Several years ago, while I was away on a business trip, I received a call from my eighteen-year-old son, Kyle. “Hey, Mom . . . guess what?” Without giving me a chance to hazard a guess, his excited voice continued. “I might be moving to Canada.” Now to put things into perspective, Canada is a [...]
The knock at my door was soft, apologetic. I soon discovered a bouquet of anxious faces clustered in the hallway of the hotel where I was speaking for a women’s weekend retreat. “A situation has come up,” Jill, the retreat committee chairman, explained, keeping her voice low. Uh-oh. Ten minutes later—hair combed, lipstick in place, [...]
Which room in your home is your favourite? Researchers once surveyed people about their favourite room in the house. The top answer was the kitchen. People love that one. Perhaps yours is the kitchen too, or maybe somewhere else? Most husbands said theirs was the bedroom. Moms of young children said their favourite room 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 [...]
Do you wonder if God is out there listening? Do you question if He cares? Many of us want to talk to God—to pray—but we don’t know how to start. Here are some things that might help: You don’t need a specific place to pray . . . but finding “a prayer place” might help. [...]
“I’m beginning to think it’s impossible to live a successful Christian life!” Jennifer exclaimed after a long, stressful day. “I get so discouraged. When I worship with other believers, I feel joyful and right with God. Then a new week begins with work, kids, problems, and ‘poof!’ – I’m back to the old Jennifer. Why [...]
Most people become quite thoughtful as one year ends and another begins. It's a time of reflection and planning, of hopes and dreams. Traditional New Year resolutions generally involve weight loss and fitness, especially after a well-fed Christmas season. This year, why not plan on doing something different? Instead of saying I'm going to lose [...]
I’m not really into making New Years Resolutions. I find that by the middle of January I already haven’t exercised as much as I told myself I would or I’ve failed to actually do the study units of the course I signed up for. And then I start feeling bad about myself, and I find [...]
My journey with God began when I was 14 years old, and the teaching of the day was regularly about the all-important Quiet Time (QT). For many years, I'd began the day with a time of prayer and Bible reading that lasted probably about half an hour. It was a time of committing the day [...]
One of the best parts of coming to be with the beautiful women of South Africa is that I'm coming with one of my best friends in the whole world; Lisa Whelchel! When Aldyth approached each of us to invite us, she didn't even know Lisa and I were best friends. God did though! You've [...]
