Blog (Page 15)

I don’t know about you, but I REALLY do not like to be needy. I don’t even like the word. It means: “being in want, poverty-stricken, distressed by want of means of living” and it goes far beyond finances. It can include emotions, attention, affection, and more. I mainly don’t like how it feels. Sometimes I feel weak. Sometimes I feel ashamed.  I’m sure this is pride speaking but, when I have a need, I am painfully aware that I…

“Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. That your trust may be in the LORD, I have made them known to you today, even to you.” – Proverbs 22:17-19 The phrase “if all of them are ready on your lips” in this proverb has caught my attention lately. I had…

Elizabeth Brehm (guest post; College of Veterinary Medicine student) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7 Over the past 6 months, I have been in charge of planning and organizing the annual veterinary missions trip that the ISU College of Vet Med…

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” – Romans 8:26-27 I was scheduled to write for the woman’s blog last week, but I was hardly able to put…

“…and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.” – James 5:16 (NLB) Stonebrook ladies, we have the wonderful privilege as God’s daughters to come before our Father’s throne with requests, knowing he hears us and is the rewarder of our faith. I love King David’s perspective in Psalm 5:3, “Morning by morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; morning by morning I lay my requests…

Luke and I were blessed to attend the Marriage Conference this past weekend. It was a video series on “The Mingling of Souls” by Matt and Lauren Chandler. If you are married and couldn’t attend the conference, I’d highly recommend reading his book. If you are single and someday hope to be married, I still recommend reading this book, as the first part of it is written to singles specifically. Here are some of the boiled down takeaways that I…

Recently, I was reading a newsletter from a female inmate sharing a very humbling testimony, not of her salvation, but of her learning to be broken. She is a believer, but a Bible study leader had confronted her with some areas of pride. She was shocked! “Look at what a shambles my life is in. How can I be full of pride?” was basically her response. She mentioned a few things from a Nancy Leigh DeMoss book on brokenness, so…

Recently, I found my mind churning, thinking about a sinful attitude that I had just realized I had been having. I was stuck in a circle of guilt and shame. I realized I was feeling condemned, as Romans 8:1 talks about, but I also realized that the words of that scripture had not fully penetrated my mind and heart. Sometimes, “The Message” paraphrase of the Bible can break through the familiarity of some verses for me, so I looked it…

Do you tend to compare yourself with other women? I know I do… sometimes unconsciously. Over sixty years ago, social psychologists developed a theory called Social Comparison theory, which states that humans have the drive to compare themselves to others to determine their worth. This is especially true for women, who are likely to compare themselves with other women in certain areas such as abilities, appearance, success etc. With an easy access to a wide range of social media, women…

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2 “I don’t want to be a burden.” “I feel like I am just too much.” “If I ask for help, I will just burden others.” Have you ever thought any of these thoughts? I think we all have! Deep down behind that “being a burden thought” is the scary conclusion: “People don’t like burdens! They will leave if I am a burden!…

You might know that I am going to China in about 40 days. And I’m going to be there for 90 days! Yes, 90! I will be going with nine other Americans for three months of intensive treatment with traditional Chinese medicine. Five or six days a week of acupuncture, electric acupuncture, massage, Chinese herbs, and physical therapy. Each day is highly regimented.  The hope and prayer is I will return with more function to my body that was lost…