“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16 (NIV)

Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep at night. As I lie in bed, waiting to slip into dreamland, my thoughts drift to problems that I finally realize I cannot change. However, just when I think I have relinquished them to God, I find myself still struggling to let those doubts go.

Several months ago, I found an inexpensive way to help me drift off to sleep. It’s a small machine with multiple choices of sounds to soothe and relax, including rain, a waterfall, the ocean, the rain forest, a heartbeat, and my favorite, a summer night.

As a child growing up in Louisiana, I loved warm summer evenings when my sister and I, and other neighbors, would go frog huntin...

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Can you imagine the look on the 100-year-old Abraham’s face when God promised him a son? Abraham laughed. So did Sarah, who was 90, way past her childbearing years. However, God kept His promise and Isaac was born to the childless couple.

In Genesis 21, we read Sarah’s words. “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

God wasn’t through with Abraham or Sarah yet. While we might not be able to fathom becoming a parent at the ripe old age of 100, God has plans for each one of us, whatever our age.

Adults over age 70 have contributed richly in a variety of ways to our society. At age 74, Emmanuel Kant wrote his finest philosophical works. At age 85, Verdi produced “Ave Maria.” Goethe...

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“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” John 15:4 (NIV)

On a recent housecleaning day, I noticed glitter on the floor, on my furniture and even in the bathroom. Puzzled at first, I then realized the sparkly stuff must have come off my granddaughter’s t-shirt, the one she had worn the previous day when we celebrated her eighth birthday.

I continued cleaning but could not completely eliminate all traces of the small, shiny objects littering my house. However, as I thought about the previous day and the celebration of a life that God created, I smiled. In the past, the cleaning would have consumed me. After the houseful I had hosted the day before, I would have wanted everything spotless. However, I saw the glittery remains as a reminder of my love for this precious child.

There was another precious child who grew ...

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“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)

Have you ever tried to fill the empty places in your soul with people, possessions or positions? I have. And, I’ve learned it doesn’t work. In my search for answers to life, I ended up on a dead-end road, wondering how in the world I was going to find my way back.

Focused on my job and my accomplishments, I thought it would lead me to the answers. Then, I began to ask myself, “What is the question?” What is it we search for so elusively, spending all of our time, treasures and talent, only to end up with a heart full of emptiness?

At the beginning of a new year, the gyms are filled with people trying to lose weight and get healthy. We make resolutions. I’m going to lose enough to get back into my high school clothes. I want to be able to attend my 20, 30, or 40-year high school reunion looking as good as the day I wal...

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“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)

Do you have SHD? What, you mean you’ve never heard of this disorder? Neither had I until I did some research. SHD is the acronym for Selective Hearing Disorder, meaning we hear what we want to hear. Young children and teenagers are masters of this disorder. So are most adult males.

I recall when my sons were young and I would ask them to pick up their toys. Later, after checking on their progress, I would find they had not followed instructions. When asked why, the reply was usually, “We didn’t hear you.” Sound familiar?

Other examples of SHD in children include the deer-in-the-headlight look when asked to do chores, eat peas or get ready for bed. Men also suffer from this malady. Have you ever tried to relate an important tidbit of information to a couch potato engrossed in ...

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.”– 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

A new year is upon us. My challenge is “Can you do better?” Hoping to do better and doing better are two different things just as making resolutions and following through are not the same. Whether your resolutions include getting out of debt or losing weight, resolutions don’t resolve themselves. The word resolution means “a resolve or determination.” Another definition is “the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.”

The origin of the word, resolution, has its roots in Latin. From the early fifteenth century, the word means “a breaking into parts.” Another meaning is the “process of reducing things into simpler forms.” I think that is where we fail to achieve our goals. We can make a resolution to lose weight, even determining the numb...

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“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

“Guideposts” is one of my favorite magazines. This monthly inspirational magazine, designed to help readers achieve their maximum personal and spiritual potential, contains stories written by people from all walks of life. In this January issue, author Debbie Macomber shared her New Year’s tradition and one I have adopted for 2012.

At the beginning of each year, she reflects on the words that have appeared repeatedly in her life. By writing in her journal, she watches for patterns to develop. For example, in 1979, “hunger” was her word. Although she wasn’t sure why she chose that word, she came to realize that, in part, it had to do with her lifelong struggle with her weight. However, as that year unfolded, she realized that her physical hunger for food wasn’t the only struggle she faced. She says, “There were other hungers as well. With four children i...

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“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16 (NIV)

What adult can’t remember their childhood years and being excited about Christmas morning? I recall the anticipation of waking up early to sneak an early peek at the loot under the Christmas tree. My sister and I would try to be quiet but our excitement got the better of us and we would wake our parents from restful slumber so we could begin tearing off wrapping paper and ripping open boxes to discover the contents.

When I became a parent, the roles reversed. After staying up late on Christmas Eve to assemble toys, the last thing I wanted to do was to drag my sleepy head out of bed in the wee hours of morning. I just wanted to snuggle deeper into the covers and ignore my sons, hoping they would just go away for a while so I could sleep...

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“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son...” John 3:16 (NIV)

Sometimes Christmas does not fit our expectations of what the perfect holiday should be. We decorate our homes, inside and out. We shop. We wrap gifts. We plan parties or dinners. We attend other holiday events. The days leading up to Christmas pass by faster than the ding of cash registers filling up with cash and credit card receipts. After the wrapping paper is discarded, we can be left with an emptiness that no store-bought gift can fill.

In his book, “Christmas spirit: Memories of Family, Friends and Faith,” pastor Joel Osteen writes, “When Christmas doesn’t fit your expectations of what the perfect holiday should be, think about how Joseph and Mary probably didn’t think the manger was the perfect place for their child to be born. But look at what a perfect Christmas it turned out to be.”

A rece...

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“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”    –   Luke 2:14(ESV)

Although I am not a history buff, I love stories that speak to the heart. Memorizing dates or studying the intricacies of war doesn’t appeal to me. However, the personal stories of the people attached to history do intrigue me. Recently, I came across a story that took place in the midst of the fiercest fighting of World War I.

The story, recalled by those who were there, occurred around Christmas time when a German soldier began singing “Stille Nacht.” His solo erupted into a chorus as he was joined by English voices singing “Silent Night.” Following this carol, a British regiment serenaded the Germans with “The First Noel” and the Germans responded with “O Tannenbaum.”

What followed was even more incredible in the midst of a bloody war. Men from both sides put aside their...

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