What is freedom? Is it flying the Red, White, and Blue flag and having a cookout in the backyard to celebrate? What does freedom look like to you?Freedom can mean many things to different people, for example, a prisoner being released from prison, being allowed to worship God openly, or living free because of others that have fought for freedom.Freedom is much more than our circumstances! The apos...  Read More

Does fear hold you back from being free and believing scriptures that tell you otherwise?  Scriptures tell us to “fear not” about 365 times in the Bible. I must remind myself that God wants to give me freedom in this area of my life and continue using the skills I learned through counseling. The devil will do whatever he can to steal your freedom and keep you in bondage.“The thief comes only to st...  Read More

What’s the catch? That is the question I ask myself whenever I am told something is free. The cynic in me assumes that “free” will cost me something sooner or later. It usually costs me more than I want to pay. We all want to be free from the “catch.” We all want to be liberated.All men long to be free. Our country was founded on that idea. Freedom led our ancestors to leave their homes and famili...  Read More

Have you ever heard someone say, “There is freedom in surrender”?  How can that be? From a worldly perspective, those two words are contradictory, but through biblical application, they coincide beautifully.Surrendering can be viewed as a weakness, as not being strong enough or able to fight back. The world tells us that we need to be the one who controls our lives and makes our own decisions rega...  Read More

I was seated cross-legged on a taped circle fiddling with the frilly hem of my pretty white lace dress. The Kindergarten Sunday School teacher told us about Jesus, smiling warmly at each child. She asked if anyone wanted to pray with her to accept Jesus into our hearts, and we all folded our little hands and prayed earnestly.Fast forward to age 18. Because my family situation had been abusive, I f...  Read More

As a child, I once visited an old jail. The tour guide put us in a cell and closed the door for fun. With lights extinguished, the darkness pressed in on all sides, and my breathing picked up its pace. Holding fast to a parent’s hand, I closed my eyes and prayed for the door to open so I could be free. Soon, light flooded the space, and I could not exit fast enough.I have experienced that same alm...  Read More

My husband is a skilled musician. When we are at church, he’s often asked to play, sing, or lead worship for our congregation. He has a gift from the Lord that we can clearly see whenever he is at the piano.I don’t have one of those.This isn’t some backward attempt at humility. I don’t have a huge outward skill that follows me through life. I don’t have the gift of prophecy or preaching. How do we...  Read More

Do you know what God has called for you to do? Do you wonder, “Am I doing what God has purposed for me?” I often wrestle with these thoughts!As believers, we all have a cross to bear. “Then He said to them all: ’Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me’”(Luke 9:23 NIV). Although I sometimes struggle with what cross Jesus would require me to b...  Read More

Isn’t it wonderful how God puts people in our path to share the good news of Christ?One day at the dump, a man pulled behind my son and me. He walked up, asking if we were believers in Jesus Christ. This man appeared to be eighty years old.  He began to tell us how each day he shared with others printed salvation prayer cards about Christ. Before we left, he gave us a box. I will never forget this...  Read More

As a teen, I thought only preachers and missionaries had a “calling” on their life. I also believed that 99 percent of ministers received their calling before age 20. So, I spent my teen years trying to listen for the call. As I prayed, I had some advice for God; if you call me, please don’t make Africa my destination.That seems comical now. Me telling the God of the entire universe how to do His ...  Read More

Are you someone who has “the gift of gab”? Maybe you are that person who has always thrived in new settings and never met a stranger. I envy you, my friend. I have been that socially awkward person who would rather avoid anything or anyone “outside my comfort zone.” “Painfully shy” isn’t just an expression to me.  It was a malady from which I suffered most of my life. Dramatic?  Perhaps.  True? Sa...  Read More

Do you know what God is calling you to do for His glory?We all have a calling when we submit our lives to Jesus and surrender our will for His. You may have already had an inclination at a young age that God was revealing your special gift. I know I recognized it early but doubted it along the way.Since I can remember, people have always come to me to share their hurts and problems in their own li...  Read More