When I learned the topic this month is “favorite scripture,” I thought that’s difficult. It’s like trying to determine your favorite candy bar. There are just so many choices.One of my most loved scriptures is Romans 11: 33, 34 and 36 (KJV). The poetic King James version reads, “Oh the depths of the riches of both the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways pas...  Read More

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittensBright copper kettles and warm woolen mittensBrown paper packages tied up with stringsThese are a few of my favorite things.This is just the first verse of “My Favorite Things,” as Julie Andrews sang in The Sound of Music. This was one of my daughter’s favorite movies. She loved the dancing and singing in this movie and others as she grew up. I, too, have ...  Read More

When I first starting reading God’s word, I wasn’t looking to find a favorite verse. I was reading the Bible to learn more about who God was and what Christ did for me. As trials came, and there were many trials, I began to understand the need to lean in and listen to the Holy Spirit.One scripture that continued to be revealed to me was Phil 4:13(NIV) “I can do all things through Him who strengthe...  Read More

The verses I cling to change with the seasons of life. However, there are verses that I return to again and again, like Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV), “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: ...  Read More

Do you believe all scripture has a purpose and place in our lives? Knowing that each word of scripture was written and God-breathed for a specific intention should make His word more sacred to us. What bible verse means the most to you?  Choosing a favorite verse was difficult because so many different ones have touched me through my life journey. There have been verses that were for encouragement...  Read More

In the 1970s/1980s, there were Christian comic books that made the stories of foreign missionaries easier for children to read and understand. I loved these as a girl! One issue grabbed my attention more than the rest. It was titled “God’s Smuggler.” It was about a courageous Dutch Christian called “Brother Andrew” whose mission was to smuggle Bibles across Russian borders through the “Iron Curtai...  Read More

I love to learn and have a great desire to improve continuously. The process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites me most. That steady and intentional journey from ignorance to competence energizes me! I know firsthand the value of wise and Godly instruction.The Bible is the most significant source of wisdom I know, and it continually points to God’s love and my salvation through Jesus. A...  Read More

Do you sometimes wonder if the Jesus of the Bible still performs miracles today? If we genuinely believed that he still performs miracles, do you think it would deepen our prayer lives?As I read Matthew 15:22 (RSV), “And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.’" I could relate to this moth...  Read More

I was not raised in church; I was 20 years old when I finally attended a revival and found myself at the altar of a little country church. My life was miserable, and that night my heart was so broken. Jesus picked me up and started putting me back together.Years later, I was divorced and once again broken.  Finally, in 1994 I married the love of my life, and we had 22 beautiful years with each oth...  Read More

This past spring, some friends and I did a Bible study together. We dove deep into the Old Testament, specifically Exodus. We learned about God’s plan for His people and His covenant with man.  We also studied a lot about sin.I typically would tell you I didn’t have any big sins. I’m a decent person most of the time. As we did this study, I examined my heart and asked the Lord to show me where to ...  Read More

Have you ever felt shame because of how you lived before you surrendered your life to Christ? I look back and think about the time spent doing things of no value. I started drinking and smoking at fourteen and later used more potent substances. I did what everyone else did and became a follower and a functioning partier.At this time in my life, I sometimes worked two jobs while caring for my elder...  Read More

I don’t have a riveting story of the day I turned from a former life of depravity to begin a new journey with Christ. Recently our pastor verbally painted such a picture. He described bullets ricocheting off furniture in his trailer house from a gunman named Jimmy zipping up his driveway. Pastor Scott belly-crawled to his bedroom, grabbing a gun with the intention of shooting to kill. But God had ...  Read More