Do you still feel as though you deserve to be punished even after you have been forgiven by another? Do you put yourself down, saying, “I’ve made too many mistakes for God to use me!” Do you assume that others will be blessed by God, but believe that you have forfeited His blessings because of [...]
Sometimes it is hard to see God’s fingerprints in the push and pull of everyday life. It can be hard to see how God is present in the moments between opening your eyes and that first cup of coffee. You’ve barely gulped down your coffee, when a child who can’t find a textbook, or a [...]
I love being with happy people! There is something so contagious about their joyful and fun filled lives. On the other hand, I avoid the company of miserable and bitter people. They are not pleasant to be around. Why? Because generally they are full of complaints, their countenance is dark and they exude an atmosphere [...]
I was standing at my kitchen sink washing dishes My mood was dark as I pondered a couple of mean spirited people in our church. "How could they be so critical?" I said to myself. We were pastoring a large church in Australia, working hard, doing our best, and all this couple could do was [...]
Read 1 Samuel chapter 1 so that you can better follow this story. Some background to Hannah's story Hannah was in a polygamous marriage. Her husband, Elkanah, had two wives, although Hannah was his favourite. However, in a society that valued a woman’s ability to bear children almost above all else, Hannah was childless. This [...]
Martyr syndrome is a common issue among women. I have seen it among church people for many years. Martyr syndrome or victim complex can be classified as a person who uses self-sacrifice and suffering to control their environment. They are masking the real issues of the heart, unwilling to deal with themselves and grow in spiritual formation, [...]
I live on the Prairies in a little town in Ellendale, North Dakota, USA. Winter can be a brutal season with biting cold winds that slap you in the face at 50mph. But, whenever I see flocks of snow geese heading northward towards the Canadian tundra, I know that spring is on the heels of [...]
My 47-year-old cousin was brutally murdered some months ago. He was having a barbecue with his family when some armed men barged into his home and murdered him. So I am aware of the brevity of life. The Ashley Madison website* acknowledges that life goes by all too quickly, but they fail to inform their [...]
After a particularly painful period in his life, which he shared with us at the Beauty for Ashes women's conference in May 2015, Sheridan Voysey decided to read Christ's Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5 to 7) every day for a month. He had questions about faith and life and about the meaning [...]
We all live to some extent with illusions We can make ourselves believe that we will be okay no matter what the circumstances. We are prone to believe the blatant lie that we can pull ourselves up by our boot strings and keep going at any cost. We see ourselves as better than we really [...]
