writing days (yes, they happen).
I am looking forward very much to this summer, because come Fall I will buckle down, put these five items into high gear and complete my next manuscript before Thanksgiving.
And remember, intentionally rest between manuscripts to re-engage in normal life, putter around the house, take a vacation, and breathe again. Rest is crucial to tackling your next project with enthusiasm instead of exhaustion.
Bottom line? There are many ways to carve out the necessary time to meet your writing deadlines. Just prioritize, organize, and jump in with both feet, remembering:
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Colossians 3:23
If you’re an author, what could you add to the list?
If you’re an aspiring author, did you find anything surprising?
When it comes to Bible study, I admit that it used to scare my freckles white. As a new Christian 25 years ago, my Bible’s table of contents was a lifeline to find my way around Scripture.
How do you view Bible study? Frustrating, fulfilling or downright frightening?
Much like a car’s GPS, effective Bible study tools often spare us the discomfort of getting lost in Scripture.
Because who likes getting lost?
Study Bibles and other resources are helpful tools, but when it comes to studying God’s Word for personal growth (rather than preparing to speak or teach from it), I’d like to suggest a method from personal experience that works well:
(1) Shelve your study Bible.
Don’t discard it, just shelve it initially.Get a Bible that contains only Scripture cross-references. Look up the cross-references to help you interpret and navigate through Scripture. Comparing Scripture with Scripture lets the Bible explain itself, allowing God’s context to speak.
Treat study Bible notes as what they are: commentary, and a brief one at that. Remember they are man’s words, subject to bias and error. Read them respectfully but critically.
(2) Take your time.
Ask God for insight as you begin studying His Word. Humbly ask God to reveal truth to your heart and mind as you read for understanding on your own. Ask again as you compare your discoveries to those of trusted commentators.
Even if you discover that you may have drawn an inaccurate conclusion from a passage, your diligence to discover the correct interpretation will cause you to remember more readily.
This journey is vitally necessary for spiritual growth.
(3) Consult multiple sources.
Study notes serve as a starting point, not a terminus. Once you have read the passages for personal understanding in a note-free Bible, consult several study Bibles and commentaries from trusted sources. Look for consensus and disagreement among them.
And keep those prayer lines open with God as you go.
There are many resources, so where do we start? Here are some of my indispensable research mainstays:
There are others, but I usually use the above resources each time regardless. Just remember, those study tools serve as a reference point for your conclusions, but not as a substitute for them.
And don’t be afraid to get a little lost in Scripture.
Allow yourself to feel the extent of what you don’t understand. It’s a humbling feeling.
If wisdom and understanding define your destination, humility makes an excellent starting point for the journey.
After all, God faithfully promises: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
How do you view and/or approach Bible study?
Comment below and let’s learn from each other’s tips and study methods. We’re on this journey together!
FREE DOWNLOADS:
Here are four different Bible Reading Checklists to choose from. Tuck one (or all) neatly in your Bible for marking your study journey. Please feel free to share them.
He was supposed to be out with the army. That’s what 2 Samuel 11:1 says about King David.
But he decided to stay home.
He took a stroll along his rooftop and saw a beautiful woman taking a bath. And the rest, as they say, is history.
David lusted. Bathsheba succumbed. David ordered Bathsheba’s husband murdered so he could marry her. They had a child.
All seemed well. But God did not forget what took place. The price of David’s sin was the life of their child.
So much collateral damage from one person who thought he was above reproach, the law, or reprimand.
Are you and I any different?
Adultery plagues our world today. Whether you have been victimized by it or know a family member or friend who has suffered a wayward spouse, infidelity affects us all.
Infidelity frays the fabric of families.
Teachers feel the effects in their classrooms when kids act out or grades slip as they process the emotional hurricane caused by their parents’ divorces.
Pastors’ and counselors’ schedules stay full as they walk the victims of adultery toward God’s healing.
I don’t use the word victim lightly. That’s what adultery feels like.
The one person to whom you opened your heart, body, and mind decided on some level that you were insufficient. Whether that insufficiency stems from within or is persuaded from without, it decimates intimacy.
Adultery ranks among the top significant hurts that are the most difficult to forgive. But that’s not news. The real news is that “victim” is not our identity when we are in Christ.
And if we are in Christ, forgiveness is not optional. Ugh. Believe me, I understand how much that stinks to hear when you’re sleeping single in a double bed.
Forgiving the deep betrayal of adultery seems impossible. How do you even begin such a daunting process?
I asked that question several times. When our emotions are screaming for vengeance, entertaining thoughts of forgiveness seems impossible. But as God’s children, we do not operate in our own strength.
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
If you’ve experienced adultery, you will feel weary and faint. But rely on HIS strength.
People question when I say, “Through gritted teeth, I asked God to help me forgive my ex-husband.” That’s because forgiveness is an intentional act of the will.
When I kept asking God to help me forgive my ex-husband instead of dwelling on his actions, God focused my thoughts on Him, not the hurt.
God sets our heart right when we focus on the Lord and surrender toxic emotions to Him. (Colossians 3:2, Proverbs 3:6).
So how do you walk toward forgiveness?
Begin with prayer. Pray for God to heal your shattered heart and mend your broken spirit. Over and over and over.
It may seem as if you’re trying to convince yourself that you’re worth such love. God says you are.
Healing takes endless hours poring through Scripture. The verses God used powerfully in my life during that time were Psalm 18:16–19.
No matter our hurt, its depth or its breadth, God rescues us. Why? Because “He delighted in me.” That’s it. No other credential necessary.
Your worth is not stained by those who hurt you.
Your lovability factor is not decreased by his or her actions.
You are completely and wholly loved by God regardless of external circumstances.
When we endure painful seasons, knowing that Christ is our strength gives purpose to our pain. God never wastes a hurt. He will use that brokenness for our good and His glory.
Forgiveness doesn’t let them off the hook. Forgiveness frees you from the narrative of hate.
Ask God to help you forgive your adulterous spouse.
Keep asking.
Not because God doesn’t hear you, but to keep your focus on Him.
Keep focused.
In Christ alone, you will find hope, healing, and the strength to forgive.
*This post is an excerpt from my new book, Forgiveness: Received From God, Extended to Others, available now.
When Demi Lovato’s album Unbroken released six years ago, the album title intrigued me.
At the time, I was struggling with anger following my divorce.
I don’t know much about Demi’s history or music, other than her incredible vocal range. I listened to the songs carefully to find out how she developed the album’s theme.
She wrote one of the songs to her dad, pleading for him to put down the alcohol and keep his selfish hands off his daughter. It broke my heart. How awful.
Suddenly the stories that circulated on the Internet over the years about Demi entering rehab for cutting and bulimia made sense. The powerless trying to regain control.
So what does this have to do with anger?
In the music video for that particular song, Demi demonstrates that she is using the power of success to overcome her painful past.
Paraphrased, Demi’s lyrics basically say, “Go ahead and try to tear me down, but I will rise from the ground like a skyscraper.”
It’s a popular mind-set in our culture that says, “If you hurt me, I don’t get angry and take revenge; I become successful to prove that you can’t hurt me anymore.”
However, such a mind-set is commonly driven by unresolved anger. We resolve to become indestructible skyscrapers, but have we dealt with what happened at the foundation?
God set the example by being slow to anger (Exodus 34:6, Psalm 30:5). Anger is a volatile emotion that must be handled with kid gloves.
One day during my divorce process, I telephoned my television cable provider to switch the service from both of our names to mine only.
The customer service representative could not seem to understand that my husband was unavailable to approve my request, even after telling her that my husband no longer lived in our home and would not be returning.
I reached the breaking point.
I shouted something about her being too deaf to hear and too dense to understand, slammed down the phone’s receiver, yanked the whole thing out of the wall, and threw it across the bedroom with all my might. It left a perfect, telephone-shaped hole in the sheet rock.
That was not a proud moment on many levels.
My over-the-top anger vividly taught me that anger can cause damage—literally. That day I asked God to remove those sharp, angry edges and begin the process of mending my heart.
I prayed for that poor customer service rep whose hair I set aflame and asked God’s forgiveness.
If you struggle with anger, it takes intentional time in prayer and God’s Word to remove it.
At one point during her video, Demi looks defiantly into the camera as if to say, “You tried to rip me down, but my sweetest revenge will be in-your-face success.”
That mind-set likely resonates with us at some level because all of us have been hurt. Whether someone betrayed a trust, shared a secret, or physically hurt us, we get it.
Sometimes we feel the need to prove that we can rise like a skyscraper above painful adversity.
But we will not find resurrection apart from Jesus.
Anger is appropriate if we’ve been hurt, but many of us take it further. Sometimes, we add coals of bitterness and resentment and stoke our anger with dreams of vengeance.
But the truth is that we never master the flame.
Fire doesn’t work that way. It doesn’t just scorch those who hurt you—it scorches you. Eventually, it will consume your life (Psalm 37:8).
Anger itself is not a sin. However, it may become sinful when excessive or prolonged.
When we hold on to anger and bitterness, the conflagration eventually destroys us from the inside out. Evil wins.
So how do we properly respond to our wounds when we are surrounded by an outrage-obsession culture?
We don’t resolve to throw telephones across the room or build skyscrapers.
We choose to forgive.
And only God gives us the strength for that hard task.
Forgiveness is the only way to extinguish the flames of anger and once again put your feet on the path toward joy.
Surrender your anger to God.
Let Him build a skyscraper of grace in your life, built on the foundation of forgiveness.
*This post is an excerpt from my new book, Forgiveness: Received from God, Extended to Others, available now.
Whether it’s first thing in the morning, or before turning in for the night, prayer can be hard on some days.
Depending on our circumstances, some days we want God to be massive and huge. We need Him to take on our bullies and win with one hand behind His back.
Other days, we need Him close enough to catch our tears and hear painful words we can only whisper.
The good news is that He is both.
Simply looking at the universe confirms that God is far bigger than we can ever grasp. We live on a little blue globe that orbits in one of hundreds of billions of galaxies in the known universe.
In fact, Earth isn’t even the biggest deal in our own solar system next to Jupiter.
Yet Earth is the one privileged place where God chose to place His most precious creation: mankind.
We are the only things in ALL of creation made in His image.
Heaven’s expanse declares the size and glory of God. We cannot measure God with a tape measure, ruler or yard stick. In the economy of the universe, He is measured in light years. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second and one light year is 5.58 trillion miles.
Yet God didn’t even lift a finger to create the heavens and earth:
“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth.” Psalm 33:6
Our God breathes stars and galaxies.
Yet in spite of God’s vastness, He chose to make us. Fragile, demanding, unruly, self-centered us.
We are fearfully and wonderfully made by God Himself.
Out of the seven billion people currently on Earth, no two are alike. For each person, God mapped out and wrote a brand new DNA code that had never before existed, nor will ever exist in the future. You and I are the definition of “custom made.”
Each of the 75 trillion cells in your body consists of a DNA that makes up unique, miraculous you.
You may not think that you are special, but you are a walking miracle.
God promised that for those who trust in Him, He will hold us in the palm of His hand and carry us all of the days of our life.
Even when we can’t fathom His bigness, even when we can’t feel His closeness, He promised us something incredible:
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17
So when you’re facing your toughest day, your hardest trial, how do you know if God can hold you together?
Because He promised it.
He may not change your circumstances — He didn’t change them for Jesus — but He works in every circumstance to bring about good.
So as we pray, we are communicating with the universe-Maker who became mankind’s Savior.
