brick wall with building blue prints For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

Purposeful Home

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” My sister is full of good ideas and great advice. Recently she shared that she was no longer keeping special “things” for special…

vibrant sunset of pink and gray Lamentations 3: 57-58 NKJV You drew near on the day I called on You, And said, Do not fear! O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul; You have redeemed my life.

Redeemed Radically

Sunset, Sisters, OR Lamentations 3: 57-58 NKJV You drew near on the day I called on You, And said, “Do not fear!” O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul; You have redeemed my life. There once was man. He grew up very comfortably with all the benefits that his modestly wealthy family…

juniper tree buried in deep snow Isaiah 1:18 CSB Come, let’s settle this, says the Lord. Though your sins are scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool.

Microwave Lessons

Isaiah 1:18 CSB “Come, let’s settle this,”says the Lord.“Though your sins are scarlet,they will be as white as snow;though they are crimson red,they will be like wool. Today I discovered I don’t do a good job of cleaning the ceiling of my microwave.  I clean the easy to reach sides and bottom and of course the…

small girl picks a bouquet of dandelions in a huge yard of dandelions And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2-5 NSV

The Dandelion Girl

Matthew 18:2-3 NSVAnd calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” I am a child. I’m too short to reach most things, especially the top shelf. I have to ask…

bright light shine through a rock opening in Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.

Safe Place to Hide

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Philippe Sands had a plaguing question, “Who rescued my mother from the hands of the Nazis when she was an infant?”  The British barrister and author was well versed…

two dogs, a pit bull and akita are reflected in a side view mirror with their heads stick out of a truck window James 1:23-24 GNT If you listen to the word, but do not put it into practice you are like people who look in a mirror and see themselves as they are. They take a good look at themselves and then go away and at once forget what they look like.

View in the Side Mirror

James 1:23-24 GNT If you listen to the word, but do not put it into practice you are like people who look in a mirror and see themselves as they are. They take a good look at themselves and then go away and at once forget what they look like. Mona Lisa wasn’t smiling? For 500…

2 dogs on a couch, a pit bull and akita staring out a window Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Matthew 22:39 GNT

Leash Law

Matthew 22:39 GNT Love your neighbor as you love yourself. I have a dog and a big 100lb cat dog.  You know the phrase herding cats? Well it’s a thing especially for a dog that thinks he is a cat! So, for 14 years anywhere he goes, he has had to be on a leash,…

desert sand with sage brush surrounding a rock that looks like the entrance to a cave Jesus called in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, Take off the grave clothes and let him go. John 11: 43-44 NIV

Lazarus Phenomenon

John 11: 43-44 NIV Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” Autoresuscitation is also known as Lazarus Syndrome or Phenomenon….

dog pouts surrounded by a mess he created by chewing up several things Haggai 1:7 TLB Think it over, says the Lord Almighty. Consider how you have acted and what has happened as a result!

Salt and Consequences

Haggai 1:7 TLB “Think it over,” says the Lord Almighty. “Consider how you have acted and what has happened as a result!” In my former classroom as a teacher, we had a “Ssshhhh” chair. Not a time out, not punishment, but a place to sit for a few moments and ssshhhhh. This gave the little…