Fires

A few short months ago, this area was blackened by the raging flames of a controlled burn. The roaring conflagration was fueled by thorns, underbrush, and prairie grass. “Impurities”, as it were, went up in smoke. 

But now? 

All that charred land replaced by lush greenery. An abundant prairie teaming with life. 

Not By Works

 

"Just as our good works can't save us, our good works also cannot keep us saved. Our salvation is not achieved by good works nor is it sustained by them." 

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost." Titus 3:5

If It Was Up to Me

In Grace Changes Everything, I begin each chapter with a short quote. The quote tends to be relevant to the topic of the chapter and helps to set the stage for what is to come in the chapter. It is a habit I picked up from a teacher I have worked with, and while I'm not trying to copy someone else's style, I do like the effect it has.

One of the quotes is from a song by Ben Fuller. Ben has quite the testimony. At 16, he had been living a life of depravity and attempted to take his own life, even to the point of having the gun barrel in his mouth. But as he states, "God wouldn't let me pull the trigger." 

Ben moved to Nashville--as so many do--to break into the country music scene. He continued to struggle, and one day he met a couple who were from Vermont, where he had grown up. They invited him to church, and because of the Vermont connection, he accepted. 

Thankful for the Brighter Days

 

This Thanksgiving holiday has been very introspective for me. It's been six years since the darkest year of my life. And yet? Even though this year has brought its own burdens to carry and trials to deal with, as I look back, it has been a good year. 

In Ways I Never Imagined

 Many of us have gone through phases where we try to bargain with God. You know, the "God just get me out of this one thing this one time and I'll..." 

"Help me pass this test I didn't study for; don't let the teacher remember to call my parents..."

But what happens when we beg Him for something we perceive is good? When we fast and pray, crying out on our knees before Him to heal a broken heart, to fix a broken marriage, to repair a damaged relationship?

After all, it's not like we're begging Him for a new sports car or a lump of cash. No, we're pleading for something that by any stretch of the imagination is a good thing.

So what happens when the answer is no?

Weathering the Storm

And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.  And he said unto them, Where is your faith?...Luke 8:24‭-‬25

"Where is your faith?" 

It is a question that still rings out to us 2000 years later. Where is our faith? Is it in jobs, family, government, unemployment benefits?

While it is important for us to provide for our families and take care of them, where is our faith? Are we trusting that job to provide, or are we trusting that when we do what we're supposed and what we can, that God is going to fill in the details?

I know there are many unemployed right now. If you live in Illinois like I do, good luck getting your benefits. But is your faith in those benefits? 

This is a subject that is easy to write about, but harder to put into practice. One of the hardest things I've had to do is trust God that He will protect the hearts and minds of my kids.

Without going into detail, there's a family member actively trying to sway them away from living for the Lord. I have to remember that God loves them more than I do, and trust that He will work in the situation. 

So where are you struggling today?

Where is your faith?

Rejected by the One You Love

Today, this video popped up in my Facebook memories. Back in the summer of 2017, I had gone through the pain and heartache of an unwanted divorce. I was dealing with a lot of hurt and pain stemming from the rejection of one who I loved deeply.

The divorce was finalized in November of 2017. A few months later, as I was scrolling through Facebook, I came across this video. To this day, I don't even know why it showed up in my feed. It wasn't from anyone I was connected with or following. But it carried with it the message that I needed.

Take a couple minutes to watch the video, and then stick around for some closing thoughts.

Book Review: The Life Saving Divorce

The Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive Relationships by Gretchen Baskerville

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It's easy to have an opinion on divorce. It's easy to tell people what you think Scripture says about divorce. It's easy to silently judge or question people who divorce.

Until you go through it yourself.



In Chapter 3, Gretchen blows away 27 of the oft-believed myths surrounding divorce. Even though my divorce is a few years in the rear-view mirror, this chapter was extremely helpful, because the doubts love to creep in.

"Did I try hard enough? Did I do everything I could have? Does it really 'take two to tango'? Am I really responsible for my spouse's unfaithfulness?"

Chapter 3 could be an entire book by itself (warning, it is long!) but it will help to dispel many of the myths you may have believed or had people tell you about yourself.

Chapter 6 takes a very in-depth look at just what does Scripture really teach about divorce. It was very informative. Much of the information I already knew, but I also learned some interesting facts about the Jewish and Roman cultures of the day and how those would have influenced the early churches views.

I do want to say very clearly that the author is not justifying willy-nilly divorce for petty reasons such as "we just don't love each other." Gretchen has put a lot of work into this book and hopefully it will help people...maybe even save a life.


(I received an Advance Reader Copy in return for a fair review. At present time, I have read only three chapters and am basing this review on those chapters. I intend to read the remaining chapter and will update the review upon completion of the book.)



View all my reviews

Don't Go Fishing!

Ironically, I had intended to make this a follow-up to my last post. But, as I look at the calendar, I realize it is exactly one month since I last posted. This usually happens...life slows down during the Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year's holidays, I start writing again, and then life takes back off and suddenly I find myself neglecting any kind of personal writing.

But over the last few days I've found myself ruminating on the past. I recently had a major "anniversary milestone" with regards to the whole divorce process, and unfortunately I have to admit it took over my thoughts for a while.

Faithful

In my senior year of high school, I worked retail for a short time. It definitely was not one of my favorite jobs. I think everyone should have to work retail for a short time, just to see what customers are really like!

One of the things I hated was inventory. The store I worked at was a small lumber yard/hardware store that was not very up-to-date on inventory methods, and so inventory involved literally walking up and down the aisles and counting items.

This past Sunday, my pastor talked about the importance of taking inventory of the past year. I much prefer this kind of inventory, especially when the choice is between inventory or new year's resolutions. I think the only consistency in new year's resolutions is that no one keeps them.