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All Joy…Wouldn’t that Be Sweet?
I never actually asked God to make my life all joy, but I expected him to do so. I’m convinced a life full of joy is his will, but I confused life full of joy with life free of trouble. I knew better. If you’d complained about your circumstances, I would’ve assured you God never…
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Perseverance…a Choice When Life Isn’t Fun
Perseverance…continuing in spite of difficulty. I may be an expert on this topic. But before discussing that, I need to address another matter. The new General Data Protection Regulation (known as GDPR) went into effect recently. To comply with GDPR consent requirements, I need to know that you want to continue hearing from me. For…
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Believe God when There’s No Reason to Hope
Believe God in a hard place? Abraham found himself there. Could he trust the Lord when human reasoning said it was futile? The Lord had sent Abram on a journey and made large promises. Directing his gaze to the stars of the heavens and the sands of the sea, the Lord said, “I will make…
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Fragrance that Lingers and Sweetens
Fragrance is the word I think of when my friend Ellen comes to mind. We’d shared life and laughter over lunch. I dropped her off at home, and as I continued my afternoon errands I noticed her fragrance lingered. We’d spent enough time together that the fragrance of her perfume remained after she left my…
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Surrender—My Best Decision Ever
Surrender is the plan Jesus laid out for following him. Before we talk about that, I want to welcome new friends. Thanks so much for signing up via BookSweeps non-fiction promotion. I’m honored to meet you! Feel free to browse my website and learn more about my writing/speaking. Hope you’ll read previous blog posts when…
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Suffering…Trust God No Matter What
Suffering isn’t my favorite thing. It comes in different packages, and my family has had our share. Yours, too? Many of us understand all too well David’s cry: “Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul….I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me” (Psalm 69:1-2). My translation:…
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Praise the Lord Even If You Don’t Feel Like It
Praise the Lord? I hope you won’t mind my being so transparent, but I don’t always feel like praising the Lord. Sometimes circumstances don’t encourage praise. I’ve learned that even when circumstances aren’t favorable, God is still worthy of our praise and thanksgiving. We praise him according to his righteousness, not our circumstances (see Psalm…
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Forgiveness…An Exercise Good for Me
Forgiveness. Wish we didn’t need to talk about that. For the apostle Paul, maintaining relationships had priority. He said, “Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward man.” The word exercise interests me, since physical exercise is not on my favorites list. It’s something I make…
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Worry–Is There a Better Way to Do Life?
Worry is one thing I do well. I suspect you worry, too. There’s plenty to worry about in this life! I’m learning to conquer worry by casting every care on the Lord. That’s the second key to dispensing the sweet fragrance of Christ as we walk through this life. Last week we looked at the…
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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…