Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24 One of my favorite movies is The Help. A story that takes place in the 1960’s set during the racial turbulence of America. A young journalist interviews the help, the black maids of Jackson, Mississippi. The maid, Aibileen, inspires me with her wisdom in knowing the benefits of encouraging words. Aibileen attends to the needs of a young girl whose own mother often ignores her. Aibileen speaks life into a tender, impressionable heart of a little girl by telling her: “You is kind. You is Smart. You is important.” Perhaps you will forget tomorrow…

So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. Galatians 5:16-17 True confession. I have often indulged in flesh-satisfying activities, such as binge-eating, drinking, smoking, and laziness, even after being prompted by the Holy Spirit to walk away from the desires of the flesh. I have thought to myself, ‘I will deal with God later after my flesh is satisfied. After all, isn’t God all about…

Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:40 (NIV) It’s the classic Bible story of David and Goliath. There is a battle planned between the Philistines and the Israelites. The Philistines have a giant measuring six cubits and a span (roughly 9ft 3 inches) fighting for their side. Goliath is covered in some extreme armor and carries some powerful weapons. The Israelites put a call out for a brave soul to fight the giant. This is where David comes into the picture.…

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,“ but say to the poor man, “You stand there“ or “Sit on the floor by my feet,“ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? James 2:2-4 He bore a weariness I noticed with skeptical eyes. As he continued to walk toward me, I nudged my husband…

With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. 1 Peter 5:12-14 I am just completing a Bible Study on 1 Peter, and oh how I want to share the many things I have learned in this fantastic book of the Bible. But I have settled upon sharing the…

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4 I am a quitter. I am guilty of quitting things when they get too complicated. For instance, I have started writing my third book several times in the past months, but it is hard. So, I quit. To keep writing, I am going to have to push through some very tough moments. I will have to allow myself to be very uncomfortable and do things I…

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right and steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 (AMP) The living room is cluttered with Fisher Price toys and baby paraphernalia. Closets are busting at the hinges. Cabinets barely close. This house feels too small for all our stuff, and that’s just the physical chaos. The kids constantly run circles around the floor plan and, turn up the TV volume to compete with their own voices. I can’t find peace anywhere. Can you relate? So what do you do about it? Well, we bought a bigger house. We moved into our dream home, with four bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a huge yard,…

 “For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes.”  Jeremiah 16:17 (ESV) Hey guys, can we talk about something embarrassing for a minute? I want to talk about my kitchen dish rag. I’m a little embarrassed to ask you this question because I am afraid you will think I am gross or something. OK, here it goes….do your dish rags stink? Do you have that? Do you have stinky, icky, dirty dish rags in your sink, or am I the only one? It’s embarrassing to bring this up and talk about it because I feel like I am the only one…

After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out? “He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.“ Mark 9:28-29 In the story of Jesus healing a demon-possessed boy, the disciples are confused about why they could not drive out the demons. We are unsure if it was a lack of faith on the part of the disciples that caused their efforts to fail or if they didn’t have the authority to perform the miracle at the time. But I understand their frustration. Have you ever prayed for something good and not received it? We know God’s plan is always for us…