Have you ever had an epiphany? Periodically I spend the day at the church. (The practice began when we lived forty minutes away from our church, so I went with Scott on Wednesdays so we didn't have two cars there.) One of our first Wednesdays at First Baptist, I walked up a few flights of stairs (and thought how I really needed to exercise more) and bounced into the room where about twenty women of all ages (college through senior adults) were doing my friend Katie Orr's study, Everyday ... [Read More]
The Gift of WISDOM
"Lord, help me know how to handle this!" Whether your child is a toddler or a teen, I'm willing to bet you have prayed that same sentence. Parenting, above all things, has made me aware of just how much I need the gift of wisdom from the Lord. The Gift of WISDOM It isn't just parenting that can leave us desperate for understanding and discernment, right? From choosing a job to sorting through difficult relationships, I'd venture to guess none of us makes it through the day without some ... [Read More]
The Gift of SERVING
Yesterday Scott and I joined several of our friends, standing under a gray sky holding brightly colored balloons. We listened carefully as the group organizer explained the schedule and purpose for our gathering. The juxtaposition of the big red and blue and green and orange balloons against the gray, cloudy sky matched the mood among those in attendance. We were gathered — family and friends — to remember children lost far too soon. As I hugged my friend Stephanie, tears flowed from our ... [Read More]
The Gift of GRACE
"Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. Costly grace...is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and ... [Read More]
The Gift of SALVATION
She crawled up into my lap in the midst of all the Sunday morning chaos. Her face serious, her eyes full of tears, she simply said, "I need to get saved." April 1, 2007, sitting in that big ol' green recliner of her Daddy's, I had the honor of being present while the Lord moved my daughter from death to life, from lost to found. No doubt it was one of the sweetest gifts of my life. But there is one even sweeter — my own salvation. The Gift of SALVATION Yesterday we considered what ... [Read More]
The Gift of ABUNDANT LIFE
The gift of ABUNDANT LIFE. You're thinking, "Well, TL, obviously I'm thankful for life. What's your point?" But here's what I think — we are thankful for our lives. But sometimes I miss living in the fullness of life God offers because I'm so caught up in the mundane and messiness of my day-to-day living. And, it's possible you do too. Hence today's invitation to see ABUNDANT LIFE as an every day gift from God. The Gift of ABUNDANT LIFE For each of the twenty gifts we'll cover this month, ... [Read More]
