Inspirational

Heeding God’s Warning

Psalm 115:11 says, “Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.“ In January, 1986, Floyd’s job took him away from home for nine months.  So in April, we drove down to Wichita, Kansas to spend a week with him during our kids’ Easter vacation from school.  It took me about twelve hours to get there from Cincinnati. We left Wichita at 9:00…

Who’s the Influence?

I was raised in a non-Christian home.  My parents did not believe in influencing us toward or against God.  My mother used to tell me, “Marjie, I have no right to influence your religious beliefs.”  She and my dad did take us to church for a couple of years so that we could decide what we wanted to believe.  I was about nine or ten years old.  We didn’t go…

Doing What You Want

One day, out of the clear blue sky, God spoke to my heart and said to me, “You know, Marj, you do what you want.”  I was in my thirties when he hit me with that revelation. Do we do what we want to do?  There are men paying alimony and child support.  There are people working at jobs they hate just to make ends meet, serving in the military…

Fear Not

My daughter-in-law, Amy, had surgery last Thursday, and because of the nature of the surgery, the Army authorized emergency leave for my son, Toby, who flew home from Korea.  Then Amy’s mom, Joanne, and I drove out from Ohio to help Toby with the three little ones – ages 4, 5, and 6.  They live in Kansas. The surgery went well, and Amy is now recovering at home.  She can’t…

Taking Things for Granted

One afternoon, I ran my fourteen-year-old son to a craft store to pick up something he needed for a project that he was working on.  Toby ran into the store, and I waited in the car.  A siren caught my attention and I glanced over at the main road, watching an ambulance zip by as it headed toward the nearby hospital. Immediately, my mind shifted to the goodness of God,…

Showers of Blessings

There’s a hymn titled “Showers of Blessings,” and when I sing the song or think on its meaning, I visualize the blessings of God spilling down from Heaven all around, as numerable as the raindrops on a stormy day.  But what about the thunder and lightning?  No one wants the storm.  In fact, sometimes we don’t even want the rain.  We prefer our blessings on a warm and sunny day. …

Answering the Call

As an author, I knew the importance of building a platform through public speaking.  But I was at a loss to know what kind of message I’d give to the secular world because my life revolved around Jesus so much that I seemed to bring Him up in every conversation.  So I had a problem. How could I discuss… The unique challenges I faced in dealing with a child with…

Time for Self Examination

I need to lose about 25 pounds to be at my ideal weight.  I don’t have a problem overeating, but I have an incredible sweet tooth.  And I’ve discovered that losing weight when you have a sweet tooth is like skipping that morning cup of coffee when you’re addicted to caffeine.  Now I realize that caffeine causes a physical addiction that creates withdrawal symptoms that only a dose of caffeine will…

Crying for the Lost

The other day I was driving home from Wright Patterson Air Force Base, listening to the music on my IPOD when the most beautiful song came on.  It was talking about Heaven and after describing its beauty, the singer said, “Look for me, for I will be there too. When you first arrive, you’ll realize there’s so much there to view.  But when you’ve been there ten thousand years, a…

Marked for Demolition

I Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”   Satan works hard to destroy people’s lives – especially those who live for Christ – and he’ll use any means he can to accomplish it.  Most often he destroys from the inside out, kind of like an implosion that brings down an entire building marked for…