abandoned to Christ.

It can be, but not always. There's self-pity (which is a sin) that brings some to become depressed. There are times when we're wounded due to self-inflicted trauma (meaning, you've behaved in ungodly and immature ways and now you have to lie in the messy bed you've made [1 Peter 2:20, 3:9, 4:14-15]). And there are traumatic situations that occur in a person’s life that are totally out of their control which brings them to depression. In order to find out whether or not it's a faith issue or a medical issue, you should visit with your Pastor and/or a wiser and older Christian as well as your physician to determine the cause (if possible) and the degree of your depression. I've been depressed before in my life, mostly due to self-inflicted stress and trauma, mixed in with a large dose of self-pity. And this depression was a faith issue. How do I know? Well, because my eyes were focused on me and my life and how I thought everything should be. It’s c...

Twenty years ago today, the Lord chose to unite me and my beloved husband together in holy matrimony. We were both young, naive about marriage and still a bit prideful and self-serving. Naturally our pride deceived us into believing otherwise. The first several years of our marriage were rocky as we both tried to mold one another into our own image of what we thought a husband/wife looked like. With one child, and conversations about divorce, we were nearly done. But God's plans are never thwarted. Never. The Lord decided that we would be married until death do us part and have two sons with whom He would also use for His glory. As we've learned, our marriage isn't about the two of us—it's about Christ. Out of God's great mercy and compassion for the young fools we were, He granted us the wisdom we finally asked for and committed to love one another always second to Christ. We took divorce off the table and resolved to keep Christ as our First Love; ...

As Christians, most of us know the well-rehearsed verse "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,..." (James 1:2).  But most of us don't really understand what it means to consider our trials a joy—especially when the reality of it finally sets in and takes us down a road we never meant to travel...if we let it. I'm nearly seven weeks out from my latest surgery; the worst and most painful experience I can remember. And now, at last, the reality of it all is finally beginning to set in: nights with interrupted sleep, the confinement of a brace, the weakness I notice when I don't have it on, the fatigue...oh, the fatigue. Yes, it's all starting to become very old and very real, making the "joy" in this trial appear as if it's impossible to grasp. But God promises everything is not as they appear (2 Cor 4:16-18). So I look to Him and not to that which I can only see. "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From...

I am blessed because God is God and remains on the throne regardless of what my circumstances are or how I might feel about them from time to time. I am in pain. I am "confined". I am limited by and to many things. But I am not crushed by them nor do they cause me to despair. Are there times I whine a bit here and there or wish for the pain and limitations to dissipate? Yes. But they do not cause me to question my heavenly Father for allowing such things in my life. Why? Because I already know the answer: we live in a fallen and broken world, and while we're here, we must live in our fallen, broken and mortal bodies. This is my latest Get Well gift "basket". I put "basket"  in quotes because the basket was so large, it was on wheels and as you can see, some of this gifts couldn't even fit in the basket! My sweet and precious friend Leanne Holiman gave these to me yesterday. ♥ I never ask, "Why me, Lord?" because why shouldn...

While it’s true Joseph Kony is a vile and contemptuous man who’s illegal and inhumane activities must be stopped, it’s not wise for Christians to give anything beyond prayer to Invisible Children. As Christians, we’re responsible for using the wisdom God gave us to appropriate our time, talents and finances only to that which promotes and aids the entire well-being of a person; offering tangible help (e.g. providing food, shelter, clothing, etc.) and spiritual restoration through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ . Invisible Children is a secular organization that not only misleads the public, but also promotes physical aid without eternal benefit. Invisible Children (IC) was founded in 2004 and officially became a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in 2006. IC is located in San Diego, California started by three young filmmakers who traveled to Africa in search of an interesting and compelling story to share. Why they chose Africa and not somewhere here in the Uni...

As many of you know, I've had some particularly difficult health challenges these past eight years and though it's finally been discovered what I have, there is no cure and some of the damages done (years prior to diagnosis) are irreversible. One of the things that suffered was my lower back where I had one disc that was herniated and bulging, another just bulging and one slipped. This caused me to have severe back and leg pain for many years. But through it all, God has taught me much about perseverance and what it really means to trust Him and to give thanks to Him,  in and for all things (1 Thess 5:16-18). After undergoing physical therapy and spinal decompression therapy for the past five years, I was told that I didn't have to have surgery yet, but one day I would. We thought this meant I'd need surgery in 10-15 years, not only a couple. Clinging to God's word has sustained me through many challenges and trials my entire life, and I'm grateful for the p...

Once the wedding is over and the guests have gone, we’re left alone with our spouse to live out what we've just promised. This is when most of us realize how selfish and arrogant we are and how difficult it really is to love our spouses  “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,  in sickness and in health , to love and to cherish, 'till death do us part” . It takes more than a whimsical “forever after” idea for a marriage to do more than survive; but thrive. A marriage only flourishes if we obey God’s command to love one another with a holy and sacrificial love that puts Christ first and our spouses second. “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves...Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord...Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should  submit in everything  to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanc...

Does it mean we slap a silly smile on our faces and shout "Praise the Lord!" when we receive news that would devastate any normal human being? Certainly not. That's not joy in the Lord, that's plain 'ol lunacy in the flesh; masquerading as a strong and faithful Christian. A counterfeit joy infused by self-will never produces the good fruit of the Lord Jesus Christ. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." ~James 1:2-4 I'm writing this from my hospital bed. I've been here since Tuesday (February 28, 2012). I'm scheduled to have a double discectomy (complete removal and replacement of two discs) and spinal fusion tomorrow at noon. It's a four hour surgery and from what I've been told by my neurosurgeon, a painful and long ...