Dianne Barker

Category: General

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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:…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Another Trip to the Garbage Dump

    Just made another trip to the garbage dump. I despise that stinkin’ place. Sorry to say, I’ve spent too much time there. Some of the junk I’d discarded had somehow made its way back into my life. A scrap of anger. A handful of discouragement. A chunk of worry. A sliver of fear. A crumb…

  • Following Jesus One Faltering Step at a Time

    A woman stepped off an escalator at the shopping mall, paused briefly, and said to a friend who was following, “Where are we going?” Her friend answered, “I don’t know. Where are we?” Overhearing the conversation, I smiled, recognizing a significant life principle: we need to know where we are to figure out where we’re…

  • Discerning Motive: Legacy or Vanity?

    I wish I could say my motive was legacy but I now know it was vanity. As a young journalist I’d noticed articles reporting the death of local and national leaders appeared on the newspaper’s front page, above the fold, accompanied by a photo. With the passion of youth and ego, I began pouring my…