“Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown. When he said this, he called out, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear.’”Luke 8:8(NIV) 

A recent conversation with an acquaintance reminded me of how our Heavenly Father works in our lives. An avid gardener, Mary, was sharing some of her secrets when she told me about her mother’s phone call during a winter snow. She asked her daughter, “Did you throw out your poppy seeds?

Poppy seeds in the snow? Amazed, I asked for more information.  Mary explained that she purchases packages of inexpensive mixed seeds and scatters them in her flowerbeds. She doesn’t cover them up with soil.  Whatever seed the birds don’t eat proliferate into beautiful blooms each spring, summer and fall. 

On April 7, 1968, at the age of 14, I was baptized.  I didn’t recall the date until I discovered my Certificate of Baptism while sear...

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“When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12(NIV)

On March 15, I will board an airplane, along with 50 other pilgrims, for the first leg of our journey to The Holy Land. Because I have never traveled overseas, I was apprehensive about how and what to pack. Before we began our pilgrimage, we received a list of necessities as well as optional items to pack. The advice from our travel agency, given in two words, was travel light.

Traveling light involved not just airline regulations but requirements from the travel agency pointing out the limited capacity of the luggage compartment on the motorcoach that will transport us while in Israel. For someone who has not traveled much by air, I was uncertain about the best way to prepare for this trip. I emailed a few friends whom I knew had traveled extensively overseas and asked for advice on the fine art ...

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According to the Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Research website, Americans spent almost $11.8 billion on cosmetic procedures in 2008. That’s billions, not millions. Statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons revealed that face-lifts for patients ages 40 and older were up by 14 percent in 2007.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!” 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)
According to the Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Research website, Americans spent almost $11.8 billion on cosmetic procedures in 2008. That’s billions, not millions. Statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons revealed that face-lifts for patients ages 40 and older were up by 14 percent in 2007.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to look our best and while I would never consider a face-lift, I confess that for medical reasons, I had an eyelid lift last fall. I never knew, until then, that eyelid surgery was performed for other rea...

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“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” 2 Corinthians 3:3 (NIV)

For many years, I lived life backwards. Motivated by envy, I wanted what others had and I didn’t. Caught up in what the world said I needed to be happy, I was lost until I came to understand the truth of what God has to offer His children.

Because I have been there, I can relate when someone expresses unhappiness with his or her life. However, I have learned that when you are willing do what God asks, you will experience a life of fulfillment that money cannot buy. I didn’t learn this lesson overnight or by osmosis. I had to live it.

I like this quote by Margaret Young, a popular singer and comedienne in the United States in the 1920s: “Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of ...

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“This is what the Lord says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord.’” Jeremiah 17:5 (NIV)

With the prediction of a recent ice and snowstorm, many in our state rushed to stock up with necessities before it hit. The afternoon before the storm moved in found me, along with hundreds of others in our community, loading up our grocery carts. Because there was a possibility of power outages, many were purchasing flashlights, batteries, candles and oil lanterns, as well as food.

I already had plenty of flashlights but needed several size D batteries. I knew the store carried batteries in different spots throughout their facility. However, I could find none in the size I required anywhere in the huge building.

Although I was shopping with a list and coupons, I kept my options open to ideas for meals in case the power went out. As I passed through the dairy department, I noticed that harried shopp...

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“O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.” Psalm 40:5 (NLT)

If you’re a parent, especially a mother, you understand the magic of a kiss when a young child comes to you with a minor bump, bruise or scrape. For some reason, kissing the injury provides miraculous healing in the eyes of the youngster.

As a mother, I kissed many of my sons’ skinned and banged up body parts. As a grandmother, I continue to use this unconventional medicine with my son's children. I have never really understood why kissing a wound pacified the hurting one. However, it works most of the time with minor injuries.

In John 9, we learn of a man, blind since birth, who receives total healing from Jesus. This man’s transformation is so dramatic he even looks different. Even the townspeople recognize the ...

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 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

At age 35, author Cami Walker was battling multiple sclerosis. Hospitalized for the depression that often accompanies the chronic neurological condition, making it difficult to walk, work, or enjoy life, she received a novel prescription from an African medicine woman: Give to others for 29 days.

“The first day of my personal ‘29-Day Giving Challenge’ was preceded by a sleepless night,” says Walker. “I was awake all night feeling angry and sorry for myself during a difficult flare up of my Multiple Sclerosis.”...

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“…being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

As my grown sons sat at my dinner table recently, our discussion turned to their childhood antics. We laughed as we recalled those instances when I considered going into the Witness Protection Program to escape or the times when I wanted to move and not leave a forwarding address. Sometimes, I still consider those options. If you are a parent and can relate, raise your hand.

My youngest celebrated his 29th birthday recently. As I see the man he has become, I smile because I know that God isn’t finished with him yet. Neither is He finished with my firstborn. I also know that He still has much work to do in me and through me.

If you are following God, then you, too, are still one of His works-in-progress. Curious about that phrase, “work-in-progress,” or WIP for short, I went online where...

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“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.’” Psalm 91: 1-2 (NIV)

Stepping outside early each day to retrieve my newspaper is part of my routine. If the weather is extremely cold, as it has been lately, I don’t tarry. I am grateful for my carrier who faithfully delivers my paper, even during bad weather, because he throws my paper as close to the house as possible so I don’t have to slip and slide down my driveway to get it.

After spending time with my heavenly Father each morning, I settle in my recliner with a mug of hot tea and the newspaper. By nature, I am a headline skimmer. My inclination is to read the good news and ignore the bad taking up most of the space in a paper, or so it seems. Still, it’s hard to avoid the troubling news that can threaten our sense of peace.

Even though my eyeglasses are not rose-tinted, I c...

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“Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV)

When I was younger, I never worried about gaining weight. I was a “skinny little thing,” and at 5’3,” weighed 98 pounds soaking wet when I graduated from high school in 1971. At one time, I could eat anything I pleased. Oh how I wish for those days.

However, age has caused my metabolism to slow down. When I was in my 40s, I began a serious exercise routine because as we grow older our muscle mass deteriorates and our bodies begin to decline if we don’t take care of them. It requires exercise and eating healthy to maintain strength and energy.

Gym memberships increase after January 1 when people make New Year’s Resolutions to get in shape. However, many often lose the drive to continue on their new routine ...

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