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Dispensing the Sweet Fragrance of Christ
Hyacinth—the sweet fragrance of spring—triggers a favorite memory. Growing up, my brother Charlie and I joined other neighborhood kids to wait for the school bus at a friend’s house across the road from where we lived. On spring mornings, the delightful fragrance of Mrs. Roller’s hyacinths filled the air. The fragrance takes me back to…
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What Causes You to Flinch?
I’ve been murmuring and complaining…again. I thought I’d left this despicable behavior behind long ago. Unexpectedly an irritation tripped me, sending me back to toddler stage of my walk with the Lord. Maybe I’d been feeling a little smug about my progress, handling disappointments and setbacks with surprising maturity. I kept my focus on the…
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Watch Your Step…There’s a Pit Ahead!
I need a safe place to confess…I fell into the pit again. The pit of discouragement. It’s a trap, and I do my best to avoid it. Didn’t even see that dark hole till I tumbled in. Then I knew exactly where I’d landed. I’ve been there before. This plunge happened while I was carrying…
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Have You Ever Lost Hope?
Lord, I have lost all hope! My desperate prayer had barely formed in my thoughts when a quiet voice in my heart interrupted a gush of tears. You have not lost hope. I am your hope. You have not lost me. Our God hears! And he cares. His assurance brought change—not in the circumstances but…
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Living in Relationship—a Few Thoughts
Life is relationship. God designed it that way. Adam, the first man, is the only person who had the opportunity to live without human fellowship. The Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone.” So he created a helper for him (see Genesis 2:18). The heart longs for relationship. Warren Buffet,…