5 Lessons My Mother Taught Me in Her Last Days

mother, mother's day, truth, words of wisdom, faith, God, Jesus, gratitude, death, eternity

The first part of 2016 has been one of the most difficult periods of my adult life. From the time the doctors recommended hospice care for my mother until her passing at the end of February, I felt that my emotions were like a dam ready to burst at the prick of a pin. Without a doubt, the only thing that held me together was the grace of God, which was so apparent during this season of my life.

As I spent time daily with my ailing mother, she taught me, directly and indirectly, many things about life. Some she had already been instilling in me since I was a child and others I learned as I listened to and observed her in the last couple of months of her life. These are treasures that I will carry with me in my journey thru life and hopefully pass on to my children because I know they are from God. Continue reading

Weekly Wisdom: I Can Never Be Good Enough But Christ is Enough

God, Jesus Christ, Bible, Scripture, grace, holiness, sanctification, God's Word, My Utmost for His Highest

“In the process of sanctification, the Spirit of God will strip me down until there is nothing left but myself, and that is the place of death. Am I willing to be myself and nothing more? Am I willing to have no friends, no father, no brother, and no self-interest— simply to be ready for death? That is the condition required for sanctification.”My Utmost for His Highest

I couldn’t quite put my finger on what I had been feeling and experiencing lately until I read this devotional from My Utmost for His Highest. Continue reading

Weekly Wisdom: Am I Living by Faith?

God, Jesus Christ, Living by faith, Crazy Love, the Cross, Bible, Scripture

We live in a world where we are obsessed with our own safety and comfort and the safety and comfort of our loved ones. The size and luxuries of our homes, the conveniences of current technology, our retirement accounts, they’re all about our safety and comfort in the present and in the future. I am the first to admit that when I pray, I pray for the safety and comfort of my family and friends. I pray the same for myself. We all work hard and save as much as we can in order that we can have a safe, secure and comfortable future until we die. We do our best to try to avoid any kind of discomfort or inconvenience as much as we possibly can. Continue reading

Weekly Wisdom: Am I Living by the Spirit?

faith, God, Jesus Christ, Bible, Scripture, Fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5, Crazy Love, Francis Chan, lukewarm Christian, words of wisdom, inspiration

I just finished reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan and it was altogether eye-opening, challenging and convicting. His description of a lukewarm Christian and those that are Christ-obsessed really pushed me to do an introspective examination as well as evaluate how I’m living my life here on earth in light of eternity. Chan states that “the life of a lukewarm Christian wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God.” And if I were to be completely honest with myself, aside from not going to church every Sunday and reading the Bible on a regular basis, not much else would change if I stopped believing in God. He really pushed me to evaluate all aspects of my life, and imagine how different it would look if I surrendered each and every part to God in order to live a life that is truly obedient to the Cross. Continue reading

Weekly Wisdom: Apart from Him, We Can Do Nothing

God, Jesus Christ, faith, Bible, Scripture, prayer, hope, the vine and the branches, the fig tree, words of wisdom, Mark 11, John 15

I have had moments during service at church, especially during praise time, where I’ve felt touched and moved by the Holy Spirit in a personal way. I’ve shed tears of joy as I felt an overwhelming sense of God’s love for me. I’ve shed tears of gratitude as I’ve experienced God’s grace and mercy reach out to me in my personal struggles. For the first time, last Sunday, I felt moved by the Holy Spirit to feel burdened for my church. For the first time, I found myself weeping over the spiritual state of our congregation. I don’t write this in judgment as I, myself, am included in this body of believers. Continue reading

Weekly Wisdom: Life is Short, Live for Eternity

lifeishort_liveforeternity

I have been so hungry lately. Hungry for the word of God, that is. Psalm 119:103 comes to mind, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” God has been revealing so many truths to me in a way that I can understand, I feel the need to share some of the things that He has been impressing upon my heart. I shared on my IG feed how the popular Sunday school song, I Keep Falling in Love with Him, holds true for me now more than ever. The more I feed on His Word, the more I fall in love with Him. Continue reading

Weekly Wisdom: Giving God the First Fruits

God, Jesus Christ, Bible, Scripture, first fruits, Hannah, words of wisdom, truth

You know how they say that children learn by repetition? Well, I think God has been using that method with me lately in order to press upon my heart the importance of giving Him the first fruits not only every morning but in everything I do. I had been reminded gently of this truth thru a couple of blog posts that I read recently. It obviously didn’t get thru to me the first time so God reminded me again thru a sermon I listened to while driving 3 hours to pick up my daughter from sleep away camp, and then again thru the Women in the Word series at She Reads Truth when I read about Hannah. But what does it mean to give God the first fruits? I don’t think it’s my place, nor is it my intent to delve into the theological meaning of the first fruits as referred to in the Old as well as the New Testaments, but I’d like to share some of the spiritual meanings that God has been conveying to me lately. Continue reading

Weekly Wisdom: I’ll Tell You What’s Not Fair

Shaded_Cross

As I continue to follow the Women in the Word series at She Reads Truth, I thought I’d share my thoughts from previous weeks’ stories. The story of Rebekah, the wife of Isaac, stood out to me as it was a great reminder of God’s sovereignty and that nothing, not even the cleverest human devised scheme, can deter God’s sovereign plan. In discussing Rebekah, the author opens her post with phrases that have been banned from her family vocabulary. When she mentioned the words “No fair!” being one of them, I was thinking that one should be at the top of my family list. Continue reading