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December 2024
When God Doesn't Make Sense
If you have ever struggled to reconcile a suffering world with a good God, you are not alone. Even John the Baptist wondered if Jesus was really who He had claimed to be, as he sat in a dark, lonely prison cell. John had prophesied his cousin’s arrival and baptized Him in the Jordan River, yet he struggled to understand how his own dire circumstances could be part of God’s promised plan to establish His earthly kingdom. He had been faithful and obedient to God’s calling on his life, so how and why did he end up in prison awaiting his own execution?
March 2024
God's greatest work is our greatest hope!
Are you or someone you love walking through a dark time in their lives? Are you searching for hope or an answer? We aren't always able to see the way forward, but we don’t need to fear or dread the darkness because the darkness is often where God is getting started on something wonderful! ​God brought forth all of creation out of complete and utter darkness. And after He created light, He did not abolish the darkness. Instead, God knows there is great purpose in darkness, and He continues to exemplify His glory and power through it. 
May 2023
Can you hear the dinner bell?
Until I was 10 years old, I lived in a small Texas town with a population less than 2,500 people. My childhood was filled with days running around the neighborhood, free to roam and play. We would ride our bikes through the three blocks of downtown and across the railroad tracks to visit my granny and grandad and save up our nickels and dimes to get a burger at the new Dairy Queen. Then there was the time someone called the telephone operator for my uncle’s number, and the operator informed the caller my uncle was actually at my parents’ house down the street and offered our number instead. Now that’s a small town! ​
October 2022
Celebrating 17 years cancer free!
I remember it very clearly. I guess October had always been Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but I hadn’t really paid much attention to it. However, in October 2005, I had been recently diagnosed with breast cancer and found myself overwhelmed by all the pink ribbons that seemed to greet me at every store. I distinctly remember thinking, “I don't want to be reminded everywhere I go that I have cancer, and I certainly don't want to buy anything that indicates I am a survivor because I don’t know if I am going to live through it."
September 2022
The Challenge to Trust on the Path to Peace
I have spent more than 30 years counseling, teaching, and discipling others, and the pages of this book are filled with the biblical truths and life lessons God has taught me through my journey helping others as well as my own life experiences. If you would like to exchange your restlessness and anxiousness for a heart and mind of peace, come along on this inspirational 50-day journey. We are commanded throughout Scripture to trust God, and we are promised His perfect peace will accompany our trust in Him. God’s promise of peace has the power to transform every area of your life, but how do you claim that promise? 
August 2020
What Has God Done?
When all this began, no one could have anticipated the impact that the coronavirus would have on our lives and throughout the world. The loss has been significant in so many ways and for so many people. The physical and psychological demands on those who have continued to faithfully serve in their professions have been immeasurable, and at the same time, the loneliness experienced by some individuals has been unprecedented and heartbreaking. 
December 2019
A Different Kind of Christmas
Although we often find ourselves captivated by the warmth and joy of the Christmas season, we are also surrounded by those who are experiencing pain and sadness through loss, illness, financial difficulties, troubled relationships, separation from loved ones, and so much more. One of the greatest ways to celebrate the arrival of Jesus and the salvation and hope he brings to our world is to be sensitive to those around us and acknowledge that the celebration-filled holidays can also be a time of brokenness. 
June 2017
Sharing God's Love in England
Courtney and I just returned from a mission trip where we were able to share our story of hope in England. We had the opportunity to speak to a women's group at East Cleveland Baptist Church, as well as spend time with the children, youth, and senior adults at Tees Valley Community Church. We also had the privilege of visiting Teeside Hospice, where I am certain that the blessings we received rivaled those which we were able to extend.
October 2016
A Fellowship of Brokenness
I have often wondered why we tend to portray only the positive aspects of our lives on social media and in our face-to-face encounters and conversations with others. We each have our own reasons for concealing some of the struggles we are experiencing in our families, in our marriages, and in our hearts, but perhaps celebrating the accomplishments and joyous moments of life helps us endure those which are painful. 
October 2015
A Constant God in a Changing Season
With the cool, crisp weather of autumn also comes the back-to-school chaos and fall frenzy for many of us. Although we may welcome the normalcy of a routine or the end of a hot summer, we can find ourselves inundated with the emails, phone calls, meetings, fall sports and other commitments that follow the school calendar--even if we no longer have school-aged children.
Porch Flowers Podcast