Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” Ezekiel 37:4-6 Am I spiritually dead? Have I fallen into the valley of dry bones? I am a Christian, and I would probably tell you that, although I am not perfect, I am a good…

I will listen to what God the LORD says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants–but let them not turn to folly. Psalm 85:8 Standing in the driveway, tasting dust mixed with tears of abandonment, I wondered if God even cared about me. Did I matter to Him at all? Did He notice me standing here alone and heartbroken? The departure of the person I trusted the most in life wrecked me.   It was not audible, but it was a distinct, clear voice. The message hit my heart like a dagger, and I was bleeding out as the realization of what I heard set in. I was…

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. Hebrews 4: 9-11 What does it mean to find rest with God? Is Sabbath rest just a Sunday activity? These are the questions I asked myself as I was recovering from a season of burnout. My writing had run out of steam; I wanted to quit my blog and burn my pens and papers. I felt like I was wandering around…

Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. Psalm 71:18 I noticed my fingers drawn to the same place on my wrist every day as I worked. It was unconscious at the beginning; I was rubbing the area without noticing I was even doing it. However, the action became so frequent I had to stop and ask myself what was going on. Yes, there was a mild pain, really more of a discomfort. But it was relentless. Do wrinkles hurt? I investigated the place on my wrist…

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21 As we start out a new year and are making goals and resolutions, I bulk at the overwhelming pressure to fix what has been broken. Resolutions are usually based upon things we don’t like about ourselves, those parts of us that feel broken. Another resolution will not fix what has been lacking for so long. What we need is a solution that makes room for growth and sets us up for success versus rules that demand perfectionism. We have the choice to speak life or death. So what if we…