It’s Time to Get Out of the Boat by Amy Schmitz Ruiz “For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, His Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control.” –2 Timothy 1:7 Over the past few weeks in my mom’s Bible study, we have been reading John Ortberg’s book, […]

WORDS by Donna Middlestead “Sticks and stones may break my bones…but names will never hurt me.” Growing up in the 1940’s, this was a little ditty we would say to someone if we were angry. Our little differences were just that…little differences, settled in minutes. In today’s world, things have changed. Many words are ugly and even […]

In the Gap by Jane Josephs “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name…” –Matthew 6:9 I recently started watching a hospital drama on TV in the evenings. In one episode, a doctor is lying unconscious on a table while his wife nearby laments, “I don’t know how to pray. I’m not religious…but I wish […]

The Driver’s Seat by Jim Rower “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” –Romans 8:28 Okay, I admit it. I’m a bit of a control freak. I like to be in control in most situations. When my wife and I […]

Jesus Speaks to Us Where We Are At by Mike Herrnstein So when Martha heard Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You […]

Singing Praise! by Michael Campbell “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” –James 5:13 I always do a lot of singing. I have a playlist of my favorite worship music with 33 songs on it—that’s almost 3 hours! I have some disabilities that make […]

My Song, My Fortress, My Refuge by Teagen Mae Hustead “But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” –Psalm 59:16 My journey of faith has not been perfect. Truthfully, it’s been rocky. In the past, I had doubt […]

My Protector by Lindsay Greim  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” –Isaiah 43:2 The pandemic shutdown was especially hard for me. I […]

You’ve Got a Friend by Chloe Corey “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” –Deuteronomy 31:6 I chose this verse because it reminded me that God will never leave me and will always […]

Forever Friendships by William Campbell “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” –Proverbs 18:24 When I think about “a friend who sticks closer than a brother,” I think this could refer to God giving us the gift of Jesus’ friendship, walking beside […]