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 [...]
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. —2 Corinthians 12:10 If you asked me the single greatest lesson I’ve learned over the past five, difficult years, this is what I’d say, at least in part: Life [...]
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.—Hebrews 11:8 I don’t like surprises. I like plans. Schedules. A body that works and children who listen. Few things are as comforting to me as a calendar that outlines [...]
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 [...]
Hard. It happens to all of us. Later I hope for most. But it comes. Hard comes in the form of miscarriages, cancer, babies with challenges they’ll face for life, loss of loved ones, accidents, lack of finance, relationships that come unglued. Hard, it can look different for each of us but it comes to [...]
Many people have asked, “How did you get into the kind of ministry you are in?” For those of you who don’t know what I do, perhaps I should explain that I am a conference speaker, an author, and a radio broadcaster. The truth is that this is the last thing on earth I ever [...]
Some thrive on change, others don't There are those who thrive on change. There are those who, with difficulty, make their way through change. Then there are people like me who find change daunting. Especially change over which I’ve little control. Now I’m not talking about silly changes, like the plastic container being packed on [...]
I can't remember how I came upon Resurrection Year by Sheridan Voysey in early 2014. It was not available in South Africa at the time, and I downloaded a sample onto my Kindle out of idle curiosity. I love to read and I love memoirs, so why not give it a try? The blurb for [...]
How easily we use these words. Calamity strikes, and we say, “Trust God”. We face a problem, and we are told, “Just trust God”. Recently I was challenged by these words: “What would trusting God look like to you in a difficult real-life situation?” Well, right now I have the difficult real-life situation. Working out [...]
The moment was almost surreal as I listened to the doctor’s words There are risks with this surgery . . . your husband can die, and we have to inform you of the possibility of brain damage. I remained calm on the outside, but not on the inside. “Please God, don’t let Paul die,” I [...]
