In July 2013 I ventured solo to Philadelphia to attend my first-ever writers’ conference—The Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference. As I sat down the first day in my first workshop, the first person I spoke with was the woman sitting next to me, Sarah Lynn Phillips. We quickly discovered we both were working on books, and instantly hit if off. Since that time, we have cheered one another on to see each of our books not only reach publication, but also win awards! Penned Without Ink: Trusting God to Write Your Story is a book about trusting God, even when…
December closed out with our ministry’s annual board meeting. As a group, we rejoiced at all that was accomplished in the past year, and brainstormed plans and goals for the year ahead. I enjoy the synergy of these meetings. The give and take of everyone sharing ideas leads to a combined result greater than the sum of what we would each individually bring to the table. The word synergy comes from the Greek sunergeo, meaning “to work together.” The apostle Paul used sunergeo—translated “works” or “working together,”—in a commonly quoted verse of Scripture: “And we know that in all things…
A feeling of finality came over me as I thumbed through, then closed my 2016 monthly planner. December 31. Another year ended . . . By the grace of God it had been a good year, despite some unexpected challenges and changes. He had seen us through. We are grateful. As I open my new 2017 calendar I pause to admire its clean pages. Each one an empty slate, soon to be filled in with day-to-day happenings, appointments, and special occasions. A new year brings hope. A sense of new beginnings. A time to redefine goals and sharpen our focus…
As we celebrate our national holiday of Thanksgiving, I’ve been coming across numerous articles about the countless benefits of cultivating an attitude of gratitude in our lives. According to Scripture, an unthankful heart displeases God. He exhorts us to always give thanks, and to be thankful in all circumstances. It’s through praise and thanksgiving that we enter His presence. A powerful way to build thanks and praise into our lives is to personalize scriptures and offer them to God as prayers and proclamations of our faith. The Psalms are great for this. They are beloved by so many because…
In every decision, plan, and purpose of life, we choose between two distinct ways to function—with or without God’s help. You see, God always wanted a family—we were created “in His image“. A family shares and communicates. How our Heavenly Father longs to speak with us! While most people in the world function by vision, God’s people are called to operate in a radically different way—by revelation. Let me explain . . . People devise plans: businesses and organizations craft mission and vision statements, mapping out what they’re about and where they are going. Individuals often set goals. In all…
